June 20, 2025 • 15 mins
Step back in time with me to 1977, to a cultural event so monumental it was dubbed the "Black World's Fair." In this episode, we journey to Lagos, Nigeria, for FESTAC '77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.
What made this month-long celebration a landmark of Black pride and unity, and why does its legacy still echo nearly fifty years later? I'll share insights from my conversation with Roy Lewis, the official photographer for the North American zone, who was there to capture it all. Join me as we explore the story of this incredible gathering of artists, thinkers, and performers from across the African diaspora and uncover a piece of our history that continues to inspire.
Chapters
(0:00) - Intro
(1:29) - A Journey Back to FESTAC '77
(6:15) - The Rigorous Road to Lagos
(7:05) - Inside the Festival: A Cultural Feast
(9:08) - The Lasting Legacy of FESTAC
(11:53) - A Juneteenth Reflection and a Call to Imagine
Learn About Roy Lewis
Festac 77 Documentary on YouTube: http://bit.ly/449xUIB
Ebony Magazine Festac Edition: http://bit.ly/3T3WGoy
Support the Show
Website: www.martineseverin.com
Follow on Instagram: @martine.severin | @thisishowwecreate_
Subscribe to the Newsletter: www.martineseverin.substack.com
This is How We Create is produced by Martine Severin. This episode was edited by Daniel Espinosa.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to This is How We Create, a show that digs deeper into the creative life ofcontemporary artists of color.
Discover what feeds their creativity and how they found or are finding their artisticvoice.
Through these intimate and candid conversations, you'll gain insights into the lives ofcreative professionals of color that are hard to find anywhere else.
(00:32):
Of Festac was dealt with overall cultural aspect of how being here in America and whatwe've created here as, you know, some of the things that we as a people who have been here
for 500 years, 600 years, and who have blended a lot of the different cultures, somedifferent aspects from other places.
(01:02):
And we went as the U.S.
zone, U.S.
African-American zone culture.
Just like Cubans and people from Australia, they came representing their countries.
Hey, welcome back to This Is How We Create.
(01:25):
My name is Martine Severin, your host.
Today we are traveling back in time, specifically to 1977 to Lagos, Nigeria for a culturalevent so grand it was called the Black World's Fair.
We're talking about Festac 1977 or Festac 77, the second World Black and African festival.
(01:51):
of the arts and culture.
It was a month-long celebration that brought together nearly 17,000 artists, musicians,writers, and thinkers from 56 African nations and the global Black diaspora.
(02:11):
So we had Stevie Wonder, Mariam Makeba, and from boat regattas to intellectual debates,Festa was a
bold statement of Black pride and unity.
But you know what made Festac so special?
And why does it still, about 48 years later, nearly 50 years later, still rest as awonderful achievement in most people's lives?
(02:41):
So picture this.
It's January 15th in 1977.
Lagos is buzzing.
The National Stadium
in Sorolleri is packed for the opening ceremony of Festac.
Now we had thousands of performers wearing vibrant costumes paraded under the Nigeriansun.
(03:03):
The air was thick with anticipation.
We had music and the weight of history all around them.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with photographer Roy Lewis, who was at Festac.
and who was documenting it.
He was the official photographer of the North American zone.
(03:26):
When I chatted with Roy, he told me about that opening ceremony and how participants fromeach country assembled in the middle of the stadium.
Can you imagine all of this?
It was just like it was the Olympic.
Each nation had its own section and their own moment to shine.
(03:51):
as artists and musicians and poets and writers.
The stack, as you know, itself was a comprehensive teach dealing with all aspects ofculture, colloquium, architectural stuff, music, dance, drama.
There were three venues in Lagos, Nigeria that had sports hall, had Tallowafa Beba Square,and then you had National Theater.
(04:18):
And so all these places
Every day that we were there, things were going on at these different places.
And so my participation was because I was a photographer for SESDAQ, for the NorthAmerican Zone, uh was to photograph these events, our participants, our participants in
(04:44):
the events.
Roy says that he was there with his red press badge, which gave him full access to capturethese historic moments as they unfolded.
