Preamble

The symposium was organised in continuation of the implementation of part of the statutory functions of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), aimed at ensuring the promotion of understanding and appreciation of Black and African arts and cultures, as well as creating for Black and African peoples a new identity and position that would enable him compete on equal terms with other peoples of the world.

The theme of the symposium titled "Black and African Cultures and the Challenges of Globalisation" was meant to:

· Identify the likely effects of globalisation on different facets of Black and African arts and cultures;

· Generate ideas that would facilitate the entry of these arts and cultural heritage into the emerging global world;

· Gensure that they compete with the cultures of other peoples in this global system without loosing their identity, value and integrity.

The Honourable Minister of Culture and Tourism of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Boma Bromillow-Jack, who was the special guest of honour at the opening ceremony, declared the symposium open. Other important dignitaries present at the opening ceremony included Professor J.F. Ade Ajayi, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Ibadan, who was Chairman of the occasion; Prof. Abiola Irele, Professor of African, French and Comparative Literature at the Ohio University (U.S.A.), who presented the keynote address; Honourable Felix Mgbada, Chairman, CBAAC Board; Duro Oni, Director/Chief Executive, CBAAC, Ambassador Segun Olusola, Chairman, African Refugee Foundation (AREF), Dr. Okey Okechukwu, the representative of the Honourable Minister of Transport; Mr. Hilary Ogbechi, the representative of the Special Assistant to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Arts and Culture; Dr. James Early of the Smithsonia Institute (U.S.A.); the Consul_General of the U.S. Embassy who represented the U.S. Ambassador in Nigeria, and Professor Vincent Chukwuemeka Ike.

Professor Irele who presented the keynote address spoke on "The Necessity of African Modernity." He stated the need to promote, protect, preserve and modernize Black and African cultures in order to empower them to compete favourably in the emerging global world dominated by Western cultural values and standards. Towards this end, he suggested the need to aggressively collect African oral traditions, especially poetry, and preserve them with audio-visual facilities in order to conceptualise the mechanics and techniques of African performance arts, as well as enhance their utilization for research and development purposes. He also suggested the need for African Nation-States to assume responsibility for the funding of Africans arts and cultures, and stressed that these aspects of African heritage should not be heavily commercialised. He opined that the role which private enterprises and Non_Governmental Organisations (NGOs) are to play in the promotion, preservation and presentation of African arts and cultures should be that of complementing the efforts of African governments.

Professor Ade Ajayi, in his remarks as Chairman of the occasion, emphasized that globalisation is about competition and struggle for dominance, which encourages more than anything else, the continuation and expansion of Western imperialism in the new millennium. He opined that for globalisation to be meaningful, it must encourage global democratisation of all societies, and promote equitable economic and technological development of all peoples and interest groups in the world. He concludes by stressing the need for Black and African peoples to take their cultures seriously because, as he puts it, "the central order of the day worldwide in the present era, is the issue of who you are in terms of your cultural identity."

· Discussion and Observations

· Participants at the Symposium noted the following:

· That there has been a sustained and the mindless assault on Black and African cultures in the efforts to portray them as less functional and perhaps inferior to the cultures of other peoples of the world;

· That globalisation is characterized by keen competition and an aggressive quest for supremacy by various contending peoples and interest groups in the world;

· That globalisation fosters increasing disruption and marginalisation of the arts and cultures of Black and African peoples;

· That globalisation imposes alien cultural values on African societies thereby distorting the African value system and identity;

· That globalisation is a fresh phase in re_colonisation of African societies which attempts to continue the promotion of Western linguistic heritage and literary aesthetic cannons at the expense of African indigenous languages and literature;

· That Africans are fast loosing touch of their natural environment, including their indigenous landscapes, settlement patterns and modes of architecture;

· That Africa’s performance in the emerging scenario of globalisation would be a function of the ability and commitment of their leadership to mobilize the productive forces of African societies for development;

· That Africa has, through its music, made positive impact on the musical sensibilities of word cultures;

· That African indigenous languages are facing a serious danger of extinction and that globalisation can intensify this process of decline;

· That African culture is the last frontier of defence available to us as Africans to fight Western imperialism in the new millennium.

· Suggestions and Recommendations

· Based on the foregoing, the following suggestions and recommendations were made:

· That Black and African peoples should ensure that their arts and cultures are well integrated into the process of globalisation. This should involve a wholesome intellectual renaissance of black and African life that will empower cultural renaissance and assist cultural institutions like the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC), National Museums and Monuments and other culture_related agencies in African Nation-States;

· That those aspects of Black and African arts and cultures that promote positive values, co-operation, friendship, understanding, tolerance, peaceful coexistence and integration should be encouraged. To this end, a blueprint for building co-operative ventures among African countries should be articulated;

· • That African peoples should look in-ward and outside and pull together those resources that enhance positive growth and development. That this has to be done through commitment from both African governments and peoples;

· •That we should encourage and improve upon African indigenous modes of architecture and related aspects of our settlement patterns that promote African values and belief system;

· •That the teaching of African history, especially those aspects that highlight the past achievements of African heroes and heroines, be made compulsory at the secondary school levels in African countries;

· •That other crucial aspects of Black and African heritage such as those that highlight the main elements of African philosophy, African art and fashion, African traditional medicine, foods and cuisines and indigenous technology should also be taught and promoted through our educational system.

· That National Language Commissions be established in African Nation-States through which National Language Policies should be developed and properly articulated for effective implementation.

· Conclusion

Participants at the symposium commended the management and staff of CBAAC for organising this intellectual outing and implored other cultural institutions in both the public and private sectors to organise similar meetings to continue the discourse on Black and African Cultures and Globalisation.