'A Breath of Afrika' free festival comes to city Sept. 19

FORT WAYNE—Call it a breath of fall; call it a breath of fresh air; better still, call it a breath of muchneeded culture.

The Three Rivers Institute of Afrikan Arts and Culture (TRIAAC) and the African/African- American History Museum are scheduled to present the “A Breath of Afrika” cultural festival from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the museum, 836 E. Douglas Ave., culminating in a free concert featuring Stann Champion’s Roots Rock Society and the Afro-Cuban group Timbalayé! The concert is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

The festivities also are scheduled to feature some of the area’s innovative Afrikan diasoran artists including the American Legion Stepafonics; storytelling by Chief Condra Ridley; and TRIAAC’s own Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble (TRJE), a youth ensemble dedicated to building family and community ties through the study of the traditional music of the Malinké people of West Afrika. There also will be an “open mic” stage for other local artists to display their talents.

The festival also will include food and various educational opportunities.

According to festival organizer, Clydia Early of TRIAAC, the idea came from a serendipitous discussion with one of the young people from TRJE.

“One of the TRJE kids and I were talking about doing something in the community and they said ‘How about we do a carnival?’ and I said, ‘Like a big block party?’ and we actually started planning some stuff to do,” explained Early. “About a month later Ketu (Oladuwa, artistic director for TRIAAC) reminded me that there was a Neighborhood Initiative Grant from Arts United and he really wanted to apply and wanted some ideas about what we could do. He said, ‘I would like it to be something with a little breath of Africa in it.’ I said, ‘That’s it, we could have a festival, pull in the whole neighborhood and call it ‘A Breath of Afrika.’”

Early said, “from there it evolved to involve current sponsorships by Frost Illustrated, Ink and El Mexicano newspapers, WBOI, Downtown Improvement District, Pro Fed Credit Union, and Cap-n-Cork. And, “A Breath of Afrika” is also funded in part by Arts United of Greater Fort Wayne.”

Partnering with the Africa/African American History Museum only seemed natural.

“Ketu was having a conversation with the museum’s board president (Rubin Brown) about what we were planning on doing and they started talking about Mr. William Warfield, a prominent African American real estate investor in the late 1800’s who owned many of the houses in the East Central neighborhood,” explained Early. “He told Ketu that the building that TRIAAC was housed in (501 E. Brackendrige St.) used to be one of Mr. Warfield’s properties and that it was used to house African American train porters.”

Brown told her the museum was in the process of transcribing Warfield’s diaries and that his birthday was on Sept. 19. Early said that date provided a wonderful opportunity for the two institutions to collaborate.

Having it at the museum also made sense.

“We want the community to experience the arts of African and African American people. Because the downtown is the heart of any community, we want to instill the pulse of Africa in the heart of Fort Wayne—our community,” said Early.

And, she said, they made the event free to encourage everyone to attend.

“We don’t want money to hinder people from coming out and enjoying the day’s events,” said Early.

As coordinator, she assembled a dedicated core team to handle the festival’s logistics and worked with others to ensure the event would come off in fine fashion.

“Well, it has taken a lot of networking and persistence to make this event happen. We actually have been working with a team of four people with TRIAAC taking the lead,” she said. “We started 12 weeks out with a timeline that listed weekly duties and tasks to be completed, and met once a week to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to. It’s been a lot of hard work.”

As for the entertainment, Early said it was easy to find top-notch performers nearby.

“First and foremost, we have groups and organizations from the East Central Neighborhood as participating partners. We have the Stepafonics from the Legion on Lewis Street, storytelling by Chief Condra Ridley from the African/African American History Museum, a performance by the Three Rivers Jenbé Ensemble from TRIAAC, free tours and yoga classes from the Kachmann Mind and Body Institute and free tours of the African/African American History Museum,” said Early. “For children to experience what our common heroes do everyday, there will be an ambulance from the Three Rivers Ambulance Authority.”

She said there’s plenty of other community involvement with free parking at the Anthis Career Center and Friendship Baptist Church, food, merchandise and information vendors on William Warfield Boulevard (Douglas Avenue), the Umoja Play Center (children’s area) and Kuumba Main stage with an open mike and arts arena.

“As a special treat we will have a concert featuring reggae impresarios Roots Rock Society and Timbalayé!, a dynamic Afro Cuban ensemble. Both bands are from Chicago and have been brought in as a way of attracting regional attention to the African pulse in downtown Fort Wayne,” said Early.

For more than two decades, Roots Rook Society has been one of the world’s premier American reggae bands, winning numerous awards, including the “2008 Best Calypso/Soul” award at the 28th Annual Music Awards ceremony in Chicago and making the Billboard record charts. Led by founder and director Stann Champion, who after returning from a recording project at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio in Jamaica in 1987 left a successful Michigan Avenue advertising career devote himself to music, Roots Rock Society is more than a band. Throughout the group’s career, they have been champions for education and peace.

“We’ve been associated with community-based music venues and programs for 22 years,” said Champion.

Champion volunteers at Swedish Covenant Hospital as a music therapist for geriatric patients and conducts “Camp Champ,” a “reggae and riddim class” for St. Stephens Lutheran Church in Chicago. Additionally, in June, the group opened The Root Room in Chicago, which functions not only as a rehearsal space for the group but also as a community center, part juice bar and part open mic venue for new musicians, poets and playwrights.

“We want to offer a venue to promote a diverse menu of live music, as well as provide a center for community service. This is going to be more than just another joint,” said Champion.

Based in Chicago, Timbalaye! is a group committed to performing various African influenced musical traditions from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Americas. Timbalaye! is comprised of musicians, and cultural affiliates working as a collective to continue and extend the Afro-Latin musical traditions. The music styles are vast and involve elements of rumba,plena, bomba, bata, palo, all of which cover sacred and secular traditions. Timbalaye! has performed for community organizations such as La Capilla del Barrio and the Benton House Chicago.

The members collectively comprise decades of diverse musical experience. They include: Chris Suarez, lead vocals; Aurora Rivera, backing vocals; Roger Noel, minor percussion; and Mandingo, Isabelino Landor and Hugo Zapata, percussions.

For more information about “A Breath of Afrika” festival, contact TRIAAC at (260) 969-9442 or by e-mail at triaacamin@verizon.net or the African/African American History Museum at (260) 420-0765 or by e-mail FWAAHM@aol.com.

This is part of the September 9, 2009 online edition of Frost Illustrated.

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