|
It was in fact in fulfillment of
Nigeria’s pledge to keep the materials in trust for the 59 Black
and African countries and communities which participated in the
Festival that gave impetus for the establishment of the Centre.
To achieve its set goals, the
Centre holds seminars, workshops, public lectures, exhibitions
and symposia. The Centre engages in other activities which
project the overall image of Black and African Peoples and
enable their cultures to be appreciated globally. Through its
numerous programmes, the Centre has continued to contribute to
the pool of universal knowledge on Black and African Peoples.
Statutorily, the Centre is charged
with the responsibility of promoting and propagating Black and
African Cultural Heritage in its totality. The Centre has a
strategic mandate and plays a key role in making Nigeria the
arrowhead in the presentation, promotion and propagation of
African cultural heritage.
VISION
 To be the foremost agency to
encourage, initiate, facilitate and coordinate the retrieval and
restoration of the natural and cultural heritage of the Black
and African peoples for the purposes of protecting, preserving
and projecting them for enhanced understanding and
appreciation.
MISSION STATEMENT
To promote public interest,
understanding and appreciation of Black and African Arts and
Culture with a view to emphasizing the contributions of Black
and African peoples to world civilization.
FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTRE
The functions of the Centre are
clearly spelt out in section 4 of Decree No.69 of 1979
establishing the Centre as follows:
The Centre shall be a
multi-disciplinary institution and shall, subject to this
Decree, have responsibility for the promotion of public interest
in Black and Africans Arts and Civilization and for the
preservation of such creative works of value:
(a) of each participating
country during the Second World Black and African Festival of
Arts and Cultures 1977 (hereinafter in this Decree referred to
as “the 1997 festival”) or similar cultural manifestations; or
(b) of any other country or
individual where such creative work has emanated from or
pertains to the 1977 Festival or similar cultural
manifestations, donated to the Centre either directly or through
the International Festival Committee of the 1977 Festival or
hereafter donated to the Centre by any person or organization.
In pursuance of subsection (1) of
this section, it shall be the duty of the Centre.
(a) to locate, identify and
assemble for better preservation all recorded matter, published
materials and museum artifacts relating to the 1977 Festival and
to prepare an inventory of these works;
(b) to promote
understanding and appreciation of Black and African arts and
cultures by involving the general public in its activities
through lectures, discussions, symposia, exhibitions,
performances and demonstrations of arts and crafts;
(c) to acquire from zonal
secretaries of the 1977 Festival/and any other sources, creative
records relating to past and future world, regional or national
festivals of arts and culture of relevance to Black and African
arts and civilization;
(d) to produce guides,
catalogues, bibliographies, abstracts and indices to facilitate
the use of the materials preserved at the Centre;
(e) to make the facilities
of the Centre available to members of the public on such terms
as the Board may, with the approval of the commissioner,
determine;
(f) to organize
exhibitions, displays and such other manifestations as are
calculated to achieve the objectives of the Centre;
(g) to make appropriate
arrangements for the exchange either by way of lending or gift
of materials held at the Centre;
(h) to supplement the
materials held at the Centre by acquiring copies of materials
relating to past and future, world, regional or national
festivals of arts and cultures of relevance to Black and African
Arts and Civilization;
(i) to safeguard the
property of the Centre; and\
(j) to provide such
services as are usually provided by cultural resources Centres.
ACTIVITIES
To achieve its statutory
responsibilities, the Centre undertakes the following activities
and programmes on a regular basis:
(a)
Research
(b)
Publications
(c)
Conferences
(d)
Workshops
(e)
Exhibitions
(f)
Public Lectures
(g)
Symposia
(h)
Library Service
(i)
Archival services
| 
