FESTAC 77

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**Festac 77 e la** ka ba boɔlɔ **Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture** (a tigiri danweɛŋ soba da di la Dakar Kɛkɛŋmɛ kyuu yuomo 1966 poɔ, ka a ayi soba meŋ de di Algiers a Bɛntuuri kyuu a yuomo 1969 poɔ),  ana da la a tendaazaa tigiri kpoŋ, naŋ da di a Lagos, Nigeria, ayi Yuompaala kyuu beri pie ne anuu a yuomo 1977 te tɔ Gonseɛ kyuu beri pie ne ayi 1977 yuoni poɔ. A kyuu wogi tigiri a African saaŋkonnoŋ ane Afrikan yiele, nuri bommaale, yelkaama, deɛmbaŋ, seɛre ane ŋmene puore a te gaa a tendaazaa. A te gaa ŋa noba 16,000 naŋ are leɛre 56 Afrikans tatenne la da deɛne  a tigiri ŋa zie. Yieluŋ ŋmeɛrebɛ naŋ da deɛne a tigiri ŋa zie la Stevie Wonder naŋ yi United States, Gilberto Gil naŋ yi Brazil, Bembeya Jazz National naŋ yi Guinea, Mighty Sparrow naŋ yi Trinidad ane Tobago, Les Ballets Africains, South Africans yieluŋ ŋmeɛrɛ, Miriam Makeba, Congolese yieluŋ ŋmeɛrɛ, Franco Luambo Makiadi, ane Liberian yieluŋ ŋmeɛrɛ, Yatta Zoe. A saŋa na ba naŋ da di o, ona da la Pan-African tigiri kpoŋ ka o tɔ zaa ba kyɛbe. A tigiri ŋa da tage la noba lantaa a gaŋ noba 500,000.

A Saane kpoŋ naŋ are a tigiri ŋa da la royal ivory mask. A namine ba ma da la Erhabor Emokpae naŋ yi Benin. A tigiri ŋa diibu da wane bee a vɛŋe ka Nigerian a taa National Council of Arts and Culture, Festac Village ane a National Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. A tigie kpoŋzie zaa maŋ di a National Theatre, National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos City Hall and Tafawa Balewa Square poɔ.

## A Tigiri Narebo
**Puoriŋ yɛlɛ**

FESTAC, ennoɔ naŋ wane a tigiri bee a teɛroŋ ŋa la Négritude ane Pan-Africanism. 1940s yuoni poɔ,  Aimé Césaire ane Léopold Sédar Senghor, la da wane a teɛroŋ ka Pan-Africanism naŋ be a W.E.B. Du Bois ane Alain Loɔke's a teɛ ba ne ba teɛroŋ, New Negro, da piili ne gama sɛgebo ane duoro ŋmɛ yaaroo a Paris, Franɔe( Presenɔe Afrikaine) yie poore. A  Césaire ane Senghor da e noba naŋ poɔ  Société africaine de culture kpaaroo poɔ. *Présence Africaine* and the Society of African Culture kpaaroŋ da yuomo mine ayi poɔ a kaŋa da kpɛ la 1956 yuoni poɔ ka kaŋa meŋ kpɛ 1959 yuoni poɔ. A yelnyɔraa a kpaaroŋ poɔ da la ka ba toɔ vɛŋe ka nensaale sɔgelaa saaŋkonnoŋ a do saa. A ba kpaaroŋ danweɛŋ soba da kpɛ la Conference of Black Writers in Paris poɔ kyɛ ka a kpaaroŋ ayi soba meŋ kpɛ black writers forum in Rome  a Italy poɔ. Noba naŋ da kpɛ a kpaaroŋ ŋa la writers of African and Afro-descendant heritage aseŋ, Alioune Diop, Cheikh Anta Diop, Léopold Senghor, and Jacques Rabemananjara, Richard Wright, Césaire, George Lamming, Horace Mann Bond, Jacques Alexis, John Davis, William Fontaine, Jean Price Mars, James Baldwin, Chester Himes, Mercer Cook ane Frantz Fanon. Noba zaa da ti la zuree a de texroŋ a lantaa ka ba nyɛ lɛ banaŋ e ka tigiri ŋa toɔ a di.

