Africana Festival to be a highlight of IUB’s Black History Month celebration

Events will take place at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave., between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., and in Alumni Hall of the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 E. 7th St., between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Coulgh will lecture at 10:40 a.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

The festival will be a day-long series of programs open to all. The theme for the festival is “Unity in the Spirit of Diversity.” Among the programs offered will be a music and dance lecture/demonstration, an African drumming workshop, multicultural storytelling and a panel discussion, “The Africana Student Experience in Bloomington.” More than 20 ethnic vendors from the Bloomington community will participate in daytime events at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center.

Oyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said the term “Africana” refers to the rich diversity of all people of African descent, Africans on the continent and Africans in the diaspora, around the world. “The Africana Festival, therefore, is an inclusive program. It is even more relevant today because of ongoing efforts to improve race relations in our community through programs that are inclusive, informative and positive,” she said.

Daytime programs and events at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center are free and open to the public. Tickets for a Soul Food Buffet dinner at Alumni Hall are $12 for adults and $5 for students, children and seniors. Dinner tickets must be purchased by 5 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 16) at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. For more information, call 812-855-9271.

The evening program will feature an introduction to Africana peoples, the African American Arts Institute, the International Vocal Ensemble, and a poetry and fashion show.
http://www.indiana.edu/~nmbcc/