Second Black Heritage Festival Holds in Lagos

The Second Black Heritage Festival will hold in Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria from 23rd August to 1st Septemebr, 2002. The program of activities released by the Lagos State Waterfront and Tourism Development Corporation, the State agency organizing the festival, include among other events, a UNESCO-sponsored colloquium, cultural processions, guided tour of historic sites and monuments, courtesy visits on traditional rulers, an economic forum and a gala night.

Nigeria Airways is the designated official airline for the festival. The airline offers concessional fares to delegates for the festival on its flights from New York to Lagos and return on Tuesday, August 20 and Saturday, August 24, 2002. In addition, arrangements have been concluded for hotel reservations in four hotels in the Lagos area. These are Eko Le Meridien, Victoria Island; Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island; Whispering Palms, Badagry; and Eko Tourist Beach Resort, Akodo. Nigerian Missions abroad are prepared to assist delegates in procuring appropriate traveling visas.

The maiden edition of the festival which was held in Badagry from the 24th to 31st May, 2001 was a resounding success. Several delegates from the United States of America including African-American Majors attended last year's event. The festival is put together annually by the Lagos State government as its contribution towards supporting the Slave Route Projects of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). The major objective of the festival is to provide a formidable platform for blacks in diaspora to realize their burning desires and yearnings to re-unite with their lost heritage.

Interested participants should please contact the underlisted persons/companies:

(i)Michelle D. Kourouma
Executive Secretary
National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc.
1151 Cleveland Avenue, Building
East Point, GA 30344
Tel: (404)765-6444, e-mail: mokourouma@aol.com

(ii)Chief Willie Houston
President
United Federation of African American, Inc.
215 Fair View Boulevard
Hempstead, New York 11550
Tel: (516)572-0730

(iii)Marlene E. Melton
President
African Ventures, Inc.
50 West 97th Street, Suite 10-V
New York, New York 10025
Tel: (212)280-4374, e-mail: africavent@aol.com

(iv)Godwin Illoh
1625 Reunion Place
Atlanta, GA 30331
USA
Tel: (404)505-0563

(v)Kunmi A. Fakeye
President
Travel Tron International
8701 Georgia Avenue, Suite 502
Silver Spring, Md. 20910
Tel: (301)589-3346

(vi)Babatunde Arthur Williams
CEO, Skylink Tours & Travel of ATL
5300 Memorial Drive, Suite 224-A
Stone Mountain, GA 30083
Tel: (404)296-7761

Bolaji Adebiyi
Nigeria Information Service Centre
July 18, 2002