1966 yuoni poɔ, Senghor da leɛre a kponnuŋ wederuŋ a France ane UNESCO  a ko a tigiri danweɛŋ soba  (First World Festival of Black Arts was held in Dakar, Senegal, 1–24 April 1966). A tigiri danweɛŋ soba di baaroo poɔ, Nigeria poɔ meŋ la a tigiri ayi soba meŋ da la di 1970 yuoni poɔ, ka ka tigiri yuori meŋ toɔ a do saa. A paaloŋ na poɔ a tigiri naŋ maŋ di banaŋ maŋ so a tigiri narebo a kyaare ne boma naŋ seŋ ka bebe ka a tigiri toɔ a di soŋ. Kyɛ  sogyɛre zɔɔre ane a paati kyakya wa vɛŋe la ka tigiri diibu bebiri leɛre gaa 1977 yuoni poɔ.

A tigiri narebo ayi soba da piili la lagos, Nigeria a Bompɛ kyuu beri ata daare a 1974 yuoni poɔ, a saŋa la ka a tendaazaa tigiri nembɛrɛ da laŋ zɛŋe yeli ka a tigiri na di la a kakyɛ kyuu, a 1974 yuoni poɔ. A tigiri yuori paaŋ da leɛre a yi  "World Black Festival of Arts and Culture" gaa "Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture"  ka ka ba toɔ a wane nɔlaŋ a ko a African tenne. A beri da la maaleŋ leɛre la a gaa kakyɛ kyuu 1975 yuoni poɔ. A banaŋ so a tigiri narebo paaŋ da poŋi la ba toɔraa a eŋ 16 laŋgbulo poɔ a viiri a African tenne zaa poɔ. A laŋgbulo ama zaa poɔ neŋkpoŋ paa na maŋ are ko bee are leɛre la o noba zu a tendaazaa tigiri kpaaroŋ poɔ. A ba yelboɔraa zaa la ka ba e Dakar tigiri a Nigeria poɔ ka o meŋ yuori toɔ do saa, kyɛ e bone naŋ na toɔ soŋ ka ka nyɛ libie yi ne a mɔnsime kaa maaloo poɔ. A wederebɛ yuobo da wa leɛre la Gowon wederoŋ ka banaŋ tigiri bebiri da leɛre gaa 1977.

Lɛ a wederebɛ naŋ e a vɛŋe ka neɛzaa teɛroŋ a leɛ kyaare a tigiri ŋa la, ba da vɛŋe la ka ba maŋ maale tigi bilii bilii, ka ana la,  Carifesta, Guyana deme da maŋ di o, a Commonweath tigiri a London poɔ, Ghana's national exhibition of arts ane crafts and Nigeria's Nafest. A tigi wederebɛ meŋ da laŋ la taa a iri Erhabor Emokpae ka o e ba nenkpoŋ a 15th century a Benin ivory paaloŋ poɔ. (a tigiri meŋa da la Ovonramwen, a Benin paaloŋ a 1897.

### '''Facilities'''
A yie ŋmaabo tontonema, Festac, noba da maale la kpɛzie, aŋ na baŋ de noba ta 17,000. Kyɛ a yelnyɔgeraa a yie meɛmo ŋa la ka ka ba toɔ iri deri wahala a bare a Lagos poɔ. A yie meɛmo ŋa da maale eŋ la yuomomayi ka ba na de kyɛ mɛ deri 5,088 a zaa baare 1977 yuoni baaroo poɔ. A tigiri diibu poɔ. a yie na ŋmaabo zie la da e a tigiri deɛne narebo zie.

A be la ka da maŋ ko karemamine ane deɛdeɛnemɛ ka ba gaŋ. a be paaŋ da e la zie naŋ e zie ka banaŋ wa taa yelzaa be la ka maŋ de a ko saama ka gaŋ. A zie maaloo da yi ŋa  Palace of Culture ane Sports in Varna, Bulgaria, kyɛ Bulgarian paaloŋ naŋ be Technoexportstory da mɛ a zie. A yipaala da na baŋ de la noba a ta 5,00 deɛdeɛnemɛ a die na poɔ kyɛ a kpaaroo lammo zie a de noba 1,600. Yieluŋ ŋmeɛrebɛ, seɛseɛrebɛ, deɛndesɛmɛ la zipaala ŋa ba naŋ mɛ a maŋ de.

