Celebrate Africa!
Celebrate Africa Festival Rewind - A Kwanzaa Commemoration
Travel to Africa from the comfort of your couch and learn about Kwanzaa! The Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County invites you its virtual encore presentation of the third annual Celebrate Africa Festival. Held in September, the festival featured performances by top African musical artists in the DMV. This encore presentation highlights vibrant cultures, music and storytelling while encouraging reflection on the principles of Kwanzaa. Kuna Karamu (let’s party)!
The schedule below will be shared each day of Kwanzaa on the Arts PG Parks Facebook Page. Or, you can navigate the 2020 virtual program farther down the page to watch the videos any time you like.
Celebrate Africa Rewind Schedule:
- December 26 - Umoja (Unity), Featured Artist: Janeliasoul
- December 27 - Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Featured Artist: Amadou Kouyate
- December 28 - Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Featured Artist: DC Highlife Stars
- December 29 - Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Featured Artist: Cheick Hamala Diabate
- December 30 - Nia (Purpose), Featured Artist: Urban Foli
- December 31 - Kuumba (Creativity), Featured Artist: Anansegro of Ghana
- January 1 - Imani (Faith; Confidence), Featured Artists: Melaku Belay and Fendika
Celebrate Africa 2020 Virtual Festival
Asante (Thank you!) to everyone who helped make the third annual Celebrate Africa Festival and the Celebrate Africa Festival Rewind so successful! This year’s virtual edition allowed people from all over the world to experience this wonderful celebration of African cultures. z
Please use the 2020 festival schedule below to watch the performances and presentations on demand. Check back in early 2021 for updates on the next Celebrate Africa Festival.
Kuwa Vizuri (Be Well)!
Schedule of Events for Day 1
| Time | Event | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 pm | African Dance Demo | Dance | Cultural dance exercise |
| 6:30 pm | Jollof, Etc. | Food | Obi Onuoha, owner of Jollof, Etcetera, a restaurant that specializes in healthy Nigerian cuisine |
| 7 pm | Cheick Hamala Diabate | Music | Musician from Mali, West Africa, nominated for a Grammy award for Best Traditional World Music Album |
Schedule of Events for Day 2
| Time | Event | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 noon | Urban Foli | Music | Musical theater performance group expressing traditional African drumming and dance with contemporary sound. |
| 2 pm | African Fashion Influences in Fashion Design | Fashion/ Documentary | Four DMV based designers and their creations are featured in this showcase of African and African-inspired clothing and wearable art. |
| 3 pm | Anansegro of Ghana | Storytelling/ Family | Ambassador of West African culture who preserves and promotes traditions of his cultural heritage through stories, games, music, drumming, and dance |
| 4 pm | Janelia Soul | Music | Nigerian-American born singer/songwriter 7-piece band "Janeliasoul" fuses Yoruba folk songs, soul, and jazz with Afrobeat and pop. |
| 5 pm | The Hunger Tamer | Food/ Restaurant | Chef Sonia Amo-Akonnor's traditional Ghanain and West African dishes |
| 5:30 pm | Headliner from Ethiopia: Melaku Belay & Fendika |
Music/ Dance | World-renowned Ethiopian dancer and ambassador for Ethiopia’s music and dance. Belay is a virtuoso interpreter of eskista, a traditional Ethiopian dance |
Schedule of Events for Day 3
| Time | Event | Activity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2:30 pm | Amadou Kouyate | Music/ Solo | 150th generation of the Kouyate family of Manding Diali (oral historians/musicians of West Africa) performing West African classical music on the 21-string Kora, a kind of harp. |
| 3 pm | DC Highlife Stars | Music | Performances of styles of African music, including classic highlife, rumba, afrobeat, funk, and reggae. Performers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Haiti, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire. |