July 25, 2009 

 

REVIEWS

 

African Global Roots: Twin celebrations of African-Minnesotan culture

By Nekessa Opoti, MN Daily Planet

 

Once a month in a coffee shop in Minneapolis, African-Minnesotan artists gather and share their work: they read book chapters, recite poems, screen film clips, and showcase paintings, sculpture, and drawings. Hosted by African Global Roots (AGR), these events have created a community within the local African arts and culture scene. Founded by Eriterian immigrant Petros Haile, AGR has sought to nurture the growth of African immigrants throughout the year.

Haile, like White, is also an event planner. He has been organizing cultural events in the Twin Cities for the past 20 years and this year decided to honor these artists by hosting an African Arts Festival. “There are so many African artists here in Minnesota,” he says, “and we have taken the culture that they bring for granted.”

 

Spoken word poet IBé and writer Nneka Onyilofor jumped on board when Haile shared his dream with them.

 

For its inaugural year, the festival honored various artists, including filmmaker Josiah Kibira for his film Tusamehe, a film about redemption in which an African immigrant couple struggle with the reality that they have HIV. In accepting his award Kibira, was happy that other Africans recognized his work. “We need a lot of encouragement,” he said.

 

Perhaps surprisingly, Minnesota is now home to some of Africa’s legendary musicians, who were recognized at the AGR festival. Siama Matuzungidi is one such artist. Now teaching guitar at the West Bank School of Music, Matuzungidi, who’s been performing for the last 30 years, once shared the stage with legends with Kanda Bongoman and Virunga (with Samba Mapangala). Even after he moved to Minneapolis, Matuzungidi continued to make a name for himself on the local music scene introducing his new fans to the sound of the lingala, soukous and reggae. Another artist who received recognition was Innocent Galinoma, who regularly plays at the Blue Nile Restaurant in Minneapolis, where he has earned a devoted following of fans who like to listen to reggae classics.

 

Other entertainment at the AGR festival included a dynamic dance troupe, the Hayor Bibimma African Dance Company, and a fashion show highlighting locally based two African designers: Utamaduni Wear and Bothdol Fashion. M.anifest, a Ghanian immigrant who burst onto the Twin Cities hip-hop stage a few years ago, brought the festival’s guests to their feet when he performed favorites “Gentleman” and “To the Motherland.”

 

With a large and growing African community in the Twin Cities, there is certainly room for both festivals.

 

Nekessa Opoti (nekessa@kenyaimagine.com) is a freelance writer and the publisher of kenyaimagine.com, a Kenyan online magazine and newspaper.