--- title: "FESTAC 1977 — AP African American Studies Definition" description: "FESTAC, the 1977 Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture, made Queen Idia's ivory mask a diaspora-wide symbol of Black women's leadership in AP Topic 1.10." canonical: "https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture" type: "key-term" subject: "AP African American Studies" unit: "Unit 1" --- # FESTAC 1977 — AP African American Studies Definition ## Definition FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture) was a 1977 festival celebrating African and African diaspora artistic and cultural achievement; its adoption of an ivory mask of Queen Idia of Benin as its official symbol made her an iconic image of Black women's leadership across the diaspora. ## What It Is [FESTAC](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/10-kinship-and-political-leadership/study-guide/I9sMNWD3zKVtGvyH "fv-autolink") stands for the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture, held in Lagos, [Nigeria](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-2/2-departure-zones-in-africa-and-slave-trade-to-us/study-guide/C2lXx0P1kmhxmSKH "fv-autolink") in 1977. It brought together artists, musicians, writers, and performers from across Africa and the African diaspora to celebrate Black artistic and cultural achievement on a global stage. For the AP exam, FESTAC matters because of one specific choice. Festival organizers adopted a sixteenth-century ivory mask of [Queen Idia](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/queen-idia "fv-autolink"), the first iyoba (queen mother) of the Kingdom of Benin, as the festival's official symbol. That decision took a precolonial African artifact and turned it into a modern, diaspora-wide emblem of Black women's leadership. In other words, FESTAC is the moment Queen Idia's legacy jumped from West African history into the shared visual culture of Black people worldwide. ## Why It Matters FESTAC lives in [Unit 1](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1 "fv-autolink") (Origins of the African Diaspora), Topic 1.10 (Kinship and Political Leadership). It directly supports learning objective 1.10.C, which asks you to describe the legacy of Queen Idia and [Queen Njinga](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/queen-njinga "fv-autolink"). EK 1.10.C.1 spells it out: Queen Idia became an iconic symbol of Black women's leadership throughout the African diaspora in 1977, when her ivory mask became FESTAC's symbol. FESTAC is also your first clear example of a big course-wide pattern, where people in the diaspora reach back to precolonial African history to build identity, pride, and political meaning in the present. Unit 1 isn't just ancient history in this course. FESTAC proves it stays alive. ## Connections ### [Queen Idia (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/queen-idia) FESTAC is the reason Queen Idia is in the CED's legacy objective. She was a fifteenth-century iyoba who advised her son the king and led armies, but the 1977 festival is what made her face a symbol recognized across the entire diaspora. ### [Kingdom of Benin (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/kingdom-of-benin) The [ivory](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/9-west-central-africa-the-kingdom-of-kongo/study-guide/MWNM3XdtRoOyDtsb "fv-autolink") mask was a product of Benin's royal court artistry. FESTAC's choice put Benin's precolonial political and artistic sophistication on display for a global twentieth-century audience. ### [Queen Njinga (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/queen-njinga) The exam pairs Idia and Njinga as legacy examples under LO 1.10.C. Idia's legacy traveled through a symbol (the FESTAC mask), while Njinga's traveled through political precedent, inspiring nearly 100 more years of women rulers in Matamba. ### [Queen mothers (Unit 1)](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/queen-mothers) [The mask](/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/the-mask "fv-autolink") honors Idia in her role as the first iyoba, or queen mother, of Benin. FESTAC celebrated not just one woman but the whole institution of women holding real political power in West African societies (EK 1.10.A.2). ## On the AP Exam FESTAC shows up almost entirely as a multiple-choice concept tied to Queen Idia's legacy. Typical stems ask whose ivory mask was adopted as FESTAC's symbol in 1977, why a Benin cultural institution would choose that artifact, or what the mask's features (like the Portuguese faces and warrior imagery carved into it) reveal about Benin's history of trade and military power. The move you need to make is connecting the artifact to its meaning. Don't just memorize the date. Be ready to explain that choosing Idia's mask was a deliberate statement linking modern diaspora identity to precolonial African women's leadership. No released FRQ has used FESTAC verbatim, but it's a ready-made piece of evidence for any short-answer or essay prompt about the legacy of African kingdoms or representations of Black women's leadership. ## FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture) vs Queen Idia's ivory mask They're tied together but they're not the same thing, and MCQ stems test the difference. The ivory mask is a sixteenth-century artifact made in the Kingdom of Benin to honor Idia as iyoba. FESTAC is the 1977 festival that adopted that mask as its symbol. The mask is the object; FESTAC is the event that gave the object its modern, diaspora-wide meaning. ## Key Takeaways - FESTAC, the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture, was held in 1977 and celebrated the artistic and cultural achievements of Africa and the African diaspora. - FESTAC adopted a sixteenth-century ivory mask of Queen Idia of Benin as its official symbol, making her an iconic representation of Black women's leadership throughout the diaspora (EK 1.10.C.1). - Queen Idia was the first iyoba, or queen mother, of the Kingdom of Benin, serving as political advisor to her son the king