#### '''A tigiri ŋa ananso'''
. A  tigiri ŋa yelboɔraa la ka ka Blaɔk ane African saaŋkonnoŋ yi gbaŋgbale ka noba nyɛ a ba tɔnɔ.

. Ka ka ba toɔ de Black ane African saaŋkonnoŋ yuori yi ka o do saa kyɛ naŋ yaare pɔge a tendaazaa.

. Ka ba toɔ yuo Black ane African noba nimie ane ba gɔɔloŋ na banaŋ taa.

## '''A Tigiri'''
A Yuompaala kyuu biri pie ne anuu a 1977 yuoni poɔ, a NAtional Stadium, Surulere, Lagos poɔ la ka a puoruu danweɛŋ soba da puore kyɛ ka a tigiri baŋ piili. A yele kaŋa naŋ da vɛŋe ka a tigiri yuori yi la African paaloŋ tatenneŋ 48 noba aŋ da are leɛre ba tenne da maakyɛ la ka a saanterebɛ ane a Nigerian kogi zu soba Olusegun Obasanjo a nyɛ ba. A noba bamine da su la kparepeɛle kyɛ pɛgele a tigiri mie, A Nigerian seɛseɛrebɛ da tuo la laa ba zuree ka zoore uuro. Ka a lɛ wulo nɔlaŋ a nensɔgelaa naŋ taa, nuubilii naŋ gaŋ 1,000 yuobare la. A shango meŋ da de laa mare ne vuu ka o uuro zoore.

A tigiri paaŋ da piili la a bimaara gbeli awai bebiri zaa a te tɔ zisoɔre ziponzitaa.

### '''Zannoo Lanzemmo'''
A zannoo lanzemmo  da kpɛ la a tigiri poɔ, bebiri zaa dare ayi na poɔ. A ŋa gansɛgerebɛ 700, gɔɔloŋ ane zanezanema da kpɛ zannoo poɔ. A zannoo yelnyɔgeraa bee yelzu la lack of intellectual freedom and the ambivalence experienced by Third World countries that sometimes turn to their colonizers for expertise while attempting to establish an image of confidence and independence to themselves as well as the rest of the world. Ba  zannoo bɔgere ŋa ananso la ka iri soorebie nɔɛ a vɛŋe ka kyaane a  wuli lɛ ba naŋ na toɔ e gɔɔloŋ noba a do saa bee a yi gbaŋgbale ka tendaazaa noba a woŋ ba yɛlɛ.

A duoriŋmɛyaara a lammo da la Clarival do Prado Valladares, Lazarus Ekwueme, Babs Fafunwa ane Eileen Southern.

### '''Durbar ande regatta tigiri'''
A tigiri kpaaroo wederebɛ lɔɛ naŋ wuoro noba boma 2,003, a lɔre ŋa kaŋa zaa maŋ de noba 45 o poɔ ka mine meŋ maŋ de noba 91, 26 a poɔŋ. Durbar tigiri ananso kaŋa la a tigiri ŋa da di la Kaduna, o e la teŋkpoŋ kaŋa ka o toɔre ne Lagos e ŋa 700 kilometers. A tigiri da piili la Gonseɛ kyuu biri anuu daare a 1977 yuoni poɔ. A durbars ziyiraa a Nigeria poɔ da maŋ di la ka ba puori pɔgenamine bareka, 1911 poɔ la ka durbars da piili, durbars anaare da di la a Nigeria a 1977 yuoni poɔ.  Festac durbar diibu poc ba da zome la bontaŋga ka a e deɛne ane noɔ kyɛ wulo nɔlaŋ. A durbar poɔ a yieluŋ, kakakitrumpets, tambari ane gaŋga-ŋmeɛrebɛ da zɔŋ la wie a yɔ deɛne neŋ. a lɛ meŋ yoŋ naane, Fulani, Bori, ane Bida masqueradees. HAusa, Songhay ane Kanembu aseŋ Hawan Dawaki o na la ka boɔlɔ wiri taŋa ane Bornu military o naŋ meŋ la Tewur, a cavalry noba la da daŋ e kyɛ ko a banaŋ. A saadayel kaŋa la yuoni zaa kpaaroo a Fulani naŋ da kpɛ a Caliphs Sokoto a Kaura Namoda paaloŋ poɔ.

