Why We Started The All African Festival In The US: Olasunkanmi Explains

Why We Started The All African Festival In The US: Olasunkanmi Explains

The Chief Executive Officer of Signal Media Links, Olasunkanmi Olanrewaju, has said that hosting the annual All African Festival (AAF) in the United States has helped Africans in diaspora promote their unique cultural heritage while also helping their children to appreciate their roots.

In a recent chat, Olanrewaju said that he decided to come up with the international festival to showcase the genuine and indigenous rich African culture.

The cultural ambassador from Ibadan, Oyo State and alumnus of the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, said after the maiden international festival held in the U.S., it became clear that the AAF holds a very promising future.

Activities for the festival included various African performances, dances, cuisines, displays by masquerades (Egungun), among other captivating displays.

Speaking during the post-festival briefing, Olanrewaju said that with the continuous increment in the population of the African immigrants in the United State of America, it was very important that stakeholders develop a project like AAF to remind every migrants where they came from and provide African children with a glimpse of their ancestral roots, beyond what is available on the internet.

He said, “This festival will serve as a mirror of reflection on our indigenous socio-cultural values and uniqueness, and also orientate and imbibe in our kids the importance of mastering their history and knowing the true story of their origin. We have various and related African cultural events in the United States, but what makes the All African Festival unique is the genuine and indigenous showcase of Africa artefacts and working with all African departments to make it inclusive. The interactive sessions with our children is something that is also very significant to the project.

“While I was in NBC media school in the USA, I witnessed different African events across the country and found out that most of these events and festivals were not really indigenous as titled. However, the All African Festival is here, to work with all African communities or groups in showcasing and continuously promoting our socio-cultural heritage values by re-affirming to the global community that our African culture is the best in the world.

“It would also serve as an opportunity for the African immigrants and US-born alike to come together, share their experiences, and support each other year after year. This maiden edition allowed the African children to demonstrate their talent in music, dance, art and crafts as a means of “stepping into the future, dismissing racial barriers” that hold them back in the reality of race relations in the United States.”