The Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, popularly known as Festac 77, was a boisterous cultural celebration which took place in Lagos, Nigeria, starting from January 15 1977 to February 12 1977. The festival celebrated the cultures and traditions of Africa and also presented African art works, literature, religion and music to the universe.The history of FESTACcan be traced back to the 1940s when certain ideas were developed on Pan-Africanism and Negritude by the Senegalese president,Leopold Sedar Senghor, Aime Casaire and some others.
The Festac 77 was the largest pan-African gathering during the period it took place. Nigeria was called upon to host thesecond Festac festivalafter the end of the first one which was held in Dakar, Senegal (1st to 24th of April, 1966). The festival was to take place in 1970, but due to the Nigerian civil war that broke out(1967-1970), the festival was postponed to 1977. The Festac 77 festival was attended by about 17,000 people from 56 African nations. The festival paved way for the construction of theFestac Town/Villagein Lagos and theNational Theatre, Iganmu, Lagos. The Nigerian government built the Festac Village to accommodate the 17,000 and above participants. The main reason the Festac Village was built was to cut the accommodation problem and pressure Lagos was likely to face.
The celebration of the festival commenced at 9 a.m on the 15th of January, 1977. The opening ceremony took place inside the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, where many participants held a parade to welcome visiting dignitaries and the Nigerian Head of State,Olusegun Obasanjo.The Festac 77 festivalhas the royal ivory mask of Benin as its emblem. A shango priest entertained the crowd by setting the festival bowl aflame and a thousand Pigeons were released to signify the liberation and oneness of the Black nations.
Read more at: https://oldnaija./2016/03/25/the-second-world-black-and-african-festival-of-arts-and-culture-festac-77/

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