A gbori mɔmmɔ la meŋ da e a yelkaŋa kyɛ meŋ ba peɛle a tigi ŋa zie, a ba e ŋa durbar naŋ be a Lagos poɔ. A regatta tigiri da e la bebie ata tigiri a ko a pɔgenamine naŋ maŋ di Ikoyi a Lagos poɔ. Banaŋ naŋ maŋ poɔ a yele ŋa poɔ maŋ e la noba naŋ yi Nigeria meŋa, aseŋ a paaloŋ ama poɔŋ, Edo, Cross River, Imo, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo ane Lagos states. Gbori zaa da maŋ taa la o yieluŋ ŋmeɛrɛ ane o seɛseɛrebɛ. A da gaŋ la gboe 200 naŋ wa laŋ ne a tigiri ŋa poɔ.
center|thumb|Grand Durbar in Kaduna State
center|thumb|Grand Durbar in Kaduna State
center|thumb|Regatta in Lagos

### '''Nimiri Kaanyaabo eebo.'''
A deɛne mine arekaabo aseŋ, sinii, deɛmbaŋ, yieluŋ ane seɛre la da e bone naŋ gore a ŋmenaa ane a zimaane saŋa a tigiri zie a National Theater poɔ, kyɛ a deɛmbaŋ ane a yieluŋ kyeɛbo mine meŋ da be la Tafawa Balewa Square poɔ be la ka nansaale yieluŋ a ŋmenaa saŋa kyɛ saaŋkompare deɛmbaŋ meŋ deɛn a zimaane saŋa. A zaa lantaa ziŋmeɛrɛ 50 a paaŋ de yiele 150 ane seɛre deɛne la erɛ, ka sinii 80, ka nuri bommaale 40 ane yelwiiri 200. A eve tigiri bebiri,  Sory Kandia Kouyaté, a master Mande Griot, da e la a gɔbenɛte kogi zu soba.

Yielluŋ kyeɛrebɛ mine meŋ da deɛne la a Osibisa, Les Amazones, Bembeya Jazz ane Les Ballets Africains naŋ yi Guinea paaloŋ poɔ; Franco Luambo a yi Congo paaloŋ poɔ; Miriam Makeba, Louis Moholo, Dudu Pukwana a yi  South Africa paaloŋ poɔ; A Invaders Steelband a yi Guyana paaloŋ poɔ, ane a Mighty Sparrow naŋ yi Grenada paaloŋ poɔ; Gilberto Gil a yi Brazil paaloŋ poɔ, ane US artists aseŋ Donald Byrd, Randy Weston, Stevie Wonder and Sun.

A yi a yielluŋ kpaaroo ŋa a Yuompaala kyuu bebie lɛzare ne awi, a 1977 yuoni puoriŋ, Akin Euba ona da la a yielluŋ kyeɛrebɛ wederebɛ neŋkpoŋ. Noba na mine meŋ naŋ da paale a kpaaroo lanzimmo poɔ la  Mwesa Isaiah Mapoma, Kwabena Nketia and Mosunmola Omibiyi. Noba mine meŋ naŋ da la paale la Boŋŋmeɛrebɛ, yielluŋ kyeɛrebɛ, gɔbenɛte sakuuri karemamine ane noba naŋ baare sakuurin a yi yielluŋ kyeɛbo. A da pare wagere gbulo ayi, kyɛ ka Africans yielluŋ kyeɛrebɛ wederebɛ naŋ zɛŋe a kpaaroo lammo poɔ, a nyɔgerɔ yele lanna taa, lɛ banaŋ na toɔ e ka ba meŋ yuori yi do saa.

Australian saaŋkompare seɛre, a Aboriginal Islander seɛre  a paaŋ poɔ ne a Eleo Pomare seɛre laŋgbuli naŋ yi New York City poɔ da deɛne la a tigiri poɔ.

