The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) has signed a landmark partnership with the Cinémathèque Suisse (Swiss National Film Archive) to preserve and digitise Africa’s audiovisual heritage, including the historic archives of FESTAC ’77.
The agreement was signed at CBAAC headquarters in Lagos by the organisation’s Director-General, Aisha Augie, and the Director of the Cinémathèque Suisse, Prof. Vinzenz Hediger.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Augie said the partnership, signed during the official visit of Switzerland’s Federal Councillor and Minister of Culture and Interior, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, would help safeguard Africa’s invaluable cultural memories for future generations.
Formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), the three-year renewable agreement is aimed at strengthening professional training, research, staff exchanges and technical collaboration in audiovisual preservation as Nigeria prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ’77) in 2027.
The partnership will also deepen collaboration in conservation, digitisation, archival research, training and knowledge exchange, while expanding global access to Africa’s rich cultural heritage.
Nigeria’s Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, alongside senior officials from Nigeria and Switzerland, witnessed the signing ceremony.
Speaking at the event, Augie described the agreement as a major milestone in CBAAC’s ongoing digitisation efforts and preparations for the Golden Jubilee of FESTAC ’77.
“This partnership represents an important investment in preserving one of Africa’s most cherished memories.
“By combining our strengths, we are creating new opportunities to safeguard invaluable cultural collections, build professional capacity and ensure that the legacy of FESTAC ’77 and other important archival resources remain accessible to future generations,” she said.
Also speaking, Prof. Hediger said the collaboration underscored the importance of international partnerships in protecting cultural heritage.
According to him, preserving heritage is a shared global responsibility.
“We are honoured to work alongside CBAAC in developing sustainable preservation practices while strengthening professional exchange and contributing to the long-term protection of one of Africa’s most significant cultural collections,” he said.
Under the agreement, both institutions will work together to develop digitisation workflows for CBAAC’s film, video and non-film collections, while promoting joint workshops, collaborative research, training fellowships and efforts to attract international support for heritage preservation.
The Swiss delegation included the country’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Patrick Egloff, and the Consul General of Switzerland in Lagos, Conny Camenzind.
During the visit, the delegation toured CBAAC’s museum and archival collections, including rare materials from the historic FESTAC ’77.
According to the statement, discussions during the visit highlighted the growing role of cultural diplomacy, archival preservation and institutional partnerships in strengthening relations between Nigeria and Switzerland.
Source:NAN
