The 5th Annual African Arts Festival celebrates the glorious diversity and extraordinary creativity of the continent’s people. Co-presented by Duniya Dance and Drum Company and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, it’s a family-friendly celebration of live music and dance featuring Bay Area ensembles representing different regions of Africa and the African diaspora, including a sneak peek at “Raices et Résistance,” a collaboration between Duniya and the Afro-Cuban Arenas Dance Company, and a performance by the Guinean funk combo Bongo and the TonTons. Formed in April 2007, Duniya Dance and Drum Company creates dance and music from Punjab, India, and Guinea, West Africa, as well as unique blends of these forms and beyond. Along with interactive activities like dance and drum lessons and face-painting for children, vendors offer a variety of traditional African food and goods for sale, including clothing, jewelry, hair care, and skin care. “The idea for the festival came from the desire to bring Africans and the diaspora together as one community in the Bay Area, to inspire each other and share each other’s culture,” explains Duniya Dance and Drum Company Artistic Director Bongo Sidibe. “We are highlighting joy and celebrating who we are as Black people.”

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