Panel Abstract: Festival as a Social Act of Preservation of Memories in African Society

Abstract (English)

This panel discusses the key role festivals play in African cultures as social arts that actively preserve and transmit cultural memories. The panel argues that festivals are not only celebratory events but also potent sites where intangible and tangible heritage intersect to produce collective identity and historical consciousness. The panel will explore how festivals function as living archives, and performing shared histories, values and traditions across generations. This project seeks to understand the intricate dynamics of performance, rituals, and community involvement in the shaping and preservation of cultural memory in Africa. The panel is designed to investigate the diverse mechanism by which festivals work to preserve memories. First, it investigates the performative dimensions of festivals, basically investigating how various forms of music, dance, storytelling, and other modes of artistic expression functionals mnemonic devices, and encode and convey historical narratives. Second, the panel will explore the ritual aspects of festivals and investigate how recurring ceremonies and symbolic collections memory and promote social cohesion. Third, it will address the intergenerational transmission of knowledge about values essential to authentic participation in festivals and emphasize the key role played by community leaders and elderly individuals in securing cultural continuity. As a qualitative study, the research will utilize a single this is of ethnographic and anthropological methodologies to achieve a deep level of understanding regarding the phenomenon of study. To facilitate this aim, the study will embrace various data collection methods, including art-based research, interviews, archival data, and participant observations, among others. The proposed panel unites a set of case studies in various regions of the African continent with a focus on the pluralistic roles and functions of festivals in disregarding of cultural memory. It aims to address significant questions like: how do festivals brokered the conflict between tradition and modernity in building memory? How do festivals address traumatic experiences in history and societal changes? How do minority communities employ festivals in reclaiming and insisting on their cultural identities? By exploring these questions, the panel enhances knowledge of the multifaceted interconnectedness of festivals, memory, and heritage in African societies, thereby providing important insights for academics, policymakers, and cultural practitioners.