BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture which was held in Nigeria from January 15 to February 12, 1977 has been described as a huge success. During the Festival, Nigeria hosted participants from Black nations and a retinue of cultural delegations from African, the Caribbean Islands, European as well as North American countries. A colloquium was organized as an important aspect of the festival.

The Nigerian Government deemed it necessary to create a Museum of Black and Africans Arts and Civilization and to publish the essential elements of the proceedings of the colloquium. These were to be made available to all scholars from any part of the world that would like to do further research on the work embarked upon during the proceeding.

CBAAC was thus established by the 59 Black and African countries that participated in the festival. Its establishment was backed by Decree 69 of 1979 and has since been brought under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation. It takes custody of all materials and artifacts on display at FESTAC '77 by all the participating countries. In addition to this mandate of cultural importance, it has the responsibility of spearheading the promotion and propagation of global understanding and appreciation of Black and African culture.

CORPORATE VISION

To be the foremost Agency for the advocacy of culture in Nigeria and Africa.

STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION

The Centre consists of the following Divisions and Sub-Divisions: Finance and Administration, Research and Publications, Information Management, Documentation Services, Board Secretariat, Corporate Affairs and a Training Unit.

ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

In the discharge of its mandate, CBAAC holds and has successfully organized national and international conferences, public lectures, seminars, symposia, workshops and exhibitions to promote understanding and appreciation of Black and African Culture. Some of these include:

(a) Workshop on “The Role of the Mass Media in the Promotion of Black and African Democratic Culture” , October 2000.

(b) International Symposium on “ Black and African Cultures and the Challenges of Globalization” August 2001.

(c) Seminar on “Senghor, Negritude and the African Situation” and a dance Festival titled ‘Danse meets Dance' which involved performances from five African Countries. This was hosted in collaboration with the French Cultural Centre, Lagos , 2001.

(d) International Workshop on “Globalization, Identity Politics and Social Conflict” held in collaboration with the Globalization, Identity Politics and Social Conflicts Projects (GIPSC) of the Open University, United Kingdom . The workshop attracted participants from Nigeria and six other countries: India , Poland , Madagascar , United Kingdom , Italy and Germany . April 2003.

(e) The Centre participated actively by mounting an Exhibition at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) December 2003.

(f) Participation in the International Workshop on Globalization, Identity Politics and Social Conflicts in the United Kingdom , July 2004.

(g) International Symposium on “Pan-Africanism and the African Diaspora: Building Bridges for Development” August 1-5, 2005 with participants from fifteen countries.

Public Lectures

A few of the public lectures are:

(a) “Towards African Renaissance in the 21 st Century', delivered by renowned scholar and eminent historian, Prof. J. F. Ade Ajayi, February 2001.

(b) Jointly organized by CBAAC and the French Cultural Centre on “French Literature in the 21 st Century” , delivered by Dominique Sigaud, a French writer and journalist.

(c) “African Continuities in the Diaspora” by Prof. Abiodun Adetugbo, November 2002.

(d) “ Reaching Out to the African Diaspora: The Need for Vision” by Ambassador Howard Jeter, US Ambassador to Nigeria , November 2002.

(e) “ Globalization Versus Renaissance: For Africa , Has History Said the Last Word?” by Senegalese Scholar, Prof. Semou Pathe Gueye. November 2004

(f) Public Lecture by Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi titled: “ Nigeria , The Blackman's Burden”, February 2005.

(g) Religion, Culture and the Politics of Development”, by Fr Mathew Hasan Kukah Ph.D, Vicar-General Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna , February 2006.

(h) Orphans of the Diaspora: Their Claims to Reparation” by Ambassador Dudley Thompson, Q. C. Jamaican High Commissioner to Nigeria , February 1994.

(i) “ A Socio-Cultural Proposal for African Development ” by Ambassador (Prof.) Kofi Awoonor, former Ghanaian Permanent Representative to the United Nations. December 1994.

(j) “Black American and the Search for an African Identity: A 300-year Odyssey” by Mr. Walter C. Carington, former Ambassador to USA in Nigeria . 13 th July, 1995

(k) “UNESCO and the Culture of Peace” by Prof. Nureini Tidjani-Serpos, Ambassador of Benin Republic to UNESCO. 23 rd July, 1996.

(l) “The African Renaissance: A Tripple Legacy of Skills, Values and Gender” by Prof. Ali Mazrui , 26 th June, 2000.

(m) “ Contemporary and Indigenous Gender Concepts and Issues in Africa: Implications for Nigeria's Development” by Prof. Molara Ogundipe , Professor of English, African and Cultural Studies, Leverhulme distinguished Professor at the University of Leeds, U.K., 8 th December, 2005.