Yele yaga da e la  National Theatre, a Nigeria National Museum a peɛle Tafawa Balewa Square. A Square pare, noba da maŋ are leɛre la ba teŋa gbɛbogiri  a tigiri ŋa poɔ, ka ka ba wuli ba meŋ gɔɔloŋ aseŋ, paintings, yielluŋ boŋŋmeɛre maaloo, wagyɛre ŋmeɛbo, gama ane boma yaga maaloo. A yelerre yaga ama naŋ da e a be e la Africa dɔɔ kaŋa, a National Theatre ane Ekpo Eyo's 2000 yuoni a Naigeria poɔ, a paale  Nok terracottas, Benin court art, Igbo Ukwu, Ife ane Tsoede bronzes ane bommaale. Nigerian bommaaleba mine naŋ yi Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ben Enwonwu, Yusuf Grillo, Uche Okeke and Kolade Oshinowo meŋ da paale a tigiri ŋa poɔ. A  African architectural technology meŋ da e la ba yɛlɛ a National Theatre poɔ ka a mine la, paintings, drawings, ane kyɛŋ setaɛ, architectural parɛɛ mine da bebe aseŋ, banco masonry structures, tensile structure ane Berber Courtyard of Matmata.

## '''Aftermath and legacy'''
Yuomo mine naŋ pare a FESTAC '77 tigiri ŋa, National Theatre naŋ da e a tigiri ŋa diibu zie, noba da ba la boɔrɔ ka be e tigiri diibu a yi yɛlɛ mine zuiŋ. A Nigeria teŋkpoŋ naŋ di a Lagos paaŋ leɛ a gaa  Abuja 1991 yuoni poɔ, a yeli ŋa la paaŋ da vɛŋe ka a saaŋ a ba la toɔnɔ na maale. Ziiri yaga paaŋ da mɛ la a Lagos poɔ, ka o yɛlɛ e a toɔra ne a National Theatre. Yelzaa da ba la erɛ a theatre,  ba da iri la ba nu a yi ne a zie maaloo. A paaŋ yi 1975 te tɔ 1990 a Ministry of Culture ane Social Welfare paaŋ wa de la a theatre ka o e ba toma zie.

A paaŋ yi 1991, A National Theatre paaŋ da saaŋ la o zaa a ba la taa maaloo. A daŋkyineŋ da puri viiri, ka sazu meŋ puo, ka saa maŋ mi feeŋ lɛ kyɛ koɔ kyire ŋmeɛrɛ o poɔ, a da ba kɔɔre kyɛ ka lɛ vɛŋe ka a teŋɛ ba naŋ maale "tiles" ka a zaa saaŋ. A nansaale ba tage eŋ o poɔŋ, a noba paaŋ da wa ŋmaa o la bare, ka o ta erɛ daare kaŋa a wa le a saaŋ saamo.

### '''Recent works discussing FESTAC '77'''
A 2019 FESTAC '77 gane poɔ, A  *World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture* *ayi soba da lanne la enfuoni ŋmareba ane archival material, interviews and new writing, with words and work a kyaare banaŋ  naŋ wa a tigiri ka bamine la,  Wole Soyinka, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Ahmed Sékou Touré, Archie Shepp, Miriam Makeba, Alioune Diop, Jeff Donaldson, Louis Farrakhan, Stevie Wonder, Abdias do Nascimento, Keorapetse Kgositsile, Mario de Andrade, Ted Joans, Carlos Moore, Ayi Kwei Armah, Ama Ata Aidoo, Johnny Dyani, Werewere Liking, Marilyn Nance, Barkley Hendricks, Mildred Thompson, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Jayne Cortez, Atukwei Okai, Jonas Gwangwa, Lindsay Barrett, Gilberto de la Nuez, ane Sun Ra, a paale bamini kaŋa.*

Meŋ kaa kyɛ
* World Festival of Black Arts
* Congress of Black Writers and Artists

## Sommo Yuzie

## Nimitoɔre karemmo
* ''FESTAC ’77: The 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture'', published by Chimurenga and Afterall Books, in association with Asia Art Archive, the Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College and RAW Material Company, 2019, .

## Ziiri mine liŋkiri
* Interview with Marilyn Nance and Fanny Robles in English
* Interview with Marilyn Nance and Fanny Robles in French
* Marilyn Nance's FESTAC 77 Archive Instagram Page
* Marilyn Nance's FESTAC 77 Archive Facebook Page
* Festac at Getty Images
* Festac collection at the Chimurenga Library
* Festac '77 archive by Abdul Alkalimat