The Africa Fest is a popular festival in Madison which celebrates African immigrant communities. It is most looked forward to by a diverse group of people both in and out of the Dane County and Wisconsin at large.

This festival has been celebrated for several years and this year’s celebration marked its 20th anniversary, uniting everyone under the theme: “Celebrating Africa’s Great Civilizations In the Diaspora.”

A favorite festival for many, this event brought everyone together as part of one big family, with a feeling of being at home away from home – as many danced to the rich African rhythms, studied and observed the grassroots African culture, connected spiritually with their ancestry and others just had fun.

This year’s activities featured cooks, scholars, craft vendors displaying traditional adornments reflective of Africa to the public, diverse musicians, artists and performers from Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Mali, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, etc.

The celebrations took place at the Central Park in Madison, kicked off by “Strides for Africa” – a 5K run/ walk for all ages aimed at raising funds to provide safe drinking water for rural areas in Africa. It was followed by The Parade of Nations, where several Africans held the flags of their respective home nations and paraded around the events ground.

The “African Tent” was used to display rare and colorful artifacts and articles which represented the real Africa and portrayed the Africa Fest theme.

The ethnic entertainment dances and performances presented by Africans living in Madison lured in non-Africans who got in on the fun and crowned the day.

This festival left everyone who attended with a feeling of camaraderie coupled with a great and better understanding and admiration for Africa.