The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), in partnership with the Friends of Harlem Art Park Alliance (FAPA), is hosting its 4th annual AFRIBEMBÉ FESTIVAL: Sankofa! on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. The free, daylong celebration of Pan-African artistry, intellectuality, and musicality will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Harlem Art Park and throughout East 120th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues.
This year’s festival makes a special call to the African Diaspora to connect its community of today with its ancestral community – Sankofa! AFRIBEMBÉ seeks to take attendees on a Diasporic journey through its lineup of live performances. Featured artists gracing the Bembé Stage include Eddie Montalvo y Su Orquesta, Batalá New York, Legacy Women, BombaYo, Rasin Okan, Sidiki Conde and Tokounou Dance Company. These artists will highlight their shared musical roots in African rhythms and traditions while showcasing the rich cultural diversity of the African Diaspora through their respective representations of music from Puerto Rico, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Guinea.
Music from the festival’s live DJ sets by Madame Vacile and DJ Mickey Perez will also draw festival goers into motion, while the smell of comfort food from the SoulFull Food Plaza will entice attendees to enjoy the savory, sweet and spicy flavors of a wide variety of Diasporic dishes.
“AFRIBEMBÉ pays homage to our community’s shared history, ancestors, and cultural identity rooted in our African heritage. It’s a celebration of emerging and renowned African descendant creatives representing communities throughout the Diaspora. It is a day to bask in Black joy while we encourage the new generation of creatives and leaders to further this legacy of Pan-African unity,” says Melody Capote, Executive Director of CCCADI.
AFRIBEMBE’S Family Village offers cultural and educational art-making and activities for families of all ages to participate in together. Drawing from the concept of collective economics, the festival’s Ujamaa Marketplace will feature Diasporic merchandise, arts and crafts for sale by local vendors.
In the spirit of Sankofa and in acknowledgment of Black August, this festival makes a conscious effort to learn from and elevate the history of African descendant communities, including its home base of Harlem. This year’s event will recognize the late Hiram Maristany, El Barrio’s own historical community photo documentarian and a key figure in capturing this neighborhood’s revolutionary movements.
La Bruja (Caridad De La Luz) will serve as the event’s emcee.
Registration is available at: www.afribembe.com
ABOUT CCCADI ~ The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI), is an arts, culture, education and media organization that advances cultural equity, racial and social justice for African descendant communities. CCCADI’s programs serve children/youth, families, young professionals, elders, local and international artists, and practitioners of African-based spiritual traditions. Through our work CCCADI offers a collective space where African descendants honor the contributions of the global African Diaspora through exhibitions, performances, conferences, educational programs and international exchanges.
Follow Harlem Art Park on the Friends of Art Park Alliance.