Angela Adams
A return to excellence
by Jonathan Gramling
But 2007 -- the 25th anniversary of African World Festival --; was different. The main street of the festival grounds was jammed with people on a Sunday night when people are usually preparing for the work week ahead and as rain threatened. Vendors were present all along the main street and people waited in line for soul food, barbeque, roasted corn and a host of other delicacies.
And then, there was the presence of national headline acts throughout the three-day festival. From the start of the festival on Friday night with the libation ceremony and Tony, Toni, Tone and Charlie Wilson to Saturday's performances by the Superstars of Jazz Fusion including Roy Ayers and Wayne Henderson and the O'Jays to Sunday's finales with Bobby Blue Bland, Curt Karr and the Curt Karr Singers and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, this festival was alive with music and culture and celebration the whole weekend through.
The rejuvenation of African World Festival was brought about by a beefed-up board of directors -- composed of the likes of State Senator Spencer Coggs, Gerard Randall, president of Milwaukee's Private Industry Council, Melissa Goins of Maures Development Group and Carl Brown of Red Brown Kle advertising -- that hired Angela Adams as the executive director two years ago.
Adams previously worked at G Communications and was responsible for handling media-related matters at the National NAACP Convention held in Milwaukee in 2005. Her performance did not go unnoticed. "I was approached by the board of directors of African World Festival to come over because they were looking for a new executive director," Adams said in a room backstage of the US Cellular Stage right before Bobby "Blue" Bland took center stage. It was fairly new board and had a new vision. They wanted to bring some new leadership on board. We gelled. I knew many of these hard working board members just from being in the Milwaukee community. They knew my work and I knew theirs. I knew it was going to be a win-win opportunity."
With little time to spare, the group pulled off the 2006 African World Festival by bringing in Maze featuring Frankie Beverly to open the festival on Friday night. "He did such an awesome performance," Adams recalled. "He was so excited that he actually asked to come back. We were excited just to have him back." In Adams' view, the community spoke loudly when they turned out in large numbers for Maze. Milwaukee was hungry for a family-oriented cultural festival that blended local and national entertainment.
The festival moved away from a heavy emphasis on rap -- while still retaining it in its line-up -- and increased its cultural emphasis. "Our Cultural Village has always been the gem of our festival," Adams said. "That's where we kick off the festival with our libation ceremony. Well this year we expanded that to a natural cultural stage in addition to the village. We had Milwaukee's finest Ko-Thi Dance Company here."
There was also the ever-present Gospel Stage that featured performances throughout the weekend. And the festival organizers expanded it to include a more regional flair. They solicited gospel groups from Madison and Chicago and all places in between.
What made the festival so attractive this year to families was an emphasis on children's activities. "Our Family Fun Fest included children actually doing performances, similar to what they are trying to emulate as they see the adults doing the performances and what they aspire to do and to be," Adams said. "We had a hip hop dance clinic. We had praise dancers and children's choirs. They came out to see each other and support each other and be encouraged by one another. It was very well attended."
The festival also had golf and tennis clinics for children. And it also debuted its Black Knowledge Bowl, a competition about Black history and culture that the festival planners hope to turn into a year round activity to keep the African World Festival on the minds of Milwaukeeans during the off-season.
Another key ingredient to the festival's success was its use of viral marketing -- basically word of mouth advertising using the Internet and other media -- to get the word out and branding the festival as a family gathering. "The Black family celebrates family at the family reunion," Adams said. "So many people from the Milwaukee community planned their reunions around African World Festival, which helps to bring people in from the South and the East and West Coasts." Adams and the board envision the festival becoming a national venue sometime in the future. Successfully bringing in national acts to this year's festival was a big step in that direction. "People are taking notice of what we have to offer," Adams said. "And we are being supported by other African World Festivals. We've gotten calls from Chicago to say 'We notice what you're doing. We have a similar festival that takes place.' They are getting excited by what we are doing here. And that causes other promoters and aspiring artists to say 'I might be able to get another gig in the Midwest in Milwaukee. I hear they are the city of festivals. I also hear there is an African World Festival going on.' We're growing. Now we're really excited about that. Even one of our sponsors whom I brought on last year, TV One, came back again this year and hosted the VIP Reception for the Jazz Fusion. They're partnering with us to brainstorm about really taking African World Festival to the national audience."
And a national African-African American festival in Milwaukee each year could pay big dividends for Black Milwaukee, indeed the entire city and state of Wisconsin. Rejuvenation does have ripple effects.
For more information about African World Festival-Milwaukee, visit www.africanworldfestival-milwaukee.com.
September 5, 2007 Archives