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5 Things to Do at African Heritage Festival

/ Kids and Families

We hope your weekend plans include celebrating the vibrant traditions and cultures of Africa at our African Heritage Festival on Saturday! Inspired by the art in our African galleries, this free festival features art-making, dance, music, and more. Here are five things to do while you’re here.
  1. Enjoy a dance and drum performance. Birmingham’s Nathifa Dance Company has been sharing a passion for African dance and music at community events across Alabama since 1992. Catch the group’s exciting performance in the Museum’s auditorium on Saturday at 1pm.
  2. Leave your mark on our collaborative mural. Grab a paintbrush and add your own creative flair to our collaborative mural celebrating Birmingham’s sister city of Winneba. Located in the West African nation of Ghana, Winneba has been one of Birmingham’s sister cities since 2009.
  3. Take a family-friendly tour. Explore the African galleries on a tour led by Museum docents. The African collection at the BMA includes more than 1,600 objects from across the continent of Africa, representing all major regions and artistic styles from 1500 BC forward. The works of art include masks, figure sculpture, textiles, ceramics, household and ritual objects, jewelry, musical instruments, currencies, furniture, clothing, and costume.
  4. Create a reverse-glass painting. Reverse-glass painting is a traditional art form in several parts of the world. The first step in making a reverse-glass painting is to draw the outlines in India ink on the glass. The colors come next, filling the spaces created by the outlines. The background, which is the last to be applied, sometimes covers the whole picture. Make your own reverse-glass painting and other African arts-inspired crafts, including beaded bracelets and pinch pots, during the festival.
  5. Take a break for story time. Pull up a chair for a special edition of our monthly storytelling program, Bart’s Books, featuring Zomo the Rabbit: A Trickster Tale from West Africa by Gerald McDermott.

We’ll see you at African Heritage Festival on Saturday from 10am-2pm!