Visitors said the festival was a wonderful way to showcase the different cultures of African people living in West Michigan.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The community gathered in Calder Plaza this weekend to celebrate the 6th annual A Glimpse of Africa Festival.
Kicking off in Grand Rapids on Saturday morning and running through Sunday, the festival was a hub of culture, food, artwork, fashion and music.
According to the nonprofit’s website, A Glimpse of Africa “brings people together by showcasing educating, celebrating, and sharing diverse African cultures while fostering community through programs that voice, advocate for, and address African refugees and immigrant needs and disparities.”
Visitors said the festival was a wonderful way to showcase the different cultures of African people living in West Michigan.
“I just think it helps to build empathy and helps people to understand and appreciate other cultures, and it just helps you have a better world view,” said attendee Sarah Lema. “And I just think it’s really important for breaking down those barriers and building bridges to help people get to know different cultures.”
Sarah and her husband, Julius Lema, own a travel company that helps families plan trips throughout East Africa. Julius is from Tanzania, and the two of them lived there with their children for a few years.
He said since not everyone can travel and visit African countries firsthand, the festival is a good opportunity for people to still have a chance to experience them in a different way.
“It’s all about sharing cultures,” he said. “You don’t get a chance to travel, but you can come over here and get a little bit of culture, or experience a little bit of culture from a different country. So I think for that, it’s important that we have this festival here.”
On Sunday, the festival held a flag ceremony where, in alphabetical order, all 54 flags of the nations of Africa were introduced along with a fun fact about each African nation. At the end, the flag of the United States was presented.
For Julius, the flag ceremony isn’t just an important moment, it portrays an important message.
“For me, it’s important that I want to make sure the message gets across that Africa is not a country, but a continent, and Tanzania is a country on the continent of Africa,” said Julius. “It’s one of over 50 countries that exist on the continent. There’s always this perception that Africa is a country. It’s not. It’s actually a continent. And Tanzania is a country that I originate from, and just want to represent it.”