Festac Town, a federal housing estate in Lagos, Nigeria, was initially known as "Festival Town" or "Festac Village". It was designed as a residential estate to accommodate participants of the Second World Festival of Black Arts and Culture of 1977 (FESTAC '77).
Aerial View of Festac Town Lagos
The Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC '77)
The Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, better known as FESTAC '77, was a landmark event showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the African continent and the African diaspora. It took place in Lagos, Nigeria, from January 15 to February 12, 1977.
This article highlights the cultural importance of the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture whilst underlining the effects it had on the unity of Black people all over the world. The festival itself took place in Lagos, Nigeria from January 15th - February 12th in the year 1977, as the name suggests.
The festival was a celebration of African art, African music and Afro-inspired theatrical performances. ‘Ethnocide’ was coined and defined by Raphael Lemkin in 1944 as the destruction of the culture and identity of a people, though Lemkin was talking about the atrocities happening to Jewish people in Nazi Germany, this was an effect of colonialism and the transatlantic enslavement trade on the global Black community.
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The First World Black Festival of Arts set out to repair the damage that was already done. The festival was largely influenced by the political context of post-independence Africa and through this served as a symbol for the decolonisation of the mind that needed to occur alongside the political decolonisation taking place on the continent.
Though the First World Black Festival of Arts and Culture was a success this article will focus on the Second Festival [a.k.a. FESTAC ‘77] as it was the largest congregation of Black people from every continent in one place in the entire history of the Black man at the time.
Outside of Africa, Black people in Europe and the Americas were also making breakthroughs in their fight against racist oppression and segregation, so they too were keen on visiting Nigeria to partake in this celebration of Black talent and identity.
Lidge Daily, an American attendee wrote, ‘I shared a feeling with my people. I looked into their faces and saw mine. Our smiles and laughter needed not a common language to be understood. To be appreciated. Welcome brother, they said to me.
The streets of Lagos, Nigeria were crowded with around 17000 natives, fellow Nigerians, visiting Africans, members of the diaspora and all appreciators of Black art and culture for about a month. The crowd was so huge that the Lagos State Government constructed a new housing estate for festival participants.
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The campus was once filled with the sounds of laughter and feet stomping on the ground as groups were dancing together in the one language understood by all the global participants - music. The displays of unity, cultural enrichment and captivating entertainment that occurred over the 5 weeks, earned Nigeria the title of ‘a crucial nexus for Pan-African alliance building.’
The Guardian claims that Stevie Wonder’s headlining performance was what consolidated his ‘affinity with the continent.’ Communities within the continent also amplified their voice through the festival - with the logo being the Benin mask of Queen Idia it put the question of whether the Western world would return the artefacts they stole to their rightful owners and homes.
The first President of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor aka ‘the prime poet of Négritude’, declared that ‘Nigeria is to Africa what Greece was and still is to the history of Europe.’ The many Black people that were struggling with identity crises and feelings of belonging were said to have felt at home on the various stages when singing, dancing, acting or citing their poetry to the masses.
The response from the crowd was a reassurance of the unity that existed between Black people and the festival was applauded for being the place where this reassurance was received. Many Africanists and jazz enthusiasts know that Fela’s music was a form of activism against the military government in Nigeria.
When FESTAC ’77 went live, Fela boycotted it by hosting shows at Kalakuta Republic at the same time for the whole month. His shows enticed some of the major artistes that were to perform at the festivals and led them to boycott their own performances as well.
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Ikonne notes that Chyke Madu of ‘The Funkees’ said ‘What Fela was doing at the Shrine was more exciting and more raw than any other programs at the festival. So, everybody started to go there instead.
The festival served as a sanctuary for the unification of Black people all over the world, that inspired many to go back to their countries of residence and preach the message of bravery and freedom in the second verse of the Festival anthem - ‘Let a second generation // Full of courage issue forth // Let a people loving freedom //Come to growth’ - the residents of Nigeria themselves were still being silenced and oppressed by military rule to a degree.
The first and third celebrations of Black creativity were held in Senegal, in 1966 and 2010, but couldn’t compare to the extravagance of FESTAC’77. The pressure to deliver another festival like FESTAC’77 shouldn’t mean the 2010 Festival should be the last.
The Pan-African ideology is not dying anytime soon, and neither is the appreciation of Black art on a global scale, so who knows, maybe the 50-year anniversary of FESTAC ’77 will be acknowledged and celebrated once again in Nigeria.
The rising need for havens, that are specifically for Black people, is expected to go on for many years and it is important that these safe spaces are made as they allow the Black community to not only find a sense of family in their identity but also be comfortable enough to just live freely.
The Afronation Music Festival, by SMADE Entertainment and others, was said to have this impact as a review by Sosa Sharon said ‘Afro Nation felt like something for us, by us.’ The freedom that comes from being surrounded by ‘your people’ is said to be relieving and the Black community is due for that relief and has been for centuries.
FESTAC '77, being the largest such gathering of its kind at the time in discussion, left no doubt as to Nigerian status as a cultural epicentre and the importance of African heritage in the global prism. Meanwhile, it was a follow-up on the first meeting, which had taken place in Dakar, Senegal, in 1966.
The event was mooted to be one in which there should be celebrations of the African arts, traditions, and achievements aimed at bringing together all people of African origin across the world. Nigeria, being the giant of Africa was chosen to host the festival because of its cultural diversity and political influence on the continent.
Critically, one of the highlights of the festival was the inaugural ceremony, which was held at the National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos State. This mega program was staged by many African countries displaying their traditional dancing, costumes, and musical instruments.
The song "FESTAC Lagos '77," created by Nigerian musician Steve Rhodes for the event, symbolized unity in festivity. Consequently, this event no doubt, gave incalculable benefits, legacies or impacts as a country.
