A three-day festival in New Westminster is set to showcase the best of artists representing or influenced by African culture.
Organized by the African Heritage Music and Dance Society, the annual festival will bring a curated lineup of about 30 local and international performers and groups to the Massey Theatre stage between Sept. 1 and 3.
The AHFOMAD festival (African Heritage Festival of Music and Dance) will feature New Westminster-born two-time Juno-nominated artist Ndidi O, singer and songwriter Selmor Mtukudzi from Zimbabwe (daughter of Zimbabwean superstar Oliver Mtukudzi) and Vancouver-based Afrobeats DJ Oga Rossco among others.
For the first time since its inception in 2015, the festival will move indoors from its usual spot, the Surrey Civic Plaza. Though a result of a misplaced booking, the change in venue is "exciting," said Ezeadi Patrick Umerah Onukwulu, founder and artistic director/executive of African Heritage Music and Dance Society.
"Every performance at the 2023 festival will be a theatre experience in sounds, lights and artistic excellence."
Onukwulu, who has a background in radio, curated the artists himself — bringing in a mix of both local and international, new and seasoned talent.
"Our motto is to present, preserve and evolve our culture."
In a video post on Instagram, Onukwulu said when he had moved to Canada as a student at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in the late 70s, there was little representation for Black Africans.
"So I decided to start this radio program at the campus radio station called 'The Africa Show' where I played all Black music from Africa, from the U.S., from the Caribbean....from wherever I could get them."
Onukwulu started mixing Black music with pop music that was played on the mainstream radio so that people would start listening to the former.
"And they did start listening. So, that was just the beginning."
Over the last seven years, the AHFOMAD fest has grown into an established annual event that represents Black African heritage.
This year, it will expose attendees to five different kinds of African dance, a performance by a group from Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire inspired by their Mandingue roots, and the sound of a Mandingue instrument called Kora, which will be played by French-Canadian musician Sophie Lukacs, he said.
“The festival is a way to bring us into the mainstream and to share more knowledge about us. It’s about changing things for the better.”
African Heritage Festival or Music and Dance will take place at the Massey Theatre from Sept. 1 to 3.
For more information and a full line-up, you can visit the festival's website. Tickets are priced at $24 per day.
