The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) has signed a partnership with the Swiss National Film Archive (Cinémathèque Suisse) to preserve and digitise Africa’s audiovisual heritage. The agreement, signed in Lagos, aims to safeguard valuable cultural records while strengthening collaboration in research, training and archival preservation.
The three-year renewable Memorandum of Understanding will support digitisation of CBAAC’s film and archival collections, staff exchanges, joint workshops and research, as Nigeria prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of FESTAC ’77 in 2027. The signing was witnessed by the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, alongside Swiss and Nigerian officials.
CBAAC Director-General, Aisha Augie, described the partnership as a major step in preserving Africa’s cultural legacy, saying it would help protect priceless historical collections and make them more accessible to future generations. Swiss National Film Archive Director, Prof. Vinzenz Hediger, also emphasised that preserving cultural heritage requires strong international partnerships.
The Swiss delegation later toured CBAAC’s museum and FESTAC ’77 archival collections, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to using cultural diplomacy and institutional collaboration to strengthen ties between Nigeria and Switzerland while preserving Africa’s rich artistic heritage.
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