Speeches

Annual Badagry Cultural Festival

Sep 11, 2008 - I am indeed greatly delighted to be here today as the Chief Guest of Honour at this year’s edition of the annual Badagry cultural festival. This event is a very significant one on the social calendar of Lagos State and I must congratulate the people of Badagry for showing the way towards the much desired cultural renaissance of Lagos State and indeed Nigeria as a whole. Culture is very critical to the healthy development of any society. It has been rightly defined as the totality of the way of life of a given people encompassing their religious beliefs, social institutions, political structures, moral values, intellectual exertions and historical myths including their arts and sciences. Culture manifests in the festivals, customs, folk lore, proverbs, sculpture, social ceremonies, traditional medicine, architecture, music, rituals, food and eating habits, dressing and modes of worship that define a community.

Culture provides the psychological anchor that stabilizes any society; it is the link between a community’s past and the present which imbues the people with the requisite faith and confidence to face the future. Of course, culture is never static. It evolves with time as a society faces new circumstances, confronts fresh obstacles and attains new levels of development. The challenge for any people is to successfully retain the best in their inherited traditions while making necessary changes to adjust to new realities.

Our traditional cultures in Africa have inevitably been influenced by contact with the outside world just as African cultures too have impacted other parts of the world. For instance, Islam, Christianity and western education have had profound influences on contemporary African cultures. In the same vein, modern western music, literature and art forms, for example, manifest strong African influences. This kind of cultural exchange and cross fertilization is only normal in a vast world transformed into a global neighborhood by the forces of science and technology.

However, what any society must guard against is to lose the essence of its peculiar cultural identity and to become defined in terms of received cultures that are then perceived as superior to indigenous cultures. Unfortunately, this was the unfortunate experience of Africa with the onset of colonialism. Indigenous cultures were denigrated as inferior, even uncivilized, as the invading colonialists claimed to be on a ‘civilizing mission’ with the aggressive inculcation of foreign modes of thought, speech, worship and life style.

Thus, indigenous African languages and thought systems were subordinated to those of the colonial power. The consequence was the loss of self confidence and self esteem by the colonized people who now saw themselves as inferior specie of humanity. This lack of confidence in our authenticity as a people and our capacity to understand and subdue our environment is without doubt a key factor responsible for the persistence of underdevelopment in Africa and our continued second fiddle role in the world.

Against this background, it is obvious that a cultural re-awakening that will engender a new sense of national pride, confidence and self esteem in Africans is a necessary condition for the envisaged African Renaissance. This will mean re-discovering and projecting to the world those aspects of our rich cultural heritage which demonstrate clearly that our people had the innate capacity to think and respond creatively to their environment resulting in a civilization that was as wholesome and admirable as any other. If our ancestors could build viable social, cultural and political institutions to cope with the challenges of their time, it stands to reason that we also have the capacity to confront and overcome the challenges of underdevelopment in our time. It is this kind of confidence in our innate ability as a people to rise up to our historic responsibilities that a cultural re-awakening can instill in us.

I believe that we have a lot to learn from the Chinese experience, for example, in terms of the critical role of cultural autonomy in achieving rapid socio-economic and technological advancement. We all witnessed the spectacular success of this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. The successful hosting of what is widely described as the most fascinating Games in the history of the Olympics was a reflection not just of the economic strength of China but also her mastery of modern science and technology. But the Beijing Olympics equally revealed that China’s amazing modernization is anchored on a foundation of strong attachment to her indigenous culture, history and traditions.

The same thing is true of India, which today manufactures aircraft, explores outer space, and is a force to reckon with in modern science and technology. Yet, Indian society is deeply rooted in her rich and variegated history, language and culture. The point is very forcefully made in the following perceptive observation of Dr. Khalil Timamy:

“Korea has absorbed American and British technologies in the Korean national language. Japan has assimilated French and American technologies in the Japanese nationalistic medium. The Chinese have acquired French technologies in their own language. By paying due attention to other key variables as well, the cultural factor has added considerably to the success of the technology acquisition process.”

When we emphasize the importance of culture in development, therefore, we do not mean that we should seek to revel in the glories of the past for the sake of it. Rather, we should draw on and celebrate the best in our heritage to motivate us with confidence to face current challenges and build a better future. This is exactly what the African Renaissance Foundation (AREFO) is seeking to achieve through this initiative and I commend your resourcefulness and patriotism. The objectives of AREFO, which include the resuscitation and preservation of African socio-cultural values and heritage, clearly complement the vision of our Administration and we will support the work of the foundation in any way possible.

The rich historical and cultural heritage of Badagry is a great treasure to Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole. It is our determination not only to preserve this invaluable heritage for generations unborn but to also convert this resource into a source of prosperity that will transform the entire Badagry corridor to a regional economic force in Africa. Towards this end, the Ministry of Tourism and Inter-governmental Relations is currently working towards the rehabilitation and upgrading of all historic and traditional heritage sites in Badagry to enhance their tourism and revenue-earning potentials. In the same vein, we are committed to the expansion and modernization of infrastructure in the zone as part of a systematic plan to actualize the immense tourism potentials of Badagry. For instance, we have awarded the design contract for the transformation of the Badagry Express way into a ten-lane international high way complete with Bus Rapid Transit and Light Rail mass transit routes among other modern facilities.

Again, one of our major Public-Private-Partnership projects, the Lagos Energy City, will also be located in Badagry. This is a $1.5 billion project that will serve as an integrated energy, convention and tourism complex. We have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of a Lagos Film City in Badagry, which we also serve as a centre for recreation, shopping and international conferences. Business agreements have equally been finalized for the establishment of local motor vehicle assembly plants in Badagry and Epe, which will generate jobs and stimulate the economy through the manufacture of high capacity buses and spare parts.

I can assure you that the future prosperity of Badagry is guaranteed. I only urge you all to be patient and law abiding as you watch our dreams for this historic community translated into reality before your very eyes. On this note I congratulate the organizers of this cultural festival once again and wish you all a very enjoyable and fulfilling experience.

Thank you for listening.

Eko O Ni Baje O!

BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA (SAN)
GOVERNOR, LAGOS STATE