Bumper harvest from CBAAC in 2009

Bumper harvest from CBAAC in 2009
By Yemi Olakitan
published in the Guardian News Papers
on Friday,8th January,2010

WHEN in 1979 the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo established the center for Black and African Arts Civilization, CBAAC it charged it with the responsibility of promoting public interest in African arts, culture and civilization. Since that time, the center has grown from strength to strength in the fulfillment of its statutory duties to black Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Over the years, the center has continued to work on that mandate after the festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC 77 that took place in Lagos, Nigeria. CBAAC has continued to propagate its mission through workshops, symposium, lectures performances, and many other activities that stimulate public interest in arts and culture. It had also continued to preserve and acquire more materials in addition to the ones that were entrusted to it after FESTAC 77.

The year 2009 was a year of achievements and success for the center. It was a year of a series of activities and events that make everyone agree that the centre is making huge progress in its avowed goals and objectives. The month of February 2009 was the celebration of Black History Month, which was held at the Trenchard Hall of University of Ibadan. It featured a week long exhibition, cultural performances and a public lecture titled: 'Advancing and integrating African values, Ethics and Norms in the interest of Africans and Africans in diasporas,'' the lecture was delivered by Dr. Maltloeng Matlou, Executive Director, Africa institute of South Africa, AISA. The event was climaxed by the official Commissioning of the Center's outreach office at the institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Ibadan. Another interesting event was the Summit/ Colloquium of agencies and organization responsible for the management of African Arts and Culture in Africa and the diasporas, held at Hotel Mont Febe, Yaound�, Cameroon from 7th to 10th April 209. The colloquium tagged (SICADIA 2009) with the theme: African Culture in the Globalize World of the 21st century was a follow up to the first summit held at the instance of CBAAC in Lagos on the 21st and 23rd of August 2007 and a roundtable on African Cultural institutions that was organized in Algiers in October 2008. Attendance at the summit cut across the various regions in Africa with delegates from Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Chad, Congo, Niger, Central Africa Republic, among others. It also had institutional representation from from the African Union, Observatory for cultural Practices in Africa (OCPA) center for Bantu Civilization CICIBA, African union Center for Oral Tradition and Oral history, Pan African strategic and policy Reaserach Group, UNESCO, West African Museum Project, amongst others.

A Public Lecture on African indigenous languages, held at Reiz Continental Hotel, Plot 779, Cadastral Zone AO, Central Business District, Near Kumasi House, Abuja, Nigeria on the 7th of May was also a huge success, in 2009. The lecture was delivered by Professor Kwesi Kwaa Prah, Director for Advanced Studies of African Societies, Cape Town, South Africa, The topic of the lecture was: African Languages, African Development and African Unity. It was attended by Senator Bello Jibril Gada, the Honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation and Dr.Goke Adegoroye, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Tourim, Culure and National orientation amngst others.

CBAAC's annual international Children's Day, May 27 209, held in Collaboration with the Society for the Performing Arts in Nigeria SPAN, and MTN Nigeria Communications Limited featured performances by School Children, poetic renditions by participating children and competitive inter-schools debates. The programme enjoyed the support and patronage of Cadbury Nigeria Plc. De United Foods industries, Nestle PLC, Seven UP PLC, and SCOA, among others, The winning school went away with a trophy donated by his royal Highness, Oba Dokun Abolarin, Aroyekeye 1, The Orangun of Oke Ila, Oke Ila Ornagun, Osun state, It had in attendance pupils from forty one secondary schools in around Lagos state.

In the area of Visual Arts, the center featured an international Exhibition titled: Seen and Heard at the 2nd Pan African Cultural Festival held at Algiers, July 22nd 2009.Professor Funso Aiyejina of the University of West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago delivered CBAAC's annual public Lecture held on July 23, 2009.

The 2009 edition of the annual lecture titled: Esu Elegbara: A source of an Alter/Native Theory of African Literature and Criticms'' held at the Cinema Hall of the National Theater, Iganmu Lagos also had a successful outing. The event had in attendance Senator Bako Gasol, Chairman, senate Committee on culture and Tourism, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, permanent Secretary.

