BEING COMMUNIQUE OF THE MEETING OF AFRICAN AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED IN THE MANAGEMENT AND PROMOTION OF BLACK AND AFRICAN ARTS AND CULTURE HOSTED BY THE CENTRE FOR BLACK AND AFRICAN ARTS AND CIVILIZATION (CBAAC) AT THE PENINSULA RESORT, AJAH, LAGOS
21ST – 23RD, AUGUST, 2007.

INTRODUCTION

The Centre for Black and African and Arts and civilization (CBAAC) hosted a meeting of agencies and institutions involved in the management and promotion of Black and African arts and culture. The theme of the meeting is “Developing Proactive Strategies for Dealing Effectively with the Challenges Facing the Management and Promotion of African Arts and culture” .

Representatives from seven agencies and institutions (from Nigeria and other African countries) involved in the promotion and Management of African Arts and culture attended the meeting, which was chaired by Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, a culture enthusiast. These organizations are: Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), Nigeria; African Union (AU) represented by Senior Policy Officer of Culture, Mr. Benjamin Gnalega, International Centre for Bantu Civilization (CICIBA), Libreville, Gabon; Regional Centre for Research and Documentation on Oral Traditions and Development of African Languages CERTODOLA, Cameroon; Institute of Kiswahili Research, Tanzania; National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Nigeria; National Gallery of Arts (NGA), Nigeria; National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), Nigeria; National Commission for Museum and Monuments (NCMM), Nigeria; Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC), Nigeria; National Theatre/Troupe (NT/NT), Nigeria; United States Public Affairs Section (USPAS), USA; and Arts for Real Observable Development in Africa (AFRODEVA); Creative Arts Forum (CAF). The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode graced the opening ceremony as Special Guest of Honour. The Chairman of the occasion, in his remarks opined that, at this stage, African countries should no longer be harping on cultural imperialism and its attendant problems but explore the possibility of using arts and culture for national and continental development.

In his address, the Director/Chief Executive Officer of CBAAC, Professor Tunde Babawale stressed the need for concerted efforts of African countries in the promotion and propagation of Black and African cultural heritage. Speaking in the same vein, the Honourable Minister stressed, the desirability of a unity of purpose in correcting the erroneous views about Black and African cultures. He also stressed that a third festival of arts and culture for Black and African peoples was long overdue and pledged his Ministry's support for the initiative.

The meeting spanned four sessions as follow:

Session I

The Session was co-chaired by Professor Tunde Babawale, Director/CEO, CBAAC and Dr. Lissimba Muumbuta, CICIBA.

•  The Themes of Discussion include:

•  Issues in African Arts and Culture

•  Identifying Areas of Researches and Studies in African Arts and Culture

•  Developing Areas for Cooperation

•  Sub-Regionally

•  Continentally

•  The Challenges Facing Africa in Propagating its Arts and Culture

•  National, Regional and Continental Challenges

•  Global Challenges

There were lively discussions and debates on the above themes with a paper presented on intellectual property as it affects arts and culture in Africa . At the end of the sessions, the meeting resolved as follows:

•  The need for collaboration and co-operation of relevant agencies in the protection of intellectual property rights- ( All the stakeholders in culture sector)

•  The need to develop a database of the tangible and intangible cultural heritage that constitute intellectual property and consciously work to protect them- (AU)

•  Facilitate sustainable awareness on the need for the protection of intellectual property rights- (All the stakeholders in culture sector)

•  African countries are urged to set up the necessary legal framework that would promote the protection of intellectual property rights – ( African Governments)

•  Owners of intellectual property should be equally encouraged to always operate within the confines of the law such that it becomes easy to protect their rights – ( Culture Agencies and Institutions)

•  Aggressive use of the Internet in the campaign against illicit trade in African arts and crafts

•  Recognize the importance of education and prioritize the study of arts and culture in the curriculum of our schools – (African Governments)

•  Taking cognizance of the fact that contemporary world economy is driven by indigenous knowledge, it is imperative that Africa should look inwards in its drive for economic growth and development – (African Governments)

