Taiye Baiyerohi
Lagos – Dr Ferdinand Anikwe, the Director –General (D-G), Centre for Black African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), on Wednesday said that the centre recorded huge success in its promotion of culture in 2017.
Anikwe told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that this was based on feedbacks from foreign countries where Nigeria’s diverse cultures were marketed.
He said that most African countries had imbibed the Nigerian dress code as a way of acculturation, which was informed by the numerous symposiums and seminars held in such countries.
He said that the centre was also able to organise several cultural programmes within and outside the country among which were: the commemoration of FESTAC”77 @ 40, Catch-them-young seminars in schools and more.
According to him, the grand finale of FESTAC”77 @ 40 made significant impact as neighbouring African countries proposed for yearly commemoration of the historic festival.
He said that they demanded that a roster should be made such that the commemoration could be hosted in different countries yearly and should not be monopolised by Nigeria only.
“These countries saw the need for African countries to be more united and tap from one another’s cultures in the course of the commemoration.
“This was a great feat we achieved; we had over 10 countries in attendance despite the short notice given to some of them and the limited fund at our disposal.
“Ghana, Benin Republic, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and others were present.
“Also, the representatives of the African Union (AU) and UNESCO graced the festival.
“Many students also won prizes during the cultural competitions and many schools were showing more interests in the promotion of the African cultures by visiting the centre.
” We went to five schools this year and we intend to cover more schools in 2018 if we have enough resources within our disposal.
“We will do more in 2018 most especially in the promotion of our culture in other countries which is our core mandate,” he said