The National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) has launched its Emancipation Lecture and Exhibition with a focus on knowledge, culture and community development.
This year’s programme was presented as both a moment of reflection and a call to continued learning.
The lecture, themed “Knowledge is Power”, was paired with the launch of an exhibition titled “Cultural Reassertion: Reconnecting with Self”.
Delivering the feature lecture on Thursday, Chairman of the NALIS Board Dr David Muhammad said the aim was to build appreciation for and knowledge of Africa, particularly among young people.
“Africa is the cradle of civilisation and the birthplace of humanity. The first human beings on earth lived in Africa, where the so-called Garden of Eden is, where many of the scholars say. Africa is the first place on planet Earth where human beings existed and was responsible for giving us science, mathematics, art, philosophy, and culture to the rest of mankind.”
A performance by renowned poet and cultural elder Eintou Pearl Springer drew on images of survival, culture and continuity, while the lecture returned repeatedly to the importance of knowledge as a foundation for confidence and action.
“What we’re going to do with this freedom? What we going to do now it come? And let mine sow unfettered, claiming what is every man’s. And let thoughts swirl, eddying creating, reaching for clouds. It is a season to build new families, new links, forge chains of love.”
Dr Mohammed also pointed to the role of history in shaping how communities understand themselves, quoting Marcus Garvey as part of his closing argument.
“Marcus Garvey asked a painful question: Are we a race of beggars? He said a people without the knowledge of their history is like a tree without roots, but a people who do not properly document their history run the risk of having it rewritten in the best interest of the one who’s doing the rewriting.”
Dr Mohammed linked Emancipation to entrepreneurship, land, education and the need for practical structures that can support young people and local communities.
“But our children, we cannot afford for them to think like that. They have to think liberation all the way. They have to think about land ownership, business entrepreneurship, mastery of modern technology.”
For NALIS, the lecture and exhibition placed the library at the centre of that conversation, as a place where records are kept, culture is shared and the public is invited to learn. As Emancipation Day approaches, the event’s message was one of reflection, cultural confidence and the continuing work of building stronger communities.