•  The prejudices about intellectual property rights in Africa should be overcome

•  African Union should organize a special conference on intellectual property rights on arts and culture in all its ramifications – (AU)

•  African countries should also work for the promotion of awareness on the importance of copyright and intellectual property rights protection – ( African Governments)

•  Realigning African languages with current trend and development in science and technology – (Culture Agencies)

Session 2

The session was chaired by Professor Binam Bikoi and deliberated on the following themes:

•  The session covered the following themes:

•  Instruments, Institutions and Capacity for Managing, Funding and Propagating Africa Arts and Culture within and Outside Africa

•  The Legal Framework and the Role of the Parliament in the Propagation of African Arts and Culture

•  Organizational Coordination at the National, Regional and International levels (ECOWAS, ECCAS, SADC, Africa Union etc)

At the end of the session, it was jointly resolved that:

•  African countries should as a matter of utmost urgency put in place an effective, efficient and pro-active legal and judicial system for handling matters relating to the infringement of intellectual property rights – ( African Governments)

•  There is also the need for an annual Conference on research already done in African culture and works in progress – (AU)

•  Africa should avail herself of resources and best practices in the promotion of arts and culture available in the continent instead of patronizing costly foreign consultants – (African Governments)

•  African governments should complement the initiative of the African Union in the retrieval of all artworks and artifacts, which may have been taken away illegally outside Africa – (African Governments)

•  The key issues of language, spirituality and education are germane to the revival and sustenance of African arts and culture and should be critically reassessed with a view to using them to promote sustainable development – (African Government)

•  Considering the centrality of language as a medium of cultural expression and transmission, steps should be taken to reverse the neglect of our indigenous languages – ( African Government/Cultural Agencies)

•  The African Academy of language should be empowered for optimal performance – ( AU)

•  It is important to commence a systematic and co-coordinated collection of Africa 's rich oral traditions – ( Culture Agencies)

•  Efforts should be geared towards the promotion and appreciation of Africa 's traditional medicine – (Culture Agencies)

•  Regional institutions and arts and culture agencies should be empowered to discharge their statutory functions – ( African Governments)

•  It is also recommended that African cultural reawakening should be approached from the following perspectives: (Culture Agencies)

•  Civilization and traditional practices

•  Heritage of the word

•  African communal life style

•  History of African peoples

•  Language as a tool for development

•  There is a desperate need to reverse the trend, which discourages the teaching and learning of history as a subject in African schools – ( African Governments)

•  Develop software for simultaneous interpretation in African languages – ( AU)

•  The need to sustain existing efforts geared towards the promotion of the linkages and relationships between continental Africa and the Diaspora Africa – ( African Government)

•  Fellowships and exchange programmes at all levels are highly desirable – ( AU)

•  Africans should take advantage of existing institutions within Africa for advanced studies first rather than looking towards Europe and America – (All Stakeholders)

•  Culture administrators and managers should create enough awareness for African policy makers and deliberately seek intimate relationship with the political leadership in their respective countries as a way of improving funding for their establishments – ( Culture Agencies)

•  There is a growing need for standardization of African cultural values in such vital areas as dietary habit, dress pattern, biodiversity and traditional medicine – ( Culture Agencies)

•  Intra and inter institutional collaboration in research and studies should be given impetus among African countries and institutions in charge of the management of culture – (Culture Agencies)

•  Arts and culture should be accorded recognition and priority attention as veritable sources of revenue generation – ( African Government)

•  To attract the requisite funding, arts and culture projects should be clearly identified and articulated – ( Culture Agencies)

•  Networking between and among sub-regional, regional and continental institutions such as CBAAC, CERDOTOLA, CELTHO, CICIBA and others should be encouraged – ( Culture Agencies)

•  While each of the cultural institutions could be assigned specific areas of specialty, there is need for integration – ( Culture Agencies)

