African-American Cultural Arts Festival Held in Charlottesville, USA

Source: Augustine Arthur

A cultural arts festival displaying rich African culture and tradition has been held in Charlottesville in the State of Virginia in the USA.

The festival which attracted a large crowd of people mostly from the African and the African-American communities in Charlottesville and its surrounding areas was the 23rd Annual Chihamba African-American Cultural Arts Festival.

Highlights of the festival were a procession through some principal streets of Charlottesville, pouring of libation, prayers, the playing of the Negro national anthem, and some African traditional music and dances among others.

The Fritete African Drum and Dance Ensemble, a Ghanaian cultural troupe based in Washington D.C. rendered African traditional music and dance with support from the Chihamba African-American Cultural Troupe, while the audience was invited to dance and celebrate the spirit of African culture.

As part of the festival, exhibitors also displayed and sold artifacts from Africa and the Caribbean.

A member of the 2012 African-American Cultural Arts Festival Committee, Nana Akyeampong-Ghartey, in an interview stated that the festival is held annually and it is aimed at giving a better understanding of the African heritage through traditional African music and dance, as well as the exhibition of African artifacts to people of the African descent in the USA.

A special delegation from Winneba in the Central Region of Ghana comprising the Effutu Municipal Chief Executive - Honourable Nii Ephraim, the Presding Member of the Effutu Municipal Assembly - Rev. Eldad Bonney, and the Executive Secretary of the Winneba-Charlottesville Sister City Commission - Miss Ernestina Yawson attended the festival to deepen the bond of friendship between the City of Charlottesville and Winneba.

A food festival dubbed, “Taste of Ghana” which treated invited guests to rich African food prepared by the Ghana Association of Charlottesville preceded the cultural festival.