Bring an appetite for more than food to this weekend’s African Fest

President Ralph Martin and his Saginaw African Cultural Festival Committee have watched their annual celebration grow even more mature. This has been a huge challenge because the local landmark event, Friday through Sunday at Morley School Park, already is 55 years old.

The year-round volunteers appreciate support from audiences in the thousands, but they aim for more patrons to absorb the activity tents, clothing and craft displays, topical discussions and stage performances. 

“Year after year, we see some people who park in the old school lot, go straight to the food vendors, get their dinners and then leave,” Martin declares, with a straightforward honesty not often heard in standard upbeat pitches from summer event organizers.

And so the 2023 fish and ribs and chicken, and the tacos too, will be located somewhat farther out toward I-675, leading to increased encounters with elements of culture and artistry along the longer pathway.

Martin insists this is not a strong-arm tactic. He returns to diplomacy.

“We are hoping to ‘channel’ the crowd, not to ‘herd’ them,” he explains, and adds, “Hopefully they will see and experience something that they may not have, otherwise, on the stage or maybe at one of the tents.”

Besides, if someone really needs some aid to reach the takeout line, festival volunteers for years have offered cart rides to riders’ choices of destinations.

“We’re not forcing anything on anyone,” Martin summarizes. “In general, we hope people will find the layout to be more accessible.”

Example for the change

A desire for artistry and culture to become even more prominent gained strength with Martin last summer, when he observed the efforts of a relative newcomer in the festival leadership, Nyesha Clark-Young. Many of the veterans first had observed her clicking snapshots at the pre-pandemic fests, and she evolved to become arts chairwoman.

A year ago she assembled an “African Village” close to the highway’s pedestrian bridge, but participation was scant at times because of the remote spot. This time her point will be far more focal and her former location is near where food vendors will set up shop.

“The main goal is to promote and support local artists who otherwise would not receive exposure,” Clark-Young says.

New on the agenda

Two samples of addressing community violence are featured Saturday.

C.A.P., Community Alliance for the People, is hosting a talk-testimonial summit at 1 p.m., in a setting where elders generally are asked to keep to themselves and listen to the young people.

Earlier, at 11 a.m., is a kickball exhibition prior to the big event next Saturday, Aug. 19, at Hoyt Park, intended in a different manner to address the same dilemma.

The common thread is that kickball was organized last summer after outbreaks of violence, and the summit this year is in response to the same sorts of ongoing tragic circumstances and events.

Another common point is that anyone with special interest in the Saturday proceedings should park on the east end of the Morley School property, not the distant main lot at Lapeer and Vet’s Memorial.

For C.A.P., this replaces the regular second monthly Saturday at the downtown SVRC Marketplace.

Morley site’s future

Martin praises city school district crews for mowing and maintaining the sprawling northeast site, where fest leaders have made their home rather than moving downtown or to Ojibway Island. They have no quarrels with the other venues and assert that they mainly are maintaining tradition.

“It’s looking great, better than it ever has been this far in advance,” he said Wednesday.

On the other side, he says post-festival he will pursue a negative situation in which he says City Hall has ceased furnishing picnic tables, which has required the hire of a private rental service, sapping money from the activities budget.

Festival leaders have requested federal ARPA dollars to maintain and preserve Morley School Park, similar to monies approved this year for Ojibway and Hoyt. However, such action could require a transfer of ownership from the schools to the city, which is why Martin says cooperation is needed with both entities.