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African Festival of Cultures
In 2003, BYDS applied for funds to Bankstown City Council to organise and run an African research project, seeking to create a ‘snapshot’ of the African background people living in the Bankstown area.
The African background population has grown quickly over the last decade or so and little information is known about them regarding their place of birth, religious affiliations, welfare and cultural needs.
The launch of this successful six months research project, conducted by local Nigerian Australian resident and performer, Perpetua Ekechukwu was undertaken at an event that we called the ‘African Festival of Cultures’.
This event sought to showcase the many talented singers, dancers and performers from African backgrounds living in Western Sydney.
On the 17th April 2004, at Bankstown Town Hall, over four hundred people attended the event. It was a huge success with over twenty performances, both traditional and contemporary taking place over the evening. The success of this event led directly to a demand for an even bigger festival the following year.
Bankstown Sports Club granted BYDS funding for African Festival of Cultures 2005, an event which was held on the 15th October, 2005. Over 1100 people attended this.
More than fifteen local African communities took to the stage at this event, in addition to the many displays, food and coffee stalls, presentation by africanOz.com.au
The African Festival of Cultures’ concert 2005 was also the culmination of a series of Hip Hop, traditional dance and choral workshops undertaken by community members from all over Western Sydney (thanks to a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts). These workshops were facilitated by NOMISe, Perpetua Ekechukwu and Linda Marr.
We look forward to working with other partners to grow this event into a major Sydney Festival in 2008.
6-8 Old Town Centre Plaza, Bankstown | Ph: (02) 9793 8324 | Fax: (02) 9796 4581 |
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