•  The need for training and re-training in the industry is very important to engender sustainable capacity building – (All Stakeholders)

•  It is important to have a database of all cultural events and to initiate the study of African festivals with a view to bringing them up to international standard – (Cultural Agencies)

•  There is a need for an inventory of institutions (extant and defunct) so that areas of need and assistance from relevant agencies could be identified – ( AU)

•  It is important to overcome the acute donor dependency mentality by thinking of homegrown approaches towards the funding of arts and culture – ( African Governments)

•  Africa needs a more visionary and pragmatic approach to the mobilization of the necessary funding from within and outside the continent – ( African Governments)

Session 3

Mr. Benjamin Gnalega chaired the session with the following subject of discussion:

•  The African Diaspora and African Arts and Culture

•  What is African Diaspora Arts and Culture?

•  What is the Meeting point between Homeland Arts and Culture and Diaspora Arts and Culture?

The meeting resolved that:

•  Establishment of an African academy for the arts – ( AU)

•  Collaboration with universities in developing curricula and program in arts and culture – ( Culture Agencies)

•  The need to promote and disseminate information on successful cultural programes to avoid replication. This will enable stakeholders to know what is going on in the field of research and what could be sustained – ( Culture Agencies)

•  The development of sectoral research networks in universities, and sub-regional institutions within Africa and the diaspora – ( AU) and (African Governments)

•  To promote studies in arts and culture, it is important for the AU to institute a scholarship fund for arts and culture – ( AU)

•  To secure the required investment in the culture sector, necessary ingenuity in the packaging of the relevant items is desirable – (Culture Agencies)

•  Africans who possess the resources should be encouraged to set up foundations on arts and culture – ( Culture Agencies)

•  There is need for synergy between continental Africa and the Diaspora on matters relating to arts and culture – ( Culture Agencies)

Session 4

Mr. Benjamin Gnalega chaired the session with the following themes:

Getting Political Support and Funding for Arts and Culture Agencies in Africa and the Diaspora

•  Concretizing areas for Institutional Cooperation and Collaboration with an Action Plan.

•  Prioritizing Propagation of African Arts and Culture.

•  The African and Diaspora TVs, Radio, Journals, Internet etc and Documentaries

•  Children and youth Cartoons, Magazines etc

•  Institutional Centres/Institute of Africans Studies

The meeting resolved that:

•  Parliamentary support for arts and culture at all levels should be encouraged – ( Culture Agencies)

•  Sub-regional bodies, such as, ECOWAS, AU and others should be encouraged to have focal points for arts and culture as a prelude to an African parliamentary union on arts and culture – ( ECOWAS, SADC, AU, and others)

General Discussion

•  Action Plan, Recommendation and Sharing of Responsibilities

•  Next Roundtable: When and Where?

•  FESTAC

It was resolved that:

•  The existing linkages between Continental and Diaspora Africa should be reinforced and improved upon especially in the areas of arts and culture; ( African Governments)

•  Regional and sub regional bodies such as the African Union, ECOWAS and others should be encouraged to set up sections and units of arts and culture; ( Sub-regional Organizations)

•  There is need to strengthen African studies in the Caribbean especially in Trinidad and Tobago ; ( Culture Agencies)

•  The issue of the hosting of another FESTAC should be presented to the next AU Conference of Ministers – (AU)

•  The recommendation that CBAAC serve as FESTAC secretariat should be presented at the AU Conference of Ministers scheduled for November 2007 – (AU)

•  Sharing of Responsibilities:

African civilization and traditional practices- CBAAC and CICIBA

African Community Life CBAAC

History of African people CELTHO

Language CERDOTOLA

and Institute of Kwishahili Language

Heritage of the Word, Dance, Music etc CERTODOLA

and CICIBA

It was agreed that the next meeting be held in Yaounde , Cameroon , August, 2008

PROFESSOR TUNDE BABAWALE

DIRECTOR/CEO

CENTRE FOR BLACK AND AFRICAN ARTS AND CIVILIZATION (CBAAAC)