Afrikanische Kulturfest (African Culture Festival) in Solmspark Rödelheim in Frankfurt Germany - August 20 – 22. Free entrance!
In Commemoration of Enslavement and Colonialism and Their Impact on People of African descent
On the coming weekend, from August 20-22, the 5th African Cultural Festival is going to take place in Frankfurt. The event has – like every year - been organized by the Senegalese Association (www.senegal-verein.de). At the center of the 2010 event is the commemoration of the impact enslavement and colonialism had on the African continent.
Considering that already in February 2010 a historic tribunal had taken place in Berlin to address the 125th Berlin Afrika Konferenz and the subject of reparations (http://www.tribunal-afrikakonferenz-berlin.org/), it can be said that Germany in this year has seen more events – organized by the African Diaspora - than ever before that deal with the subject matters of enslavement and colonialism and its relevancy in Black history.
The Senegalese Association in Frankfurt chose the statement „Forgive but don’t forget“ for the festival to underline the importance they see in speaking and informing about the impact hundreds of years of enslavement and the related policies of Europe had and still have on Africa and its Diaspora.
Therefore, at the end of the opening day on Friday, a discussion round with special guests will look at the question what 50 years of ‘Independence’ mean for African countries today and how it is related to the long journey from enslavement to political emancipation. Participants will discuss how the African – European relationship has developed over time and which topics concerning those two continents are at the forefront today.
The island Gorée, located at the coast of Senegal, is a worldwide known place which is representative for the cruel experiences African people went through when they were enslaved and taken from the African continent to the Americas or Europe. Goree Island is on the west coast of Africa at the nearest point on the continent to the Americas.
Today, the island is a famous tourist attraction which attracts every year many visitors wanting to inform themselves about the history and realities of African people’s enslavement. The organizers of the African Festival in Frankfurt invited Eloy Coly, the curator of Gorée, to Frankfurt to introduce to the audience the history of the place via a multimedia presentation.
The opening ceremony of the African Festival takes place on Friday, 18:30 p.m., at Alexanderstraße 37, 60489 Frankfurt am Main.
On Saturday and Sunday the program will continue at the nearby Solmspark close to Alexanderstrasse.
For more information
www.manga-event.com
www.senegal-verein.de/