Now, in the show notes, we linked the magazine edition of Ebony Magazine, where you'll beable to see all of these wonderful photos that Roy himself took.
(05:11):
Now, don't get it twisted because Festac was no ordinary festival.
It was a cultural juggernaut.
We had a month-long extravaganza from mid-January to mid-February that showcased Africanand diasporic arts.
We're talking about music, we're talking about dancing, theater, literature, and visualart.
(05:36):
It was a homecoming for Black people from the Caribbean, from the Americas, Australia, andbeyond.
And many set foot
on African soil for the very first time to attend Festac.
But here's what's remarkable.
Getting there wasn't automatic.
You didn't just show up to Festac.
(05:58):
Roy shared with me that there was a rigorous selection process.
Artists had to submit their work for evaluation.
And he himself, he submitted two photographs, one of his daughter in the West Indies andanother of a banjo player in New Orleans.
Now these images represented the African-American cultural experience, the blending oftraditions that had evolved over centuries in the diaspora.
(06:28):
Now we say Festac, but the festival's full name was Second World Black and AfricanFestival of Arts and Culture.
This festival had ambition.
It built on the first festival,
of Negro arts that was held in Dakar, Senegal.
And that was done in 1966, but Nigeria took it to another level.
(06:52):
Fueled by an oil boom, Nigeria spent what today would be about $2 billion to bring FESTACto being.
Roy described the incredible infrastructure.
There were three main venues where events happen daily.
We had the sports hall,
Teal Bay Square and the National Theatre.
(07:14):
Now each country you have to understand had its own housing buildings and their owntransportation.
So you're wondering what happened at Festac, Martín?
The festival was a cultural feast.
Imagine Stevie Wonder jamming alongside of Guinea's Bambaya Jazz National or Brazil'sGilberto Gil sharing the stage with Trinidad's Mighty Sparrow.
(07:40):
Now we had literary giants like Wole Soyeka and Audre Lorde who debated.
And there were exhibitions of about 2000 years of Nigerian art that were showcasing thecontinent's artistic depths.
Don't let anybody tell you that Africa did not have its own art.
(08:01):
But here's what struck me about my conversation with Rory Lewis.
Festac wasn't about the famous performers.
He talked about the magic of everyday interactions.
So even though people didn't speak each other's languages, they found ways to communicate.
Photographers connected with photographers, musicians with musicians.
(08:25):
And let's not forget that there was this universal language of creativity that transcendedwords.
Now remember,
In order to go to Festac, you had to apply and get accepted.
And not everyone had the opportunity to attend because it was a distance away.
But those who were able to make the journey witnessed something that was absolutelyspectacular.
(08:50):
At this point, I would love to talk to you about Festac's legacy.
The cultural ripples of Festac are undeniable.
It inspired artists to explore Pan-African themes.
We're talking about Afrofuturism to new musical fusions.
We had photographers like Nance and Kémo Fimoyon who captured images that still resonatetoday, showing Black joy and creativity in vivid details.
(09:20):
For many in the diaspora, Festac was just a turning point and a moment of reconnection.
Nance once said about her photographs that her photographs were all about the spirit ofblack folks coming home.
So why should we remember Festac 77 in today in 2025?
(09:40):
Well, first it's a testament to black resilience.
After centuries of slavery, colonialism, Festac was a bold declaration that Africanculture was alive and diverse and global.
It showed that
Black identity isn't confined by borders and that its conversations resonated betweenLagos, Harlem, Kingston, and beyond.
(10:07):
The second thing is that Festac's story is a lesson in possibility and pitfalls.
It reminds us that culture can unite, but it needs to be sustained and to be invested inin order to thrive.
The Festival's archives.
We're talking about photographs, music, writings are all a treasure trove for artists andscholars today.
(10:30):
And they fuel projects for different artists.
There are different online exhibitions that are inspired by Festac.
You know, it was just great.
I mean, it's one of the greatest experiences I've ever experienced.
I mean, it's one of the highlights of my career as a photographer, as someone interested,someone interested in culture, not just our culture, but major culture.
(11:01):
I mean, this was like the top, I mean, it was the top of everything.
