In 1977, 16,000 participants from 56 African nations and countries joined forces to celebrate African culture in a month-long fete that began on 15th January and ended on 12th February in Lagos, Nigeria. Among them was Kenya. The festival was called the World Black and African Festival of Arts or FESTAC.  

The festival was the brainchild of former President Leopold Senghor of Senegal as a tribute to Pan-African ideals. The first ever event was held in Dakar, Senegal in 1966 and was referred to as FESMAN (Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres). FESTAC was several years in the making, with its preparation stretching back to the 1960s. 

 

Two sets of stamps 

FESTAC was initially set to take place in 1975. To commemorate the event, the East African Community jointly released four postage stamps that showcased different cultural aspects from Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika. Unfortunately, political instability that followed the Nigerian civil war (1967 – 1970) led to multiple postponements of the festival. FESTAC was eventually rescheduled for 1977, and since the EAC had collapsed by this time, a second set of stamps was issued by the independent nations of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. 

 

The Kenyan stamps  

One of the Kenyan stamps issued captures a traditional Maasai manyatta made of mud and cow dung. It cost 50 cents and boasted members of the Maasai community draped exquisitely in the rich, bright red that signifies courage, bravery, strength, and the unity brought by a fresh slaughter of livestock.  

Another stamp was titled ‘Early man and Technology-East Africa’, cost 3 Kenyan shillings and honoured the discovery of the Hippo and Artefact Site. In Koobi Fora, Northern Kenya, near what is now the eastern shore of Lake Turkana, the remnants of a hippo carcass and the tools that early hominids likely used to scavenge it were uncovered. 

 

Kenya’s drama about drama 

The play ‘Betrayal in the City’ by Francis Imbuga was one of Kenya’s national entries to FESTAC 77’. The play was an incisive piece that captured feelings of uneasiness about life after independence. Kenya also entered the play ‘The Trial of Dedan Kimathi’ by Micere Githae Mugo and ‎Ngũgĩ wa Thiongʼo. The play was written to appreciate Dedan Kimathi as a hero and to combat the silence about his role in pushing for independence. 

The playwrights wanted to showcase the two plays during the 1977 festival as well as in Kenya’s very own National Theatre to allow for Kenyans to watch the two plays. They even insisted on performing both plays in Kenya prior to performing them at FESTAC. However, the European leadership at the theatre pushed back, arguing for European plays to be showcased instead.  

After a struggle and press outcry, both plays were shown at the Kenya National Theatre for four nights each between 20 – 30th October 1976. They proved to be great successes both in Kenya as well as in Nigeria, and venues were packed with people from all walks of life.  

FESTAC remains a beacon of the diversity in African cultures and was the perfect place for a burgeoning independent Kenya to show its vibrancy. 

When is the last time you attended a festival? And did you ever come across these stamps?