This Memorial Day weekend, Brooklyn came alive with the rhythms, colors, and vibrant energy of the DanceAfrica Festival 2024. As the largest and oldest continuous festival dedicated to African diasporic dance and music in the United States, DanceAfrica celebrated its 47th year by honoring the rich cultural heritage of Cameroon. The festival's theme centered on the calabash—a vessel of profound mystical, practical, and cultural significance—served as a focal point for exploring Central African history, arts, and culture. Goldwater Ventures, committed to sustaining traditionalist lifeways of cultural communities worldwide, was prominently represented at the festival.
Founder Lectures on the Calash
At the event, A. Prince Albert III, Founder and President of Goldwater Ventures, explained to part the significance of the calash in Cameroon and beyond:
At Goldwater Ventures, we sustain traditionalist lifeways of cultural communities worldwide. Lifeways encompass human activities and cultural practices that shape a community's interaction with its environment, notably these seven key categories: (1) subsistence foodways, (2) social organizations, (3) economic systems, (4) spiritual practices, (5) communal place-making, (6) artistic expressions, and (7) tools and technology.
While we could primarily study the calash as a cultural and technological tool, its uses are various. They have practical uses as containers for food, water, palm wine, or other liquids. They are utensils used as bowls, cups, or spoons -- like we would use tupperware. They are also musical instruments prominent in Central and some Western African music due to the millennium of Congo-Niger migrations. Calashes also have ceremonial uses, which we would cover in our spiritual beliefs and practices category of lifeways. They are frequently used in libation ceremonies, where liquids like water or wine are poured out as offerings to ancestors and deities in both Central and Western Africa. They have a secondary spiritual meaning as symbols of life and fertility due to their round shape and their ability to hold and nurture substances. They have artistic meaning, which is not separate from their practical utility or spiritual significance. Calabashes are often intricately carved or painted with traditional designs and patterns. These decorated calabashes are used in festivals and as decorative items in homes.
Additionally, the calabash is featured in many traditional stories and folklore, symbolizing various aspects of life and human experience, the aforementioned and economic. And ultimately, the tool's economic significance is not lost on us either. Calabashes are commonly sold in local markets, providing an economic resource for those who cultivate, harvest, and craft them. Many families, cities, regions, tribes, or clans decorate them in specific colors, designs, and markings. The virtual world is for virtual goods and services, but a good old physical object that holds the physical products of life will forever be indispensable. That is why we include tools and technologies in the 7th category of lifeways. Technologies are but human tools through time to facilitate, economize, capitalize, and aestheticize our lives.
Outside Festivities Beyond the Stage, Prince on the Drum as Resilient Symbol of Diaspora
In addition to the main stage, the DanceAfrica Festival offered diverse activities, including traditional dance and music performances, classes, workshops, late-night dance parties, visual arts exhibitions, and FilmAfrica’s cinematic series. The iconic outdoor bazaar featured vendors selling and teaching about sigils, talismans, traditional dress, and drum-based music.
Greg "Gee" Roberson, a prominent New York-based visual artist and a friend of Goldwater Ventures, presented his latest work at the festival. Robinson’s art, deeply rooted in African diasporic themes, captivated attendees with its profound exploration of cultural and spiritual legacies.
The DanceAfrica Festival provided a unique opportunity to experience a spectrum of Africana spirituality, ranging from Ifa to Rastafarianism and Afro-Indigenous spiritual practices. This gathering served as a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of these traditions despite their geographical dispersion across Africa, the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Goldwater Ventures's mission is to sustain and support these enduring lifeways within this global community of cultural and spiritual kinship.
When asked, Albert opined on the significance and the scale of one of the largest inter-diasporic events in the United States:
The DanceAfrica Festival exemplifies the rich tapestry of our collective heritage. The inter-diasporic conversation across cultures, languages, and traditions showcases a profound spiritual and cultural kinship that transcends geographical boundaries. At Goldwater Ventures, we are dedicated to sustaining these traditions, ensuring they thrive for future generations. Our participation in this festival underscores our commitment to fostering understanding and unity among diverse cultural communities worldwide.
Among the many symbols of unity and cultural heritage at DanceAfrica, the drum stood out as a quintessential example of ceremonial distinctions between peoples yet a profound cultural commonality. The drum, omnipresent wherever Africans have ever been, has been a vital instrument for centuries, used in rituals, ceremonies, communication, and entertainment. From the talking drums of West Africa to the djembe and the conga, the drum's resonance is a testament to its enduring significance.
The drum is a perfect example of the ceremonial distinctions between our peoples and a cultural commonality that binds us. For thousands of years, the drum has been an omnipresent force in African communities worldwide, symbolizing unity, communication, and the heartbeat of our cultures. Its presence at the DanceAfrica Festival highlighted our shared heritage and the unbroken rhythm of our traditions.
The DanceAfrica Festival 2024, in collaboration with long-standing partners such as the DanceAfrica Council of Elders, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), and The Billie Holiday Theatre, proved to be another blockbuster celebration. It marked the unofficial start of summer in Brooklyn and served as a beacon of Africana pride, unity, and resilience for Black communities across the globe.
Citation
Goldwater Ventures, Goldwater President Lectures on the Cameroonian Calash during Brooklyn DanceAfrica Festival 2024 (May 29, 2024), LINK.
References
Gee Roberson's current work: https://www.instagram.com/gee.roberson/
Gee Roberson's previous work: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/greg-roberson
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