Having hosted such a big event, it bestowed on Nigeria the capacity to any international event for which tremendous efforts will not be in contention of any kind. In 1977, Nigeria hosted the largest festival of African arts and culture there had ever been. About half a million visitors attended, as well as 16,000 delegates including Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba. Dozens of African nationalities, and people from the African diaspora were represented.
Headed by a military dictatorship, Nigeria spent hundreds of millions of dollars hosting nationwide events and building a new national theatre and festival village in Lagos. Among those attending was Viola Burley Leak, an African American artist and designer exhibiting her artwork.
What Was the Significance of FESTAC 1977? - African Roots And Routes
She shares her experience of the spectacular opening ceremony and late-night revelry with Louis Harnet O’Meara.
Post-Festival Allocation and Regulations
After the Festival, the Federal Government of Nigeria allocated the housing and landed properties to eventual winners who participated in a ballot. Initial regulations forbade such winners from renting and disposing-of the properties to third parties.
Town Planning and Accessibility
Festac town is built in a grid network consisting of seven major roads/boulevards or avenues from which minor roads extend. These avenues are identified by their numbers: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th Avenues respectively.
The 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th Avenues surround a portion of the town in what seems like an almost rectangular road network which are connected and accessible through each other. The 3rd and 5th avenues run parallel within the town. The 6th avenue is found in a portion of the town accessible through a bridge from the 1st Avenue.
Festac town is accessible from the Lagos-Badagry Expressway through three main gates that open into the 1st, 2nd and 7th avenues and are called the First, Second and Third gates respectively.
Evolution of Festac Town
Once a sleepy estate, FESTAC Town has in the past few years attracted varied forms of businesses within the estate and its environs. Today, there is a growing number of commercial banks, and shopping complexes that cater to the residents.
Festac Town Lagos Nigeria
This year 2007 marks the 30th Anniversary of Festac Town as a residential area. Festac is still one of the largest residential estates south of Saharan Africa. When I started living in Festac Town in 1977 with the rest of my family, I was only 5 years old.
Leaving number 26 Oni Street in Obele area of Surulere Mainland behind and arriving in Festac, in my eyes, was like finally reaching paradise. My earliest memory of Festac was that my father left us behind in Surulere to prepare a wonderful place of abode for us. But I have no qualms that my infanthood was formed in Surulere.
The Festac Houses were thrown open the same year that Nigeria hosted the second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture in Lagos from January 15 to February 12, 1977. The Festival of Arts and Culture (hence the name FESTAC) placed Nigeria on the spot on the world stage at that time and the FESTAC houses readily provided accommodation to visitors from all over the world.
That glorious event brought more fame to this ever wealthy nation. It was interesting to see that many buildings and houses were not even completed at the time that the Festival was taking place. A lot of blocks of flats towards the West end of 5th Avenue were uncompleted (we called them uncompleted houses in the beginning and as kids, we went jumping from the 1st and 2nd floors of these uncompleted buildings down onto the heap of sand below).
The situation was the same for many blocks of flats and duplex apartments on 7th Avenue and 23 Road. Many people on 1st and 3rd Avenues concluded that the Oyinbo men built their own houses and flats while they left the remaining for the Nigerian builders.
Festac Town houses were constructed to accommodate all classes of people in the Nigerian society-low, medium and high income earners. With as low as N1, N2 or N3 naira, depending on their income, people ballot for flats and houses and they got allocations on a mortgage basis.
In Festac Town of the late 70s and early 80s, life was indeed very good. Our existence was village-like (the addresses actually read Festac village at the onset) because at that time, there were a lot of friendly interactions that promoted community-type of existence.
Our parents held regular meetings as new residents of a paradise village. The population was so moderate you could tell the names of the visitors and friends that came to your house. My father could almost recite all the names and addresses of the people at each meeting.
As children, we longed for the regular summer holidays when we played football. The playgrounds were many and they come in various shapes and sizes. I knew virtually all the football clubs and which communities they represented. Father Coaster was from 23 Road where I live, Net Bombers was from 401 Road and the Strikers came from the 7th Avenue.
Festac Town eventually gave its fair share of players to the football world including footballers in the National team and other famous teams around the world: The Olisehs, The Ipayes, The Ekehs, Victor Agali, and Bimbo Fatokun just to mention a few.
When we are not on holiday, we went to school near our homes. In the beginning the public schools (popular called Jakande schools) were named like this: school 1, school 2 up to school 12. Eventually the schools took up definite names like Central Primary School, or 5th Avenue Primary School.
There was a school on 7th Avenue close to where palm wine tappers carry out their noble jobs. Though Football always brought the entire people in Festac Town together, it was not the only thing that counted for us as kids in those days. We also took time out into the forest that surrounded Festac.
There is a famous place along 4th Avenue called Canal. What looks like a small river flows through this area and there we went to learn how to swim-many of us could still not swim anyway. Canal was forbidden for us but we went anyhow and many of us received beatings of our lives doing that. Our parents genuinely feared that we could drown.
Sometimes, heavy rainfall resulted to water being collected in some shallow valleys on this 4th Avenue and that was safe for us to swim in or we simply caught frog-fishes (Opolo-fish) and took them home as temporary pets. Even real fishes died when we took them home.
As I grew up, I love Festac. I love school and I enjoyed the warm company of my friends and other people. It was while growing up in Festac that I didn’t see anything wrong with little boys playing or mingling with girls of the same age group. Before I was 10 years old, I didn’t see anything wrong with my participation in games like suwe and ten-ten.?
I went on to do suwe when I was well into my teens. That ideal communal beginning in Festac Town helped us as children to make friends across ethnic alliances. It promoted team work and gave us proper childhood. For real, we all spoke a common language, that is Pidgin English and almost everyone spoke Yoruba.
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