Bassekou Kouyaté (second from left) and his band Ngoni Ba headline the festival.
An interactive exhibit, a world-renowned musician and a new downtown location are some of the changes organizers hope will draw crowds to the 17th annual Africa Fest.
In addition to festival staples — food from different African regions, goods from craft makers and free information on the varied cultures of the continent — this year’s event will be held at Central Park Aug. 15 and will feature West African musician Bassekou Kouyaté, known for his feverish plucking of the ngoni, an ancient lute instrument that a first glance resembles a stringed canoe paddle.
A new exhibit will also give attendees the chance to experience a traditional African market. Dubbed “The Market of Africa’s Creative Bounty,” it will feature “woven baskets full of fruits, artifacts, assorted fabrics and a fashion display signifying how casual clothes are worn to the market,” says Ray Kumapayi, president of the African Association of Madison, which organizes the festival. “Folks will learn of how we create hand-woven fabric, how baskets are woven and how traditional markets are laid out.”
All of the festival’s attractions help build and bridge communities by teaching about other cultures, says Kumapayi.
“Attendees will be educated in the cultures and traditions of Africa from Africans themselves. [Africa Fest] is a cultural event [created by] by African immigrants who may be your neighbor, co-worker [and local] students,” he says. “The more we all learn of other cultures, the more we can bridge the divide and all get along for the betterment of the future of Madison.”
The need to celebrate our different cultures and backgrounds is especially important now as racial tensions here and across the country are high, adds Kumapayi.
The fest’s musical headliner this year, Bassekou Kouyaté and his band Ngoni Ba from the West African country of Mali, will perform their mix of fast-paced, up-tempo African rock, blues and jazz songs that showcase Kouyaté’s mastery of the ngoni.
Speaking through a French translator, Kouyaté likens African musicians to oral historians and griots.
“A griot’s role in Malian society is to be the guardian of history,” he says. “The traditional songs that we play and perform relate our history over the past centuries and explain to our people and also people of other countries where we come from.”
The purpose of his current tour, which will take him across Europe and America, is to “expose African culture through music,” he says, adding that “African music is at the base of more recent musical styles [like] blues, rock and jazz.”
Kouyate’s wife, two sons, two brothers and a nephew share the stage with him.
Other performers will include the Jam Ak Jam Afro-Dance Theatre from Senegal and local drummer and singer Mandjou Mara, originally from Guinea, who performs with Madison Afro-pop band Kikeh Mato.
Mara, who has played the Africa Fest every year since 2008, sees the festival as a chance to provide equal parts entertainment and education.
“It creates a space for cultural understanding and respect, [and it] highlights the diversity of the continent,” he says.
Attendees will be also able to fill up on both traditional and celebratory dishes from across the continent.
Lucy Brewoo, who leads the Taste of Africa catering company, plans to offer staples from her homeland of Ghana, including jollof rice, a spicy, tomato-based side dish, as well as fried plantains, goat, baked chicken and West Africa’s version of a doughnut.
For immigrants, Africa Fest is a chance to get a taste of home; for others, it’s a chance to try something new. “We don’t have this food here in Madison,” she says. “You have to travel to get it.”
Other vendors will be offering dishes from Gambia in Western Africa, the southern United States and Jamaica, whose food is heavily influenced by African cooking techniques and spices.
As in recent years, the fest will open (at 10 a.m.) with “Strides for Africa,” a 5K run/walk for all ages that will benefit water well projects in rural Ethiopia and Liberia.
