Just in time for Black Music Month, the Indiana State Museum will present its Sankofa Black Heritage Festival.
Sankofa will take place on Feb. 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. inside the Great Hall, Legacy Theater and Dean White Auditorium of the museum, 650 W. Washington St. The event is free with general admission to the museum.
Sankofa is a one-day, annual event done in conjunction with Black History Month. Its programming celebrates West African as well as Hoosier African-American art, history and culture.
“What’s interesting and unique about the festival is that it focuses on the beginnings of African American history,” said Bruce Williams, Director of Multicultural Audiences for the Indiana State Museum.
He explained that the name “Sankofa” is an Accan word from West Africa, or the Ivory Coast, where a vast majority of slavers were taken. Williams noted that a lot of history events begin with slavery and a lot of American stories and themes and stories.
“We wanted to go back to African roots and celebrate the arts and humanities from both the perspective of Africans and African American Hoosiers,” he said. “It will be a great opportunity for people to experience West African culture.”
Performance-based arts closely align with Black History Month themes that explore the African-American experience, both past and present. African-American families, businesses, social and civic organizations, students and educators will be targeted.
Sankofa will begin with its Singsation! segment in the Great Hall from 10 am to noon, which will feature inspirational and spiritually uplifting music directed by gospel recording artist Napoleon Williams, featuring a broad repertoire of traditional and contemporary gospel music by some of central Indiana’s best ensembles, including the Cathedral High School Choir, the Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church Mass Choir, the Naptown Fellowship Mass Choir and the Universal World Wide Ministry Mass Choir.
Other features will include a film on African American inventors in the Legacy Theater, the African Drum and Dance Ensemble at noon, the Community Reading Chain featuring local community leaders reading Zomo the Rabbit, the IUPUI student showcase, a display of African family arts and crafts and storytelling arts.
Participants will also be able to benefit from the Community Organization, which will include fascinating, fun and helpful information about groups such as historically Black fraternities and sororities, colleges and universities, the Links, United Way of Central Indiana, the Indianapolis chapter of Indiana Black Expo, Asante Children’s Theatre, Comcast, Indianapolis Urban Theatre & Dance, The National Council of Negro Women, African Community International and many others.
For more information about the Sankofa Black Heritage Festival, visit www.indianastatemuseum.org or call (317) 232-1637.