All of these efforts of artists who refer to Festac, they keep us asking, what would amodern day Festac look like?
Well, let us know in the comments.
Now, finally, Festac challenges us to reclaim our narratives.
(11:24):
There's so much going on in the world.
There's globalization, which often flattens culture and identities and
And when you think about Festac, it's an anthem for a second generation of courage.
And it kind of feels urgent because it reminds us that we need to celebrate, we need topreserve and build a Black cultural heritage, whether through art, music, community, or
(11:51):
through This is How We Create.
I am so pleased that you were able to join us on this episode, particularly as it falls onJuneteenth, because Festac 77
was a moment when the black world came together to celebrate itself.
It was unapologetically vibrant and imperfect and its legacy still lives in the art thatit inspired, the connections that it forged and the questions that it still raises about
(12:23):
culture and about power.
As we look back, maybe Festac's greatest gift is that
It challenges us to keep imagining a world where black creativity leads the way.
Here's a secret.
I didn't even know about Festac until I attended Expo Chicago, where I happened to runinto Mr.
(12:46):
Roy Lewis and Arlene Crawford while I was leaving to go home.
Isn't that something?
I had no idea Festac existed.
I did not learn about it in art classes.
It hasn't come up for me while I was researching the podcast.
There is so much that we have yet to know and to learn about our own culture and about ourown history.
(13:14):
I hope that through the podcast that you get to learn about artists that you might nothave had the privilege of knowing no matter where you are in your little corner of the
world.
There is so much more that we could learn about ourselves as well as draw inspiration ofartists from the past.
But for now, please go ahead.
(13:36):
You'll want to definitely check the show notes this time around because we've listed somereally wonderful links for you where you'll be able to watch a documentary about Festac.
You'll be able to see images that Mr.
Roy Lewis took.
for Ebony Magazine, as well as some other treats that we've listed in the show notes foryou.
(13:59):
So you'll definitely wanna check it out.
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of This is How We Create.
Let's all put it out there in the world, in the atmosphere, in the ether, in the universethat we want a Festac, another Festac, another World Black Fair.
(14:23):
Wouldn't that be something for us to attend during our lifetime?
That's it for now.
Thank you for listening to This is How We Create.
there.
I have a quick favor to ask you before you go.
If you're loving this show, would you mind taking a quick second to leave us a five starreview on your favorite go to podcast app?
(14:50):
Here's the thing.
Those reviews are like magic fairy dust.
They help other creators of color discover our show and tap into their own artisticsuperpowers.
While you're at it, why not subscribe to our sub-stack, newsletter, Creative Matters?
Creative Matters is like a weekly dose of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
(15:15):
You can find the link to subscribe in the show notes.
All right, that's all that I have for you today.
I can't wait to see you on the next episode.
Bye.
Welcome to This is How We Create, a show that digs deeper into the creative life ofcontemporary artists of color.
Discover what feeds their creativity and how they found or are finding their artisticvoice.
Through these intimate and candid conversations, you'll gain insights into the lives ofcreative professionals of color that are hard to find anywhere else.
(00:32):
Of Festac was dealt with overall cultural aspect of how being here in America and whatwe've created here as, you know, some of the things that we as a people who have been here
for 500 years, 600 years, and who have blended a lot of the different cultures, somedifferent aspects from other places.
(01:02):
And we went as the U.S.
zone, U.S.
African-American zone culture.
Just like Cubans and people from Australia, they came representing their countries.
Hey, welcome back to This Is How We Create.
(01:25):
My name is Martine Severin, your host.
Today we are traveling back in time, specifically to 1977 to Lagos, Nigeria for a culturalevent so grand it was called the Black World's Fair.
We're talking about Festac 1977 or Festac 77, the second World Black and African festival.
(01:51):
of the arts and culture.
It was a month-long celebration that brought together nearly 17,000 artists, musicians,writers, and thinkers from 56 African nations and the global Black diaspora.
(02:11):
So we had Stevie Wonder, Mariam Makeba, and from boat regattas to intellectual debates,Festa was a
bold statement of Black pride and unity.
But you know what made Festac so special?
And why does it still, about 48 years later, nearly 50 years later, still rest as awonderful achievement in most people's lives?
