FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: General Information: HYPERLINK iaafestival.org iaafestival.org or 718-638-6700 Media Contact: Ellen Lee or Segun Shabaka COME ‘TRY JAH LOVE’ AT 43RD INTL AFRICAN ARTS FEST Third World, Donald Smith, Earthman Experience, Dance, Drum, Theater, Poetry, Fashion, Food, Kids’ Fun, Marketplace & More, July 3rd – 6th (Brooklyn, NY/May, 2014) – It’ll soon be time to once again bask in the warmth of the summer sun and the African marketplace at the 43rd Annual International African Arts Festival (IAAF). Beginning Thursday, July 2rd and ending Sunday, July 6th, the IAAF is open to the fun-loving, arts-aware, dance-driven, culture-craving, style-making public from 10AM til 9PM (rain or shine) each day at picturesque Commodore Barry Park, at Park Avenue and Navy Street, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York. This year the Festival will feature A Tribute to Reggae with iconic band Third World honoring Bunny Ruggs, their founding member front-man. Famous for their hits, “Now That We Found Love,” “Try Jah Love,” “Reggae Ambassador,” and others, the group has electrified audiences across the globe for decades. The CPR Roots Reggae Showcase, Rasta poet Yasus Afari and others will help lift the celebration skyward! Other performers include the Afrobeat/World Music collective Earthman Experience, the masterful Donald Smith All Stars jazz band, the crowd-pleasing Universal African Dance and Drum Ensemble, soulful jazz vocalist Akua Allrich, whose music pays tribute to Nina Simone and Mariam Makeba, multi-marvels, The International Electric Transfusion Band and much more. Also invited are rap/hip hop artists The Black Dot and Hip Hop Heroine Narubi Selah. The annual Opening Parade, a symposium, traditional Akan ceremony, fashion shows, natural hair show, dance parties, clowns, storytelling, arts and crafts and chess tournaments are reliable favorites. Some loyal Festival fans have been attending since they were children and now bring their own children. They appreciate the safe environment, warm community atmosphere and great value. For a very modest donation, people can spend an entire day enjoying a diversity of entertainment and global cuisine. They can also shop for clothing, crafts, visual art and artifacts, books, musical instruments, jewelry and home-décor items, all displaying the genius of the African cultural tradition. Acting IAAF Chair Dr. Segun Shabaka, says, “The 2014 Festival theme is, “Serudj ta,” which means, “To repair and remake the world” in the Kemetic language of Ancient Egypt. “It speaks to the need for people of African descent around the world to uphold our heritage, the world’s oldest traditions. It speaks to our connection to one another, other humans, as well as other living beings, nature, and to the earth itself; to the need to organize as we approach this awesome task of repairing and remaking the world.” This year’s Festival will feature tributes to the late, great, cultural contributors John Watusi Branch, founder of the Afrikan Poetry Theater and master drummer Kimati Dinizulu as well as theatrical presentations highlighting the great deeds and great words of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Started as a block-party fundraiser for Uhuru Sasa Shule (an independent school) in 1971, the International African Arts Festival now draws tens of thousands of attendees, as well as performers and merchants from across the world. Its current Commodore Barry Park location is a green and open space perfect for having fun with family and friends in the sun or the shade. Children love the playground and sprinklers people of all ages enjoy the basketball court. Admission to the Festival is a modest $3 donation ($1 for children). Feel free to give generously to help keep this treasured non-profit cultural institution alive! Tax deductible donations can also be made on the website. For further information call (718) 638-6700 or visit HYPERLINK iaafestival.org iaafestival.org. On public transportation, take the F Train to York Street, the B, D, N, Q, or R trains to Dekalb Avenue or the B57, B62 or B69 buses to Commodore Barry Park. See the Festival website for driving directions. If you’ve never been to the International African Arts Festival, you’re in for a rare treat and if you’re a veteran Festivalgoer, you know you don’t want to miss it! Organizers and volunteers (and there’s always a need for more volunteers) are getting things ready to make sure you have a delightful time. See you at the Festival! ** end **
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:40:49 +0000
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