“Madison always talks about being a melting pot,” Kumapayi said. “That’s exactly what it is. I love the city of Madison and the greater Madison area. Madisonians are very open. They want to learn about other cultures. They want to know about different environments and I think that is a great thing. Once you start to get knowledge from outside your life, you can use that knowledge to improve yourself. It’s like the intermingling of what we call a cross-knowledge. It’s one great thing that Madison has been known for. Some time ago, Madison was named the Number One City in America. One of the things that made it so was it was very accommodating. And us being here and not showcasing to let people know who we are would be a disaster in a community that wants to know. That encourages me and the people whom I am working with to continue to showcase Africa to greater Madison. And we would like to note that we have people attending Africa Fest from outside of Dane County. People come from Milwaukee, Oshkosh, Green Bay and as far as Chicago. They love it. All of the patrons ask me at some point, ‘Can we come and replicate this in our city.’ Knowing what goes into putting it on, the amount of work that goes into Africa Fest and the time commitment, it is very difficult to shift from one city to another other than being a consultant to those who want to replicate what we do with Africa Fest.”

It’s that intermingling that brought about the Parade of Nations when Kumapayi and other African community members attended The Capital City Hues’ Fifth Anniversary celebration in front of the City-County Building.

“We were sitting there to enjoy the festival,” Kumapayi recalled. “And there were 7-8 who paraded around with the flags of Latin American countries. I thought it was wonderful. I thought we could replicate that at Africa Fest and have all of the nations be represented by carrying their flags around the park. Richard Yarl who was on the committee asked if I wanted him to lead it. I said yes. He did a wonderful job that first year. And every year, we try to improve on the previous year. It isn’t always easy because people are very excited about it. We might have 4-5 people representing each African nation. That’s a lot of people to deal with. But we love it. The audience loves watching people proudly carrying their flags. During Africa Fest, people are very proud of themselves. They are very proud of where they come from. They are very proud of the country where they lived. They are very proud to show their neighbors and everyone that they are proud to be from Africa as well as proud to be a Madisonian. It helps people come together during that Parade of Nations.”

And Africa Fest has helped to raise the visibility of the African community and highlighted its contributions to Madison and beyond.

“I believe it was three years ago that the Madison mayor proclaimed Africa Fest Day on the day we celebrated it,” Kumapayi said. “They actually invited me to come to the Common Council meeting to accept the proclamation. I was very proud that they recognized us. Another key moment is when the Governor or Lieutenant Governor and the mayor and other officials give up their day to come to Africa Fest. They come and are a part of the festival as they walk around the festival grounds and meet and talk with people. It just gives Africa Fest credence that it is recognized. And it makes me so proud.”

On some levels, it’s been the African Women’s Association that has been the keepers of the culture. Each year, they host the African Village Tent to display clothing, art and artifacts that educate people about the beauty and the diversity of Africa.

“it’s important to us because it is hard sometimes to explain or to teach people your culture just by words,” SAID Ana Vasongi from the African Women’s Association. “And so the artifacts that we display in the tent represent the different cultures, different things happening within the continent and the different countries. We use those artifacts to teach people something that people can hold and feel and see other than words. Africa has 54 countries versus America, just one country with different states. By displaying those things, we emphasize when people come, we teach people that it is a continent. This thing comes from Mali and it is used for this purpose. This other item comes from Sierra Leone and it is used for the same purpose. It shows the diversity that we have within the continent. People who haven’t visited Africa might not know or have just read from books and not really get it the same way that they see, touch and feel.”

And the artifacts reflect the different influences that have made Africa what it is today.

“Some of those things have the influence of the colonial masters as well as the forefounders of each country, the forefounders of each village,” Vasongi said. “And then the colonial masters came in and there was distortion that happened between the time the forefounders created the culture and the colonial masters came in. You see some slight differences. And some of those differences you see them when you move from one country to another. The Ewe people of Ghana and of Togo speak the same language and they are in two different countries. One of the countries speaks French as the official language and the other speaks English as the official language. It’s based on who colonized which part of that region. So displaying these things tells some of that history by the way the people utilize these things and the language that fits in behind it.”

This year, the tent will feature banners depicting the 25 years of Africa Fest. And in front of them on tables will be different implements that are used in everyday African life.

“Africa Fest is a symbol of our community, symbol of togetherness of the African people and their friends and to showcase our cultures through this event in the Madison and Dane County area,” Vasongi said. “The African continent is one of the richest continents in terms of culture, tradition, and more.  In this short writ-up we will be discussing African cooking utensils. African cooking utensils like other artifacts are loaded with rich history, diverse cultures and traditions. They are of varying sizes and designs based on the different parts of the continent. These tools are made from natural materials such as clay, wood, bamboo and raffia.  All these reflect the connection to the land.  These utensils have been crucial for food preparation for years. They include and are not limited to cooking spoons, bowls, folks, serving spoons, plates, storage containers, mortar and pestles, baskets, fishing tools,  pots, and more.”

The exhibit will also feature some traditional clothing.

“Cowries shells were used as currency in Africa for decades,” Vasongi said. “During marriage introductions, it symbolizes beauty, fertility, and prosperity.  Cowries are incorporated in wedding attires, hair dos, and decorations. Bridal aprons are very significant among the Ndebele people of South Africa.  This symbolizes the bride’s transition into marriage and fertility. The groom’s family presents the bride with a plain apron which she would embroider with bold designs.  These aprons are worn during ceremonial occasions.”

Through its food, arts and crafts, clothing, exhibits and of course the musical and dance performances, each year Africa Fest is just a taste of the diversity of Africa and what it has to offer. It is only through coming back year after year that one’s hunger for knowledge about Africa begins to be satiated. Come out to McPike Park on August 16^th for a taste of all that Africa has to offer.