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Visitors browse unique, handmade items in the the Juanita Ragland Heritage market at a previous Down Home Family Reunion. (Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society)
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Eleba Folklore Society’s African dance troupe performs at a recent festival. (Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society)
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Children’s entertainment, take-home crafts and face-painting will be offered at this year’s event, in the Annie Tyler New School Pavilion. (Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society)
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(Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society)
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(Photo courtesy Elegba Folklore Society)
This Saturday, the Elegba Folklore Society invites friends and families from Richmond and beyond to experience a day of cultural appreciation at the 26th annual Down Home Family Reunion, dubbed “A Celebration of African-American Folk Life.”
The family festival offers music, dance, stories, food, merchandise and a heaping dose of culture inside Abner Clay Park in historic Jackson Ward, a neighborhood brought to prominence by former slaves and free people of color after the Civil War. From Reconstruction to the mid-20th century, Jackson Ward was one of the most well-known African-American communities in the nation, renowned for its bevy of business and civic leaders, and its thriving arts and entertainment district.
Distinguished by the city of Richmond as a Cultural Ambassador, Elegba Folklore Society is a not-for-profit organization that celebrates African and African-American culture year-round. Founder and Artistic Director Janine Bell also takes charge of this event as festival coordinator.
The Down Home Family Reunion is designed to link West African and African-American cultural traditions, says Bell. She believes there are many ways these traditions have influenced the American South, pointing to medicine, clothing, music, cuisine and ideologies, “all of which carry the influence of African culture,” she says.
Admission to the event is free, but VIP Gold Circle tickets are once again available this year. With the purchase of a $30 ticket, VIP attendees will be given special seating for performances throughout the day, complimentary food and beverages, and a chance to meet the event’s headlining performers, The Intruders.
In addition to The Intruders, a number of acts will grace the festival stage, including the Afro-Puerto Rican ensemble Luis y Su Revolu, the reggae sounds of Adwela and the Uprising, and a special interactive program by Elegba’s African dance group, a performance in which Bell will take part.
The Juanita Ragland Heritage market will offer handmade items, “things you can’t get in the mall,” Bell says. The market was named in honor of the late Juanita Ragland, a former coordinator for the Heritage Market.
In addition to the multiple performances, activities and shopping, events for children and teens will take place in the Annie Tyler New School Pavilion. Expect kid-friendly performers, take-home crafts, African-inspired face painting and more.
Each year thousands of people gather for this cultural experience; the 2016 event is slated to draw 13,000, according to Elegba’s website. Bell says of the festival, “It’s an opportunity to walk away from stress and pressure and stand in your true self. And if we can do that, then we can do something good.”
The event, free and open to the public, will be held from 4 to 11 p.m. on Aug. 20 at Abner Clay Park, at Belvidere and West Leigh Streets. Street parking is available near the park. For more information on the Elegba Folklore Society and the Down Home Family Reunion, please visit efsinc.org.