(02:41):
So picture this.
It's January 15th in 1977.
Lagos is buzzing.
The National Stadium
in Sorolleri is packed for the opening ceremony of Festac.
Now we had thousands of performers wearing vibrant costumes paraded under the Nigeriansun.
(03:03):
The air was thick with anticipation.
We had music and the weight of history all around them.
Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with photographer Roy Lewis, who was at Festac.
and who was documenting it.
He was the official photographer of the North American zone.
(03:26):
When I chatted with Roy, he told me about that opening ceremony and how participants fromeach country assembled in the middle of the stadium.
Can you imagine all of this?
It was just like it was the Olympic.
Each nation had its own section and their own moment to shine.
(03:51):
as artists and musicians and poets and writers.
The stack, as you know, itself was a comprehensive teach dealing with all aspects ofculture, colloquium, architectural stuff, music, dance, drama.
There were three venues in Lagos, Nigeria that had sports hall, had Tallowafa Beba Square,and then you had National Theater.
(04:18):
And so all these places
Every day that we were there, things were going on at these different places.
And so my participation was because I was a photographer for SESDAQ, for the NorthAmerican Zone, uh was to photograph these events, our participants, our participants in
(04:44):
the events.
Roy says that he was there with his red press badge, which gave him full access to capturethese historic moments as they unfolded.
Now, in the show notes, we linked the magazine edition of Ebony Magazine, where you'll beable to see all of these wonderful photos that Roy himself took.
(05:11):
Now, don't get it twisted because Festac was no ordinary festival.
It was a cultural juggernaut.
We had a month-long extravaganza from mid-January to mid-February that showcased Africanand diasporic arts.
We're talking about music, we're talking about dancing, theater, literature, and visualart.
(05:36):
It was a homecoming for Black people from the Caribbean, from the Americas, Australia, andbeyond.
And many set foot
on African soil for the very first time to attend Festac.
But here's what's remarkable.
Getting there wasn't automatic.
You didn't just show up to Festac.
(05:58):
Roy shared with me that there was a rigorous selection process.
Artists had to submit their work for evaluation.
And he himself, he submitted two photographs, one of his daughter in the West Indies andanother of a banjo player in New Orleans.
Now these images represented the African-American cultural experience, the blending oftraditions that had evolved over centuries in the diaspora.
(06:28):
Now we say Festac, but the festival's full name was Second World Black and AfricanFestival of Arts and Culture.
This festival had ambition.
It built on the first festival,
of Negro arts that was held in Dakar, Senegal.
And that was done in 1966, but Nigeria took it to another level.
(06:52):
Fueled by an oil boom, Nigeria spent what today would be about $2 billion to bring FESTACto being.
Roy described the incredible infrastructure.
There were three main venues where events happen daily.
We had the sports hall,
Teal Bay Square and the National Theatre.
(07:14):
Now each country you have to understand had its own housing buildings and their owntransportation.
So you're wondering what happened at Festac, Martín?
The festival was a cultural feast.
Imagine Stevie Wonder jamming alongside of Guinea's Bambaya Jazz National or Brazil'sGilberto Gil sharing the stage with Trinidad's Mighty Sparrow.
(07:40):
Now we had literary giants like Wole Soyeka and Audre Lorde who debated.
And there were exhibitions of about 2000 years of Nigerian art that were showcasing thecontinent's artistic depths.
Don't let anybody tell you that Africa did not have its own art.
(08:01):
But here's what struck me about my conversation with Rory Lewis.
Festac wasn't about the famous performers.
He talked about the magic of everyday interactions.
So even though people didn't speak each other's languages, they found ways to communicate.
Photographers connected with photographers, musicians with musicians.
(08:25):
And let's not forget that there was this universal language of creativity that transcendedwords.
Now remember,
In order to go to Festac, you had to apply and get accepted.
And not everyone had the opportunity to attend because it was a distance away.
But those who were able to make the journey witnessed something that was absolutelyspectacular.
(08:50):
At this point, I would love to talk to you about Festac's legacy.
The cultural ripples of Festac are undeniable.
It inspired artists to explore Pan-African themes.
