The US mission to the Africa Union hosted Africa FEST in Virginia that brought together the people from Africa’s 54 sovereign states as reported by in the Washington Informer.
Shortly after entering the gymnasium of the William Ramsay Recreation Center in Alexandria, Virginia, on Saturday, Amanuel Belaye, an Alexandria resident of Ethiopian descent, and his friends clapped and cheered a quintet dressed in traditional garb as they danced to the tunes of his native country and mesmerized audience members, many of whom tapped their feet and recorded the performance.
The more than 20-minute demonstration counted among a host of performances and artist showcases as part of Africa FEST, a celebration of African music, culture and food sponsored by the U.S. Mission to the African Union and partner organizations.
For Belaye, an 18-year-old student at Northern Virginia Community College, the cultural exchange bolstered his belief that all Africans, regardless of nationality and tribal affiliation, can share the spotlight. He said it also brought to mind the experiences of those who descended from enslaved Africans brought to the Western hemisphere.
“I wanted to see African culture,” he said while observing the representation from the other regions of the African continent. “I like the fact that everyone gets to participate, not only East Africa.
Throughout much of Saturday afternoon, hundreds of people of various races, cultures and nationalities took refuge from the rain, partaking in authentic African culture and cuisine.
For five hours, they tasted African dishes from Ethiopia and Senegal and conversed with vendors selling African fabrics, jewelry, sculpture and other materials. Professionals of various industries from the continental and diasporic African communities also presented specialized services at booths set up throughout the lobby of the recreation center.
Sponsors of the Sept. 8 event included the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities, the U.S. Mission to the African Union, Alexandria Black History Museum, Pan African Diaspora Women’s Association (PADWA) and Marta Ali Studios.
The U.S. Mission to the African Union supplied the flags used in the opening processional of the 54 African nations.
“There’s a spirit of unity and this is just the beginning,” said Adele Benjamin, a representative of PADWA and local pastor.
“I liked the dancing and the vendors, but the best part is when the continent is honored, ” she said of the processional during which drummers and dancers accompanied guests waving the flags of each African nation.
Benjamin, dressed in a turquoise lappa suit and matching headwrap, often worn in parts of West Africa, explained her adoption of a perspective rooted in cross-cultural understanding between Africans of different nationalities.
A yearning to the see Africans embrace each other, regardless of birthplace, compelled Benjamin, a native of Cameroon, to walk around with a flag of Burkina Faso hanging out of her headwrap.
“There’s no place like home even though I’ve been [in the United States] for 30 years,” the Mt. Rainier, Maryland, resident said. “People need to see the unity that’s born here and pick up a flag. Africa is a united continent and I believe in that.”
A few feet away, Southeast resident Tambra Raye Stevenson showcased Little WANDA, a doll and fictional book character with which she has been able to convey the importance of healthy, traditional African food in curbing chronic illnesses plaguing African Americans living in food deserts.
In an upcoming edition of the “Where’s WANDA?” book series, the main character grows a legacy garden in honor of her father, who died from a heart attack.
“Today is about sharing healthy African food with our children and [showing how] our heritage is our medicine,” said Stevenson, founder and CEO of Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and Agriculture (WANDA).