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Community welcomes return of black cultural festival

Photos: African American Cultural Fest

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By Dave Larsen, Staff Writer Updated 2:54 PM Sunday, August 23, 2009

DAYTON — An African Durbar and libation ceremony opened the Dayton African-American Cultural Festival on Saturday, Aug. 22, at RiverScape MetroPark in Dayton.

The Durbar is an African tradition that features a parade of community elders accompanied by drummers and dancers, said Claude “Yahya” Fambrough, who organized the African village area of the festival.

The libation is an ancient African spiritual gesture to honor ancestors, Fambrough said. Traditionally, it involves pouring a liquid on the ground and asking for blessings for the event.

The free, daylong festival unfolded under cool, cloudy skies with light rain showers in the afternoon.

It featured a replica of an African village, an African drum ensemble, Rwandan dancers and a Burundi choir. The entertainment also included hip-hop performers, public speakers and a fashion show.

The event marked the return of a major African-American cultural festival to Dayton.

The popular Dayton Black Cultural Festival was canceled in 2006 after 24 years because of a lack of funds and sponsors.

The African-American Cultural Festival is a new entity, according to organizers.

“The spirit and the idea is pretty much the same,” said Dr. Alonzo Patterson of Dayton, who was scheduled to speak about community health issues.

Gary Frisby of Miamisburg missed having the Black Cultural Festival the last three years.

“I’d go there every year,” Frisby said. “It’s free this year, so it’s nice, too.”

Tracey Gray of Huber Heights was glad to see the return of a black cultural festival to Dayton.

“I like to celebrate our culture and taste the new foods and see the new sights and buy whatever good deals they have down here,” said Gray, who pushed her son, Garrett, in a stroller along RiverScape.

It’s important for people to participate in their communities, Patterson said.

“When the African-American Festival is happening, we want all of the community to come out. When the Celtic Festival is happening, all the people need to come out,” Patterson said.

“That’s the spirit behind it. Not just something for one segment of the community, but one segment of the community inviting the other parts of the community into their lives and their worlds. Because we’re all here together,” he said.

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