Savannah Black Heritage Festival F
ebruary is known as Black History month and is celebrated in numerous states and countries through a series of events giving recognition to the culture, history, talent, and contributions of various African Americans through time. I recently attended one such celebration in Savannah ,Georgia, a city rich in its own cultural heritage and history. February 7, 2009 marked the beginning of grand Festival Day for the “Savannah Black Heritage Festival held in beautiful downtown Savannah at the Civic Center. The event began with a ribbon cutting ceremony and parade through downtown Savannah. The main events were held at the Civic Center and began with a magic show and storytelling. The stories were told by a “griot,” or storyteller, which is usually an elder who passes down stories from generation to generation. The stories will almost always have a moral or lesson to them. The griot entertained both old and young with his tricks, from disappearing acts, to involving the audience in performing acts that would make it seem as though they could preform magic.
The dance performance by a few of the dance troupes showed dance from the African influence to the more modern moves you might see in today’s videos. The only downside to the show came when the brother of comedian Chris Rock performed and was all but booed off the stage because the audience did not seem to appreciate his type of humor. The program ended with performances by the Diva group, “En Vogue,” performing many of their popular hits and some hits by other artists, keeping in line with the theme of the overall program showing a chronology of music. The Savannah Black Heritage festival was an enjoyable experience I’d recommend to anyone.
There were arts and crafts workshops for the children teaching them how to create an assortment of items such as various musical instruments made from box, string, wire, tubing etc. It was interesting to see the creative designs they decorated their items with using beads, drawings, and assorted patterns from their own imaginations. There was also a cooking workshop where one could make authentic African dishes from scratch. The live performances included dancing, singing, spoken word, and comedy. There were also vendors with merchandise from hand crafted jewelry, clothing, art, food, and drinks. Authors with a variety of subject matters mostly relating to improving the problems relating specifically to the African American community sold thier books as well. The dance routines included African dance by children from ages 4 to 12, but the most interesting routine was by a group of young men who performed music from the earliest cultures of Africa and showed how the current concept of music and dance evolved through the ages, from “gospel,” “to rock and roll,” to “hip hop,” to “rap,” and back to what is termed “old school music”. They also combined martial arts, break dancing, and other types of dance originated in the African American community, showing the amazing dexterity and grasp of originality in putting together moves unlike any other culture. By: Imanullah Ahmed