One of the most significant events in Nigerian music history was the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, known as Festac ’77, held in Lagos from January 15 to February 12, 1977.
Festac brought together more than 16,000 artists, performers, and intellectuals from 55 nations across Africa and the African diaspora. Featuring approximately 50 plays, 150 concerts, 80 film screenings, 40 art exhibitions, and around 200 poetry performances, the event served as a platform for post-independence African nations to showcase their cultural output and engage in dialogue about shared heritage.
The environment of 1970s Lagos supported such gatherings. Paul McCartney and Wings recorded the majority of their 1973 album Band on the Run at EMI’s studio in Lagos, with McCartney selecting the city after requesting a list of all EMI’s international recording facilities and being drawn to the idea of recording in Africa.
Stevie Wonder was among the performers at Festac ’77, appearing alongside Miriam Makeba, Gilberto Gil from Brazil, the Mighty Sparrow from Trinidad, and Nigerian artists including King Sunny Ade and Chief Ebenezer Obey. Wonder’s headline performance was later described by The Guardian as the set that consolidated his affinity with the African continent. Wonder and other international stars were also regularly present at Fela Kuti’s Afrika Shrine throughout the festival where the atmosphere attracted delegates from the event’s official proceedings into an environment shaped by highlife, juju, and Afrobeat.
Wonder’s connection to Lagos extended beyond the festival stage. A week after Festac’s closing ceremony, he remained in Nigeria and chose to accept his awards at the 19th Annual Grammy Awards via satellite link from the National Theatre in Lagos — an unprecedented move at the time. He won four awards that night, including Album of the Year for Songs in the Key of Life, though the satellite transmission suffered technical difficulties, prompting host Andy Williams to ask from the Hollywood Palladium: “Stevie, can you see us?”
Festac ’77 represented a moment when Nigeria hosted a major international cultural event and participated as an active contributor to global Black cultural discourse — a gathering significant enough that one of the world’s biggest artists chose to remain in Lagos rather than leave for his own night of triumph.
Citations & Reference links
“Festac ’77 – Lagos Festival.” UNESCO Multimedia Archives, 1977
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