A few weeks ago, the Victoria African & Caribbean Cultural Society hosted AfriCa Fest 2013. I've worked with the VACCS founder for over a year and it was such an honor to be given the opportunity to give the opening address at the Opening Gala/Cocktail Launch. This was a speech (not an academic paper), so there are no citations!
Good evening, my name is Boma Brown and on behalf of the Victoria African & Caribbean Cultural Society, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the opening ceremony of AfriCa Fest 2013.
I would like to start off by acknowledging unceded Lekwungen territory and ask everyone to reflect on the land upon which we are meeting today and the history of oppression, dislocation and violence that has taken place on this land. It’s important to recognize this ongoing process of colonization in this land we call Canada and how we contribute to this process as settlers and immigrants. I would also like to acknowledge community members and Elders present today and thank them for their time and contribution.
For the past year, I’ve worked with VACCS founder Pulcherie Mboussi on various projects, such as La Calabasse du Nomade, African & Caribbean Spirit Night and most recently AfriCa Fest. This is the first annual AfriCa Fest and VACCS thought it was important to highlight some aspects of African & Caribbean culture. As part of the AfriCa fest experience, we want people to drum, dance, listen, learn, taste and exchange. Cultural exchange is at the heart of this festival, and so is food and music, and quite rightly so. Food and music are crucial aspects of cultural identity and its incorporation in cross-cultural settings is often welcome. The food we eat not only represents our traditions, history and geography, but also our cultural adaptability. Similarly, the language of music transcends linguistic, geographical and cultural barriers.
It was impossible for us to ignore the politics of the African continent while organizing this festival. On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll be screening the film United States of Africa. Next week Friday, we’ll once again be screening the movie, this time at the University of Victoria. This will be followed by a brief discussion. The documentary style film follows African hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi on a quest to craft an album that pays tribute to the great black revolutionary leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara and Cheikh Antah Diop, who fought for the dignity of the African people, and for an independent united Africa. It also shows a hopeful and compelling portrait of a continent whose politically aware youth is refusing to accept the role of victim. This film brilliantly challenges the stereotypes and the negative representations of the African continent and highlights the contribution of Africans to civilization and history. By screening this movie, we acknowledge the roots of this pan-Africanist movement which stems from struggles of independence. In our discovery booth and souvenir booklet, you’ll notice that we included the history of colonization and independence in Africa & the Caribbean. Our souvenir booklet also recognizes the African Union in its 50th year and its contributions in promoting and defending the continent’s interests.
As Victoria’s first large scale African & Caribbean festival, AfriCa Fest offers to increase awareness and appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity. Multiculturalism exists in various forms, official, commodified, popular, and much more. The clothes you wear, the language you speak, the way you worship, have all become grounds for dismissal or inclusion. I encourage everyone to reflect on how representation produce community, citizens and, ultimately, a nation. During the festival and beyond, it is my hope that everyone steps away from the rhetoric of multiculturalism which imagines blackness in Canada as a recent phenomenon, especially within the logic of immigration. To be black in the colonial settler-nation state of Canada means to belong, not to belong, and systemic erasure of our history and struggles.
However, Africans and Canadians continue to be part of a radical tradition of social and cultural change in Canada, and beyond. Next week, as AfriCa Fest draws to a close, we also celebrate “the onward progress of the African liberation movement and the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation”, which we know as African Liberation Day.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee, our sponsors, and wonderful volunteers. AfriCa Fest would not be possible without your support. Before I leave, I would like to introduce Councillor, Lisa Helps. Lisa brings her heart, wealth of experience and big-picture, long-term thinking to Victoria City Council table and we are honored to have her here today.
I thank you all for coming, and enjoy the festival.
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| Image source: VACCS website |
Good evening, my name is Boma Brown and on behalf of the Victoria African & Caribbean Cultural Society, it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the opening ceremony of AfriCa Fest 2013.
I would like to start off by acknowledging unceded Lekwungen territory and ask everyone to reflect on the land upon which we are meeting today and the history of oppression, dislocation and violence that has taken place on this land. It’s important to recognize this ongoing process of colonization in this land we call Canada and how we contribute to this process as settlers and immigrants. I would also like to acknowledge community members and Elders present today and thank them for their time and contribution.
For the past year, I’ve worked with VACCS founder Pulcherie Mboussi on various projects, such as La Calabasse du Nomade, African & Caribbean Spirit Night and most recently AfriCa Fest. This is the first annual AfriCa Fest and VACCS thought it was important to highlight some aspects of African & Caribbean culture. As part of the AfriCa fest experience, we want people to drum, dance, listen, learn, taste and exchange. Cultural exchange is at the heart of this festival, and so is food and music, and quite rightly so. Food and music are crucial aspects of cultural identity and its incorporation in cross-cultural settings is often welcome. The food we eat not only represents our traditions, history and geography, but also our cultural adaptability. Similarly, the language of music transcends linguistic, geographical and cultural barriers.
It was impossible for us to ignore the politics of the African continent while organizing this festival. On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll be screening the film United States of Africa. Next week Friday, we’ll once again be screening the movie, this time at the University of Victoria. This will be followed by a brief discussion. The documentary style film follows African hip hop pioneer Didier Awadi on a quest to craft an album that pays tribute to the great black revolutionary leaders such as Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara and Cheikh Antah Diop, who fought for the dignity of the African people, and for an independent united Africa. It also shows a hopeful and compelling portrait of a continent whose politically aware youth is refusing to accept the role of victim. This film brilliantly challenges the stereotypes and the negative representations of the African continent and highlights the contribution of Africans to civilization and history. By screening this movie, we acknowledge the roots of this pan-Africanist movement which stems from struggles of independence. In our discovery booth and souvenir booklet, you’ll notice that we included the history of colonization and independence in Africa & the Caribbean. Our souvenir booklet also recognizes the African Union in its 50th year and its contributions in promoting and defending the continent’s interests.
As Victoria’s first large scale African & Caribbean festival, AfriCa Fest offers to increase awareness and appreciation for cultural and ethnic diversity. Multiculturalism exists in various forms, official, commodified, popular, and much more. The clothes you wear, the language you speak, the way you worship, have all become grounds for dismissal or inclusion. I encourage everyone to reflect on how representation produce community, citizens and, ultimately, a nation. During the festival and beyond, it is my hope that everyone steps away from the rhetoric of multiculturalism which imagines blackness in Canada as a recent phenomenon, especially within the logic of immigration. To be black in the colonial settler-nation state of Canada means to belong, not to belong, and systemic erasure of our history and struggles.
However, Africans and Canadians continue to be part of a radical tradition of social and cultural change in Canada, and beyond. Next week, as AfriCa Fest draws to a close, we also celebrate “the onward progress of the African liberation movement and the determination of the People of Africa to free themselves from foreign domination and exploitation”, which we know as African Liberation Day.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee, our sponsors, and wonderful volunteers. AfriCa Fest would not be possible without your support. Before I leave, I would like to introduce Councillor, Lisa Helps. Lisa brings her heart, wealth of experience and big-picture, long-term thinking to Victoria City Council table and we are honored to have her here today.
I thank you all for coming, and enjoy the festival.
