International African Arts Festival

American Visions, June, 2000 by Rachel Elwell

International African Arts Festival

WHERE: Boys and Girls High School Field, Brooklyn, N.Y. (718) 638-6700 http://www.iaafestival.com

WHEN: June 30-July 4

WHAT: A family event--immediate, extended, community and global

WHY: To preserve and perpetuate African cultural traditions

Afro-American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino and African traditional arts and ethnic cuisine draw as many as 70,000 people to Brooklyn's International African Arts Festival every year. Each day is a feast of sights and sounds from morning until midnight.

Three performance stages feature world-class artists in the fields of music and dance. While enjoying the sounds of the African diaspora, visitors can browse the African Marketplace, with a cornucopia of works by artisans in brass, gold, leather and wood, as well as the works of artists, photographers and sculptors. The traditional Saturday Parade through the streets of central Brooklyn to the festival grounds features stilt walkers, African drummers, clowns, marching bands and cowboys on horseback.

Children are entertained by the interactive programs of the Children's Program, with folktale tellers, dancers, puppeteers, a swimming competition, and a playground. An indoor quilting exhibition, a martial arts demonstration, and a special program honoring living martial arts legends have been added to this year's festival.

Don't forget your festival T-shirt. Every year, the festival has a theme, which is based on the seven principles of Kwanzaa and represented by a phrase in an African language. This year's festival theme is "Baakowale," a phrase of the Gonja people of Northern Ghana, meaning "be industrious."

The International African Arts Festival began in 1971, when the Uhuru Sasa ("freedom now") school held a street carnival celebrating the relevance of Africa to black people worldwide. The surge of interest in African cultural values during the past 25 years has helped the festival become bigger and better each year, uniting black consumers with black-owned businesses and ensuring that money is recycled in the community. Ten annual scholarships are given to college-bound high-school seniors. The Ankh Award is given to people who help perpetuate African heritage. Daily dedications are made in remembrance of deceased activists who helped empower the black community.