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Africa Day Festival Event to Take Place in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens

Published: Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Africa Day Festival Event to Take Place in Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens

African food, music, games and customs will be showcased at Irish Aid's Africa Day Dublin, which takes place in the Iveagh Gardens on Sunday, 16th May. The event will be family-focused, with specific elements for children, including giant snakes and ladders, family treasure hunts, sports and art activities.

The Africa Day Dublin event will run from 12 noon until 7pm, and entry is free of charge. Access will be through the Clonmel Street (just off Harcourt Street) entrance to the Iveagh Gardens, and visitors are advised to use public transport to travel to the venue, as parking will be severely limited in the area.

Africa Day Dublin is hosted by Irish Aid, Ireland's overseas development programme. Some of the highlights will include:

Music

The Main Stage at Africa Day Dublin will feature an attractive line-up of both African and Irish performers. Congolese musician Niwel Tsumbu and Irish musician Dave Flynn have developed a special Africa Day collaboration and will perform together at the event. Senegalese kora master and griot, Solo Cissokho, will perform, as will Choice Music Prize winner Jape; trad Irish act Fidil; The Amazing Few; the Discovery Gospel Choir, and the Newpark Afro-Cuban Orchestra.

There will also be a second stage at the event - Stage Two - featuring a range of African and Irish rappers, hip-hop artists, DJs and bands over the course of the day. Highlights will include sets by Groovalizacion DJs; Funzo; Madu, and DJ Wax.

African Bazaar

In the African Bazaar, visitors to Africa Day Dublin can take a crash course in Ugandan or Bini dancing; learn some simple Swahili phrases; model traditional Kasai costumes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, or try out a tent used by the Taureg nomads of Mali. There will also be hair-braiding; traditional Nigerian masquerade performers; Abyssinian and Afro-Caribbean music; African board games; delicious food samples from Malawi, Zimbabwe and Cameroon, and arts and crafts displays from all over Africa. A 'Best Dressed' competition will take place over the course of the day, with prizes for those dressed in the most colourful African attire.

Food

This year at Africa Day Dublin, there will be several African food vendors offering a wide variety of authentic African food and drinks for visitors to purchase. There will also be a workshop on African food hosted by Ross Golden-Bannon, Editor of FOOD&WINE Magazine, who will be joined by a range of high-profile panellists, such as celebrity chef and cookery tutor Rozanne Stevens (originally from South Africa) and celebrity food blogger Donal Skehan.

Education Zone

In the Education Zone, visitors to Africa Day Dublin can find out more about development issues through participating in fun, family-friendly activities - try on traditional Mauritanian clothes; visit the 'Because I Am A Girl' photo exhibition; plant a seed to grow a vegetable commonly eaten in Africa, or take part in a jigsaw puzzle competition. Visitors can also take part in drumming contests, have their hands painted with henna tattoos, and test their knowledge of African countries and foods.

Speakers' Corner

The Speakers' Corner at Africa Day Dublin will feature a range of workshops over the course of the day, including an Africa Day Book Club discussion on the classic novel 'Things Fall Apart' by Chinua Achebe. Chaired by Seán Rocks, presenter of the 'Arena' arts programme on RTÉ Radio 1, panellists will include Newstalk presenter Orla Barry, award-winning writer Claire Kilroy; journalist Roisin Ingle; South African writer Thabi Madide, and Chinedu Onyejelem, Editor of Metro Éireann.

A discussion on 'How to Build Ireland's Engagement with Africa' will also take place, with input from the Minister of State for Overseas Development, Peter Power TD. Chaired by RTÉ newsreader Bryan Dobson, discussion panellists will include Justin Kicullen, Director of Trócaire; broadcaster and travel writer Manchán Magan, and Salome Mbugua, Director of AkiDwA, the African Women's Network.

Sports and Play area

Children visiting Africa Day Dublin can try their hand at traditional African games, such as Ingoma Bawo, the Malawian version of an ancient African board game. They can also enter quizzes and jigsaw puzzle competitions; participate in a drumming workshop; learn how to make traditional Ugandan toys out of banana fibres, and take part in African-themed art activities.

Sports activities will be offered by the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) and the GAA, who will be hosting numerous activities over the course of the day. Ex-All-Ireland winning hurler, George O'Connor, will be at the event to demonstrate basic hurling skills and encourage visitors to try their hand at the game.

Music Tent

A number of workshops with Main Stage performers will take place in the Music Tent over the course of Africa Day Dublin, including a drumming workshop with members of the Discovery Gospel Choir; a discussion of the Senegalese griot tradition with Solo Cissokho, and a workshop on the influence of African music on jazz and Latin music.

Full details of the programme for Africa Day Dublin click here.