The history of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC) is closely tied to the history of the Blackman and his struggle for recognition and equality with the rest of the human race.  The painful reality of slavery and the subsequent colonization and imperialism set in motion a historical process which sought to desperately reduce the cultural achievements of the Blackman. More fundamentally, this same process sought to curtail and possibly wipe out the contributions which the Blackman made to the pool of universal knowledge.  The overall effect was to erroneously portray the Blackman as inferior to peoples of other races.  

This unfortunate yet avoidable situation would, however, not go unchallenged. Recently, peoples of Black and African descent spread all over the world have met at different times and in different places for the sole purpose of creating a new identity for the Blackman which would enable him take his rightful position in world history.  In this regard, many events such as seminars, conferences, and lectures were held.  However, of all of these events, perhaps the most comprehensive was the First World Black and African Festival of Arts and Cuture which held in Dakar, Senegal in 1966.  The magnitude and the sheer success of the Dakar festival gave inspiration to a second festival which held eleven years later, in Lagos, Nigeria the 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, FESTAC 77. 

In scope, planning, impact and cultural reawakening, FESTAC 77 could easily be described as an unqualified success.  It brought together peoples of Black and African origin scattered all over the nooks and crannies of the globe in a rare show of solidarity and a display of the rich cultural heritage of the Blackman.  For once, the Blackman openly took pride in his culture and expressed it to the admiration and appreciation of the whole world.

FESTAC 77 was  a comprehensive festival that covered dance, drama, boat regatta, a durbar presentation and also had an intellectual dimension by the detailed colloquium which embraced the entire gamut of Black and African Arts and culture.  At the end of the festival, the 59 Black and African countries and communities which participated in it were faced with a dilemma: to either sustain and build on the gains made or to let it be a mere flash in the pan.

In their collective wisdom, it was resolved by all the participating countries that the achievements of FESTAC 77 should be built upon.  Thus, all the materials used during FESTAC 77 were handed over to Nigeria to be heid in trust for them.  To ensure that these materials were not only well-kept but also augmented and used to further enhance the image of the Blackman, the Federal Government of Nigeria by Decree 69 of 1979 established the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC)

The statutory functions of CBAAC as enshrined in its enabling Decree is to preserve and promote such creative works relating to Black and African Arts and Civilization.  Specifically the Centre was mandated to:

• To locate, identify and assemble for better preservation all recorded matter, published materials and museum artifacts relating to FESTAC 77 and to prepare an inventory to these works.

• To promote the understanding and appreciation of Black and African arts and culture by involving the general public in its activities through lectures, discussions, symposia, exhibitions, performances and demonstration of arts and crafts.

• To acquire from the Zonal Secretariats of the 1977 Festival of Arts and Culture all materials of relevance to Black and African arts and civilization.

Since its inception, the Centre has endeavored to rise to the challenge set for it by her founding fathers.  It has held many exhibitions, public lectures, symposia, workshops, conferences and seminars. Currently, the Centre is funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria and is supervised by the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

To attain professional efficiency and effectiveness, the centre is subdivided into the following units and divisions:

1. Finance and Administration made up of accounts, stores, internal audit and registry.

2. Documentation services, comprising archives, museum, library and audio-visual units.

3. Research and Publications.

4. Exhibition

5. Board Secretariat.

You are enjoined to explore this web site and if possible pay a visit to the Centre which from a very small beginning has turned out to be the cultural sanctuary of Black and African peoples all over the world.