A new three-day festival celebrating African culture in Maine hopes to attract statewide attention.
The Bangor Area African Festival will take place from Friday August 16th to Sunday August 18th. The festival, which aims to attract at least 300 people, will feature dishes from different African countries, African businesses, talents across dance and fashion, and more. Everyone, including state officials such as Governor Janet Mills, the Attorney General and Secretary of State, is invited.
This is an extension of Bangor Area Africans, a group that formed in mid-2020 via WhatsApp to enable people from Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria and other African countries settled in Maine to connect during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the group’s more than 120 members are relatively new to the state, while others have lived there for many years.
The informal group has held a few in-person gatherings, including one in which members drove to the homes of 2021 high school and college graduates to pay their respects, but the Bangor Area Africa Festival will be its largest event.
Those planning the event hope it will raise awareness and devote resources to the plight of African immigrants, which could strengthen Maine’s economy, said Angela Okafor, one of the organizers.
“Maine being a tourism state, imagine what that will bring when all these (African) businesses flourish,” she said. “We have a lot to offer. We just need people to know we’re here.
The festival’s organizing committee, which includes a dozen people from different countries, hopes it will become an annual tradition.
Another goal of the event is to “humanize” Africans in the community, so that state and local governments, schools and other entities better understand the needs of immigrants and people of color. Many people think that Africans are all the same, but there are differences between immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. There is room for everyone, Okafor said, but people should learn the differences.
Bangor Area Africans, an informal group formed in 2020, is hosting a three-day festival celebrating African culture. The group has held in-person gatherings, including one in which members drove to the homes of 2021 high school and college graduates to pay their respects, as seen here in a selfie by Angela Okafor . But the Bangor Area Africa Festival will be its biggest event designed to attract statewide attention. Credit: Courtesy of Angela Okafor
Okafor, originally from Nigeria and living in Bangor since 2008, hopes networking at the event will make members of his community more open and confident.
Fostering relationships with area employers can go a long way in attracting and retaining diverse employees, said Okafor, a real estate agent with Realty of Maine, attorney and former Bangor councilman. She was the first immigrant and person of color elected to the council of this predominantly white city.
Okafor once owned a market in Bangor offering international food, hair braiding services, custom wig making and African clothing.
Victor Iwegbulam, another organizer, hopes immigrants looking to start a business will come away with concrete steps on how to do so and connect with new people. Those who own businesses could learn how to grow them, he said.
The three-day festival will be held at Anah Shriners, 1404 Broadway in Bangor. The first day will be focused on food, fun and socializing. There will be a potluck including African food, African-themed games, dancing and yoga.
A business fair bringing together African companies will take place on the second day. There will also be panels related to education, finance and health. The idea is to encourage civic engagement and show immigrants that there is no need to be afraid to get involved, Okafor said.
African immigrants come from cash economies and face a learning curve in the United States, she said. They will have the opportunity to learn about long-term financial planning, investments and related topics.
“A lot of people, when they hear ‘immigrant,’ they think ‘illegal,’” she said. “But we are humans who just want the opportunity to work for a better living.”
Discussions will be held on health, particularly mental well-being, which can be taboo in some African communities, Iwegbulam said. But people should be aware of the treatment options available and have the opportunity to ask questions, Okafor added.
The final day of the festival will give attendees a taste of culture, including dishes from African food vendors, music, a fashion show and a children’s talent show. There will also be a cooking competition where participants will prepare their version of Jollof rice, a West African dish. The organizers are looking for judges.
As for participants outside of immigrant communities, “we want to help them understand how to understand us,” said Iwegbulam, who ran an in-home day care with his wife and now works for Penobscot Job Corps.
Sponsors of the event include the Maine Technology Institute, Northern Light Health and the Rudman Winchell law firm. More details about the festival will be shared on Facebook.
