Experience 20+ African Countries at Panafest

From Montgomery Community Media:

The African Heritage Month celebrations continue with the Pan African Cultural Festival in Silver Spring on Saturday, Sept. 27, from noon to 9 p.m.

The Panafest will be held at the Veteran’s Plaza and will include arts and crafts exhibits, a taste of African cuisine and live cultural performances by groups from various African countries.

Daniel Koroma, community liaison to the African and Caribbean communities, said the event will be a display of the heritage of all people of African descent.

“If people want to visit more than 20 countries in African, three countries in Caribbean and Latin American counties, they should attend this event,” Koroma said.

Groups from Ethiopia, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leon, Ghana, and South Africa, among others, will be sharing their culture, music, and dance with Montgomery County residents.

Some of the performers are Anne Marcelle, an Ivorian dancer; Lily Meka, Cameroonian singer; Ethiopian traditional dance with Thomas Young, an American who has been studying the Ethiopian culture for 15 years; and Sierra Leone Fly Girls, an all-girls group.

The organizer said there is something for everyone at the free family event, and the event’s mission is to promote community among the African diaspora in the U.S. and celebrate African Heritage.

Good to know:

What: Pan African Cultural Festival.

Time: noon to 9 p.m.

Where: 1 Veterans Plaza in Silver Spring.

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