In addition to this, the Centre has mounted many local and international exhibitions.

CBAAC also has a library, an art gallery, a studio, and a Hall of Fame with varied collections of cultural and historical significance to Black and African people all over the world.

To facilitate global spread of its activities, the Centre collaborates with some major international cultural organizations such as: International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA); International Council on Archives (ICA); West African Museum Project (WAMP); International Commission for the Conservation and Preservation of Cultural Properties/Monuments (ICCROM); United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); International Institute for Bantu Civilization (CICIBA); Group for Children in African Museum (GCAM); French Cultural Centre; Goethe Institute; Smithsonian Institute; International Council of Museums (ICOM); Globalization, Identity Politics and Social Conflicts Project (GIPSC); Pan African Strategic and Policy Research Group (PANAFSTRAG); Kent State University, U.S.A.; World Garifuna Organization, South America; Book Aid International (BAI); British Council; UNICEF; Trust for African Rock Art (TARA) among others.

CBAAC also engages in international programmes to forge a link between Continental Africa and Africans in the Diaspora. In furtherance of this link, the Centre has held a number of International Conferences both within and outside Nigeria . Such conferences include the recent one titled, “ Advancing and Integrating Research and Studies in the Interest of Africa and the African Diaspora” in Trinidad and Tobago from 7th -11th November, 2006 which was declared open by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Rt. Hon. Patrick Manning. The Conference had participants from 16 Black and African Countries. At the end of the conference, 8 Pan-African Organizations unanimously elected CBAAC to lead them in a joint effort to solidify the relationship between continental Africans and their Kiths and Kins in the Diaspora.

These organizations include: the Diaspora Policy Centre in Netherlands, Pan-African Organizing Committee in California, Institute for Research on the African Diaspora in Americans and the Caribbean (IRADAC) in New York, CICIBA in Gabon, African Hebrews Israelites of Jerusalem and Pan African Studies Centre in Kent University, Ohio, United States of America. The Centre has also been appointed at a joint methodology workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, 2006 to co-ordinate research into African Rock Art in the Central and Western parts of Africa.

CBAAC has published extensively on all facets of Black and African Cultures. Prominent among these is the Encyclopaedic publication in ten volumes titled: “The Arts and Civilization of Black and African Peoples (Volumes 1-10). To date, the Centre has to its credit, 34 publications on Black and African studies among which include:

•  The Arts and Civilization of Black and African Peoples. (An Encyclopaedia Publication in 10 volumes).

•  Nigeria and Globalization: Discourses on Identity Politics and Social Conflicts.

•  African Traditional Political Thoughts and Institutions.

•  African Unity: The Cultural Foundations.

•  Journal for Black and African Arts and Civilization (JBAAC) Volumes I & II.

•  Contemporary Nigerian Theatre: Social Vision and Cultural Heritage.

It has played host to prominent Black and African leaders worldwide such as: Julius K. Nyerere, Won-Kyung Lee, Foreign Minister of Republic of Korea, Feraudy Spiuro, Ambassador of Cuba; Major-General & Mrs. Edwin K. Sam (Rtd); Hon. Nahashon Kany Waithaka, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Government of Kenya and former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa, who visited CBAAC to collect the certificate of freedom of the City of Glasgow which was kept in trust for him by the Centre when he was in prison.

The Centre has over the years mounted programmes for briefing Nigeria 's newly appointed Ambassadors on posting to African Countries. Such briefing was meant to educate them about the culture of their host countries as well as how best to market Nigeria to the outside world and forge closer cultural link with other African countries.

CBAAC also played host to all visiting Black and African Heads of States that visited Nigeria before the movement of the Federal Capital to Abuja . This was to enable them see first hand the richness and diversity of Africa 's cultural heritage as reflected in CBAAC's collections. It also enables them to see their country's works of art and cultural materials in CBAAC's custody.

As a Pan-African and Afro-Centric Organization, CBAAC has concluded arrangements to establish an outreach centre in Atlanta Georgia, USA . Following scientific breakthrough on the use of DNA to ascertain the identity of individuals, the Centre intends to explore the possibility of building a database for all peoples of African ancestry by ensuring that DNA test is conducted among Africans in Diaspora.

This will serve as a tool for building bridges towards Pan-African unity. Through the DNA test, Diaspora Africans would be more favourably disposed to the Pan-Africanist Agenda and would be encouraged to contribute to the development of continental Africa if they could trace their root to specific countries and ethnic groups in Africa .