As part of efforts aim at sustaining African Literature, encourage intellectual activities, human potential development, particularly in the area of literature, CBAAC hosted the maiden edition of its African Writers series Programme at the Cultural Center in Abuja on the 17th of September, 2009. The event brought together authors and students in a close contact in appreciation of creativity works and with the purpose of impacting positive values in would be authors and writers through reading of literary works and inter group exchanges. Mr. George Ufot, Director of Culture represented senator Jibril Bello Gada, the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Culture, Tourism and National Orientation. The center also had a Collaboration/Partnership with international organisations in order to foster cooperation and cross-border exchanges. It signed two different Memoranda of Understanding with the Africa institute of South Africa and the Regional Center for research and Documentation on Oral Tradition and Development of African Languages in Cameroon.

In November 9-13, 2009; the center hosted the 5th edition of its international Conference series in Brasilia, Brazil. The Colloquium was on the theme: Teaching and Propagating African Diasporas History, History of integration in West Africa. Prof of History at Cheikh Anta Diop University and fellow at CODESTRIA, Dakar Senegal, gave the keynote address titled: The History of Africa and the Africa Diasporas in the 21st Century.

The Permanent Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Alhaji Bello Sheidu Ozigis represented the Nigerian Honorable Minister for Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Senator Jubril Bello Gada, Senator Yisa Burahimo, Chairman Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Hon KGB Oguakwa, Chairman, House Committee on Culture and Tourism, Federal Republic of Nigeria Representative of Brazil's special Secretariat for the promotion of policies on Racial Equality, were all present.

The Presidency Brazil, Mrs. Magali Naves, Director of the Department of international cooperation's, Mr. George Ufot, Ag.Director of Culture, Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Nigeria; Professor Molara Ogundipe, Profesor of English Africana and Gender studies, and a renown scholar of international repute; Prof. JM Mabeko Tali, Professor of History at Howard University and member of the UNESCO's scientific Committee for the Pedagogical Use of the General History of Africa, he also represented Mr. Ali Mousa Iye,Chief of History and Culture, UNESCO, Professor Dele Layiwola, Director Institute of African studies, University of Ibadan; Professor Ibrahim Maina Waziri, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, Prof. Kofi Kandiyohi, a poet and Professor of Literature at the University of Ghana; Professor N.Adre Siamundele, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Wells College Aurora, New York, USA were all present. The Colloquium had participants and delegates from twenty-two countries drawn from all continents of the world including Brazil, Nigeria, Canada, Denmark, Congo, USA, UK, Mexico, Senegal, and Colombia. Other countries included Argentina, Ghana, Paraguay, Mozambique, Cameroon, Cuba, South Africa, Cape Verde, Namibia, and France. They were in attendance at the Colloquium.It was an immensely successful event. The center had also increased its publications to 58 with 5 new books 2 monographs on the subjects of, arts, culture, heritage, peoples and history.

The Children's Christmas Cultural Festival which was held in December 10, 2009 aim to re-establish traditional arts and culture and confidence of the Black and African Peoples in the youths and children. The center hosted a one-day cultural festival on the 10th of December 2009 at the National Arts Theater Iganmu, Lagos, on n the same subject, more than 30 schools participated in the celebration. Yisa Brahimo, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism, Mr. Seyi Womiloju, the Chairman, Senator Grace Folashade Bent, Mr. Kabir Yusuf, The General Manager National Arts Theater, Prof. Akachi A dimorah Ezeigbo, Head of English, University of Lagos, were all in attendance.

In the year 2009, the Center gave support to programme/projects directed towards extending the frontiers of African arts and culture. Some of these included support and sponsorship of: NANTAP Commemorative Lectures to celebrate NANTAP at the 20th international Theater Day on Wednesday 25th of March 2009. Another project supported by the center was the 2nd Ife Film Festival held at the Department of Dramatic Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, January 26th to 30th 2009. The center also had a Roundtable on Religion, Ethics and Corruption in Nigeria at the University of Ibadan. It Collaborated with the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos on a conference and arts exhibitions titled: Revisiting the Restitution of Cultural Artifacts, between September to November 2009. It also had Collaboration with the Institute of cultural studies, Obafemi Awolowo University,Ile ife on an international Conference based on the African Indigenous Judicial Systems in August 2009. In all, the center has succeeded tremendously in making the 2009 a year of grand achievements in the promotion African arts, culture and civilization.