FESTAC FRIDAY
- Avery Brown Renfro
- 7 days ago
- 1 min read
FESTAC FRIDAY
My grandfather, Professor Leon Renfro, was a participant in FESTAC ’77, and through Brown Renfro, we want to dig deeper into this incredible cultural moment that helped shape Black art, identity, creativity, and global connection.
So… what exactly was FESTAC ’77?
FESTAC ’77 was the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. It brought together thousands of artists, musicians, scholars, writers, dancers, and visionaries from across Africa, the United States, the Caribbean, South America, and the global Black diaspora.
WHY IT MATTERED:
FESTAC was bigger than an event. It was a global cultural gathering that celebrated Black excellence, African heritage, creativity, scholarship, and unity at an international level. It created space for Black artists and thinkers to exchange ideas, honor tradition, and imagine the future together.
WHY IT STILL MATTERS:
The conversations from FESTAC are still alive today. Identity. Art. Diaspora. Ownership. Representation. Legacy. Community. Culture.
FESTAC reminds us that Black art and Black culture are not isolated stories. They are connected stories across generations and across the world.
Every Friday, we’ll explore the people, the history, the art, the movement, and the lasting impact of FESTAC ’77 through the lens of Brown Renfro: The Professor. The Student. The Curator.
Because this legacy still matters.
We don’t just hang the art. We carry it on.
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