City Hall is hosting cultural events of special interest to Dorchester residents this weekend, featuring talent from our own neighborhood.
African Festival of Boston
This Saturday, July 14 on City Hall Plaza, the Shalupe Foundation, a Boston non-profit dedicated to “strengthening the voice of the African Diaspora,” presents its third annual African Festival of Boston (AFOB). As the largest African festival in New England, AFOB aims not only to entertain, but to empower by providing tools, education and resources to African expatriates. About 15,000 attendees are expected at this event, which is free and open to the public.
Promotion for the AFOB is being handled by the Dot-based Entity Entertainment headed by Mount Everett St. resident, Joseph AYobami Magbagbeola, who created the video at africanfestivalofboston.org.
The continent’s diversity is showcased through the drum call parade, African style face painting, health and wellness reps, African vendors and an Afro-fashion show. Among the internationally known African musicians appearing this year are Ajak from South Sudan, Ary from Cape Verde, Destiny Africa Children’s Choir from Uganda, Sara Mitauru from Kenya and Shakalewa from the DRC.
The AFOB runs from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., with peak hours being between 3-8 p.m.
Gospel Fest 2012
On Sunday, July 15, the Plaza will again be filled with music-lovers congregating for the city’s 12th GospelFest from 5-8 p.m.
This year’s headliner is jazz gospel favorite and Grammy nominee Kim Burrell. Earlier this year her 2011 “Love Album” won two Stellar Awards, and her recording “Sweeter” just received a Dove Award.
The 2012 GospelFest program also features Grove Hall’s Katani Sumner and Dot resident Ayana McDonald, a vocalist who has appeared at Fenway Park, the Apollo Theatre. She started the Dot-based Epic Sound Music Academy in 2012, and she serves as chief worship leader at the Mt. Olive Kingdom Builders Worship Center on Norfolk Street.
GospelFest 2012 is produced by the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events, and generously sponsored by Liberty Mutual.
“What I want to say is…”
The Mayor’s Gallery on the fifth floor of City Hall will feature a photography exhibition by middle-schoolers from Dot’s Epiphany School through August 17. Alonzo Seay, Shantez Cole, Tayla Robinson, and Wendy Laracuente are all Dot residents while Devon Young lives in Roxbury.
This show entitled “What I want to say is…” features the work of the five youngsters who participated in Take 5’s inaugural program in photography.
Take 5 Foundation provides quality time, attention, and instruction to five kids per project over the course of a full year, utilizing the expertise and talent of individuals in the community.
Brenda Bancel, a recent graduate of the New England School of Photography, is the president of the Take 5 and worked with this first group of kids. She spent ten years in the advertising industry working before realizing that she wanted to focus on nonprofit work and social issues.
Reflecting on her year at Epiphany and on the City Hall show, Bancel said, “These kids come from difficult circumstances and almost all have recently witnessed violence. They became more self-aware through journal writing and photography exercises on self-expression: Devon and his love of night shots and roller coasters. Wendy and her ode to her mother’s detail in making a nice life for her and her brothers. Alonzo and his documentary of him in his room. Shantez for showing us her two personalities. And Tayla and her love of the car and color.”
