It’s that time of year again when the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park earns its name again as it becomes the gathering place for the African Arts Festival in St. Louis
The 19th Annual African Arts Festival will take place May 29-31 in the park, with a kickoff celebration at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 28 in the Grigg Gallery at the Saint Louis Art Museum. This event will feature Balla Kouyaté, legendary griot and balafon player from Mali, West Africa.
Daily mainstage performances in the park pavilion will feature dozens of local artists, such as Sunshine and the East St. Louis Community Dance Ensemble African Drum and Dance, plus international guests, including Morikeba Kouyate, griot and master kora musician from Senegal, West Africa.
The fair’s Children’s Village hosts activities and games that will offer children experiential learning opportunities about the continent of Africa, such as Jackie and Glenn “Papa” Wright performing African folktales with puppets.
Visual arts and crafts will be amply represented. Decorated local artist Cbabi Bayoc will teach painting with markers on a mini-canvas, Sistah Is’Mima Nebt’Kata will teach how to imprint tribal patterns onto soft metals, and Fannta Drummer will teach how to fashion a personal enlightenment or mood box, among many other presentations.
There also will be many, varied cultural demonstrations, such as Kelly Weeden presenting on Natural Hair Care and Products and Tebogo Suhultz demonstrating Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art form that mixes martial art, dance and music – not to mention the popular African marketplace.
The festival will conclude with a performance by the Umdabu Dance Company. The company, under the direction of South African choreographer and drummer, Johannes “Jomo” Xulu, is dedicated to the preservation of history and culture of the Zulu people.
In addition to these festivities, the festival’s cultural partners will host events at their respective locations. The St. Louis Public Library will offer an African Film Festival at the Schafly Branch Library, including a lecture by filmmaker Niyi Coker, a Nigerian who teaches at UMSL and makes his home in St. Louis. The Muny also will host an “African Movie Night” with a screening of Abouna, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun of Chad. The Saint Louis Zoo will feature presentations on its resident animals from Africa
With this year’s theme being “Learning from the Past – Living for a Healthy Future,” the festival will feature an expanded Health Village this year, where community members can receive free screenings and information from local health organizations.
Featured health speakers include Jannis Evans on African Americans and HIV/AIDS, Afua Bromley on acupuncture, Dr. Jamila Owen-Todd on heart health and registered nurse Caroline Moore on diabetes.
“The mission of AAF is to expose people of all ages to the richness of African culture and its impact on Western culture,” said Cynthia Cosby, AAF founder. “We achieve this mission through educational and entertainment activities in an African village atmosphere.”
All festival events held at the World’s Fair Pavilion Saturday through Monday are free and open to the public. Festival hours are Saturday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Monday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information and a schedule or to volunteer, call 314-935-9676 or visit www.STLAfricanArtsFest.org.