and leading armies into battle. - FESTAC is the course's first big example of the diaspora reaching back to precolonial African history to build modern Black identity and pride. - On the exam, be ready to explain why organizers chose the mask, not just identify it, since questions ask about the purpose and meaning behind the choice. ## FAQs ### What was FESTAC in 1977? FESTAC was the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture, a 1977 festival in Lagos, Nigeria celebrating African and African diaspora artistic and cultural achievement. It's in [AP African American Studies](/ap-african-american-studies "fv-autolink") because it adopted an ivory mask of Queen Idia as its symbol. ### Why was Queen Idia's mask chosen as the FESTAC symbol? Organizers chose the mask to connect a modern celebration of Black culture to precolonial African leadership. Idia was the first iyoba (queen mother) of Benin in the late fifteenth century, so her face symbolized Black women's political power and the artistic achievement of African kingdoms. ### Was FESTAC the first Black world arts festival? No, the name tells you. FESTAC was the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture; the first was held in Dakar, Senegal in 1966. The 1977 festival is the one the CED cares about because of the Queen Idia mask. ### How is FESTAC different from Queen Idia's ivory mask? The mask is a sixteenth-century artifact from the Kingdom of Benin honoring Idia as queen mother. FESTAC is the 1977 festival that adopted the mask as its symbol. The exam tests whether you can connect the old artifact to its new diaspora-wide meaning. ### Is FESTAC on the AP African American Studies exam? Yes. It appears in Topic 1.10 under learning objective 1.10.C, which covers Queen Idia's and Queen Njinga's legacies. Expect multiple-choice questions asking whose mask was adopted in 1977 and why that choice mattered. ## Related Study Guides - [1.10 Kinship and Political Leadership](/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1/10-kinship-and-political-leadership/study-guide/I9sMNWD3zKVtGvyH) ## Structured Data ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"LearningResource","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture#resource","name":"FESTAC 1977 — AP African American Studies Definition","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture","learningResourceType":"Concept explainer","educationalLevel":"AP® / High School","about":{"@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture#term"},"audience":{"@type":"EducationalAudience","educationalRole":"student"},"dateModified":"2026-06-11T20:45:16.433Z","isPartOf":{"@type":"Collection","name":"AP African American Studies Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Fiveable","url":"https://fiveable.me"}},{"@type":"DefinedTerm","@id":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture#term","name":"FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture)","description":"FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture) was a 1977 festival celebrating African and African diaspora artistic and cultural achievement; its adoption of an ivory mask of Queen Idia of Benin as its official symbol made her an iconic image of Black women's leadership across the diaspora.","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms/festac-second-world-black-festival-of-arts-and-culture","inDefinedTermSet":{"@type":"DefinedTermSet","name":"AP African American Studies Key Terms","url":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms"}},{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What was FESTAC in 1977?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"FESTAC was the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture, a 1977 festival in Lagos, Nigeria celebrating African and African diaspora artistic and cultural achievement. It's in [AP African American Studies](/ap-african-american-studies \"fv-autolink\") because it adopted an ivory mask of Queen Idia as its symbol."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why was Queen Idia's mask chosen as the FESTAC symbol?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Organizers chose the mask to connect a modern celebration of Black culture to precolonial African leadership. Idia was the first iyoba (queen mother) of Benin in the late fifteenth century, so her face symbolized Black women's political power and the artistic achievement of African kingdoms."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Was FESTAC the first Black world arts festival?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"No, the name tells you. FESTAC was the Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture; the first was held in Dakar, Senegal in 1966. The 1977 festival is the one the CED cares about because of the Queen Idia mask."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How is FESTAC different from Queen Idia's ivory mask?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The mask is a sixteenth-century artifact from the Kingdom of Benin honoring Idia as queen mother. FESTAC is the 1977 festival that adopted the mask as its symbol. The exam tests whether you can connect the old artifact to its new diaspora-wide meaning."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is FESTAC on the AP African American Studies exam?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. It appears in Topic 1.10 under learning objective 1.10.C, which covers Queen Idia's and Queen Njinga's legacies. Expect multiple-choice questions asking whose mask was adopted in 1977 and why that choice mattered."}}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"AP African American Studies","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Key Terms","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/key-terms"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Unit 1","item":"https://fiveable.me/ap-african-american-studies/unit-1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"FESTAC (Second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture)"}]}]} ```