FESTAC 77 Relived as ‘Afro and The Beats ‘ Broadcasts to 55 Countries

Mary Nnah  

Afro and The Beats Music and Arts Festival took festival goers back down memory lane with some great performances that unlocked the nostalgic memories and experiences of FESTAC ‘77 at its 2022 festival on December 23, 2022 at Agege Stadium in Lagos.

Living up to its billing of the most talked about event during yuletide, the festival opened with the Dance Na De Main Thing’s performance, which was characterised by the features of FESTAC 77 choreographies. The performance by the foremost dance group in Africa, left several people breathless. 

The performance heralded the unveiling of the tech-aided remodeled Benin Ivory Mask, a piece of art that was the symbol of FESTAC 77. Benin Ivory is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivory of Idia, the first Iyoba of the 16th century Benin Empire.

According to the organisers “The adaptation of Benin bronze, an iconic asset, is to further drive the authenticity of the brand in telling the African story of yesterday, today and tomorrow.”

The Music and Arts Festival recorded another feat by becoming the most widely covered TV event during the yuletide with SoundCity TV broadcasting the footage of the festival to over 55 African countries on boxing day for two hours and HIPTV provided live coverage of the event to viewers at home on its DStv platform.

Some A-List Afrobeats artistes who gave their stellar performances at the inaugural edition of the festival include the rave-making musician- Portable, Agege-born afro singer superstar- Small Doctors, BNXN (Buju), African Michael Jackson- Obesere, Candy Bleaks, DJ Big N and the host, MC Bash the Cash.

Obesere and his band put up superlative performances that partygoers had not seen in a long time. Festival Goers enjoyed the performance that lasted for 1 hour 30 minutes as they danced sensationally to the beats and tunes of Obesere. 

Furthermore, the festival came alive as BNXN (Buju) mounted the stage and started with the rendition of his popular singles. The festival crowd went wild when he sang ‘Outside’ among other hot singles. As the festival crowd continued to cheer, the Agege – born superstar, Small Doctor surfaced from backstage to the excitement and jubilation of his fans.

Small Doctor took off from where BNXN let off as the festival crowd chanted Afro and The Beats.

Candy Bleakz, the only female artiste to perform at the 2022 festival dished out lovely tunes to the admiration of festivalgoers The introduction of Portable sent the crowd wild in excitement. The street artistes took his craft to the next level when he settled his rift with Small Doctor on the stage.

Speaking about the possibility of hosting the festival soon, the curator of the festival, Dr. Felix King stated that Afro And The Beats Music & Arts festival will be hosted twice in a year. “It will be hosted every Christmas and Easter festive holiday,” he assured.

Brands that have partnered with the festival are Desperado, Zagg energy drink, Goldberg and Ace bitters. The festival is supported by Peak Yoghurt and Nestle Water while media partners include DStv, GOtv, SoundCity, ONTV, HipTV and LASAA. 

Afro And The Beats Music & Arts Festival is the creation of Oracle Experience, the largest experience company in Africa.