The Executive Secretary of the International Centre for Research and Documentation on African Traditions and Languages (CERDOTOLA), Professor Charles Binam Bikoi, has expressed the Centre’s commitment to realising the African Union’s declaration of the year, 2021.

Prof. Bikoi made this expression in an exclusive chat with CEOAFRICA on Thursday.

In a bid to promote cultural awareness and acceptance of African traditions, the African Union has tagged 2021 as year of “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for building the Africa we want”.

According to the AU, this year’s theme is in line with the overall objective of the organisation as contained in aspiration five of its Agenda 2063.

CERDOTOLA Executive Secretary disclosed that as a research center whose mandates, among others include: “to facilitate the execution of scientific research tasks in the field of oral traditions and the development of African languages; encourage research on oral traditions and the development of African languages ​​by organizing competitions and awarding prizes in order to foster healthy competition between researchers and men of culture, and to ensure the marking of the cultural presence of the African continent in the world,”  has adjusted to the AU declaration for the year and is doing its best to ensure that the AU’s goals of cultural resurgence are achieved.

“We have seen that the African Union is focusing on cultural renaissance. As an institution we feel like a project was directly handed over to us by the principal body. As a research centre that is based on looking into the dynamics of the collective African culture, we embrace this year’s theme as ours. With this we are geared towards ensuring that our cultures are protected and preserved,” he expressed.

He added that “Arts give expression to culture and at the same time preserve it.

“Art is a powerful tool for cultural preservation. Arts consist of things like storytelling, drama, music and dance. It is through means like these that our forefathers were able to do transference of their beliefs and traditions to us.”

The erudite Professor further explained that the culture of a people is encapsulated in and transmitted through shared expressions, adding that this has informed the decision of CERDOTOLA to organise and create platforms for art and cultural celebrations.

“To achieve a rebirth of African culture in the midst of this westernized society, we’d have to be very deliberate and aggressive about it.

“We have to orchestrate purposeful intermingling of our cultures. So in the next couple of months, we will be coming up with activities that will create a platform for this.

 “As an institute, we have a lot of literature on African culture and tradition so we will be making them available,” Bokoi made known to CEOAFRICA.

The Centre opined that by the year 2063, Africa would have its culture and tradition rekindled in remarkable ways.