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It has been noted that, given the East African origins of human evolution, we are all descendants of Africans if you go back far enough. For the Afrikadey! festival’s personable founder and artistic director, Tunde Dawodu, the connection to Africa is considerably more recent. Thirty years ago, he came to Canada on a quest to investigate the land he’d learned about in his colonial boarding school in Lagos, Nigeria. Eighteen years ago, he realized that his adopted country could benefit from a greater understanding of his homeland. Afrikadey! began as a weekend celebration at the Centre for Performing Arts (now the Epcor Centre) and has grown and flourished to become a bright jewel in Calgary’s summer festival mosaic.
“At that time we didn’t have many Africans around, like we do today,” Dawodu says. “The idea was to use the culture as a means of explaining Africans to Calgarians.”
While Africa’s immense importance to modern music, art and global cuisine is noted and undeniable, Dawodu likes to point out that Africa’s contribution to the new world is much more fundamental and tangible than many of us may have considered. “The Europeans sort of named all those [African] countries according to what they got from them,” he explains. “For example, you have Gold Coast, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria used to be called ‘Slave Coast.’” It’s still a somewhat uncomfortable acknowledgement that the beginning of modern industrial North American civilization was forged through the sweat and blood of forced labour. “Africans developed America,” Dawodu says. “The slave masters who brought those Africans here, they knew what they were doing. They knew that Africans were good farmers. At that time, Africa was feeding Europe. These people were actually able to use their skills to set up a country. We should be proud of what they were able to accomplish.”
This year, Afrikadey!’s focus is “Celebrating African Women’s Voices.” The centrepiece of the main event at Prince’s Island Park is a tribute to Miriam “Mama Afrika” Makeba, who died last year at the age of 76. Makeba was an immensely popular South African singer who was exiled during the apartheid era when South African authorities revoked her passport after she urged the United Nations to boycott South African products. “Artists are the conscience of a community,” says Dawodu. “She was a shy woman but she ended up being the spokesperson against the apartheid government.”
Makeba’s legacy will be represented by rising Cape Town star Nomfusi Gotyana, who has been dubbed the “New Queen of Afro-Soul.” Gotyana and her band The Lucky Charms will be making their North American debut at this year’s festival. “It’s the first time she has actually performed outside of her country,” says Dawodu, excitedly. “I don’t even think she’s been on a plane before. You’re going to hear about this woman in two years. She’s going to be a big name.”
Gotyana joins an impressive array of African artists from all over. World-renowned Nigerian visual artist Chief Nike Okundaye will be offering a hands-on workshop in batik and tie dye. Okundaye founded the Nike Centres for Art and Culture to teach her cultural traditions to Nigerian and international students and her work hangs in the White House, The Smithsonian and the Glenbow. Okundaye will also take part in an “Arts for Healing Symposium” at the Central Library on Friday, August 7.
Due to Afrikadey!, Calgarians will once again have an opportunity to experience firsthand some of the culture Africa has to share and celebrate. “I actually see Canada as the United Nations, because Canada allows you to keep your culture in that mosaic,” says Dawodu. “Culture is the best way to get to know people.”
In celebrating our diversity we can find our common ground. “We do the same thing but in different ways and to me, that differentiation should not be a big deal,” he says. “Let’s look at all the things we have in common with humanity, everywhere you go.” Surprisingly, even after 18 years on the festival scene, Dawodu still fields calls and questions regarding the inclusiveness of Afrikadey! celebrations. He repeatedly emphasizes that absolutely everyone is welcome. “Whether you are white or blue, just come.”
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