We're talking about Afrofuturism to new musical fusions.
We had photographers like Nance and Kémo Fimoyon who captured images that still resonatetoday, showing Black joy and creativity in vivid details.
(09:20):
For many in the diaspora, Festac was just a turning point and a moment of reconnection.
Nance once said about her photographs that her photographs were all about the spirit ofblack folks coming home.
So why should we remember Festac 77 in today in 2025?
(09:40):
Well, first it's a testament to black resilience.
After centuries of slavery, colonialism, Festac was a bold declaration that Africanculture was alive and diverse and global.
It showed that
Black identity isn't confined by borders and that its conversations resonated betweenLagos, Harlem, Kingston, and beyond.
(10:07):
The second thing is that Festac's story is a lesson in possibility and pitfalls.
It reminds us that culture can unite, but it needs to be sustained and to be invested inin order to thrive.
The Festival's archives.
We're talking about photographs, music, writings are all a treasure trove for artists andscholars today.
(10:30):
And they fuel projects for different artists.
There are different online exhibitions that are inspired by Festac.
You know, it was just great.
I mean, it's one of the greatest experiences I've ever experienced.
I mean, it's one of the highlights of my career as a photographer, as someone interested,someone interested in culture, not just our culture, but major culture.
(11:01):
I mean, this was like the top, I mean, it was the top of everything.
All of these efforts of artists who refer to Festac, they keep us asking, what would amodern day Festac look like?
Well, let us know in the comments.
Now, finally, Festac challenges us to reclaim our narratives.
(11:24):
There's so much going on in the world.
There's globalization, which often flattens culture and identities and
And when you think about Festac, it's an anthem for a second generation of courage.
And it kind of feels urgent because it reminds us that we need to celebrate, we need topreserve and build a Black cultural heritage, whether through art, music, community, or
(11:51):
through This is How We Create.
I am so pleased that you were able to join us on this episode, particularly as it falls onJuneteenth, because Festac 77
was a moment when the black world came together to celebrate itself.
It was unapologetically vibrant and imperfect and its legacy still lives in the art thatit inspired, the connections that it forged and the questions that it still raises about
(12:23):
culture and about power.
As we look back, maybe Festac's greatest gift is that
It challenges us to keep imagining a world where black creativity leads the way.
Here's a secret.
I didn't even know about Festac until I attended Expo Chicago, where I happened to runinto Mr.
(12:46):
Roy Lewis and Arlene Crawford while I was leaving to go home.
Isn't that something?
I had no idea Festac existed.
I did not learn about it in art classes.
It hasn't come up for me while I was researching the podcast.
There is so much that we have yet to know and to learn about our own culture and about ourown history.
(13:14):
I hope that through the podcast that you get to learn about artists that you might nothave had the privilege of knowing no matter where you are in your little corner of the
world.
There is so much more that we could learn about ourselves as well as draw inspiration ofartists from the past.
But for now, please go ahead.
(13:36):
You'll want to definitely check the show notes this time around because we've listed somereally wonderful links for you where you'll be able to watch a documentary about Festac.
You'll be able to see images that Mr.
Roy Lewis took.
for Ebony Magazine, as well as some other treats that we've listed in the show notes foryou.
(13:59):
So you'll definitely wanna check it out.
Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of This is How We Create.
Let's all put it out there in the world, in the atmosphere, in the ether, in the universethat we want a Festac, another Festac, another World Black Fair.
(14:23):
Wouldn't that be something for us to attend during our lifetime?
That's it for now.
Thank you for listening to This is How We Create.
there.
I have a quick favor to ask you before you go.
If you're loving this show, would you mind taking a quick second to leave us a five starreview on your favorite go to podcast app?
(14:50):
Here's the thing.
Those reviews are like magic fairy dust.
They help other creators of color discover our show and tap into their own artisticsuperpowers.
While you're at it, why not subscribe to our sub-stack, newsletter, Creative Matters?
Creative Matters is like a weekly dose of inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.
(15:15):
You can find the link to subscribe in the show notes.
All right, that's all that I have for you today.
I can't wait to see you on the next episode.
Bye.
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