The African Hertiage Festival

African Heritage Festival

On Saturday June17, 2017 I attended an event that brought so much joy to my heart and my day. It was the African Heritage Festival hosted by the Birmingham Museum of Art. This was a free event for all ages a family event and very kid friendly. There were several art activities to participate in including face-painting and paint your mark in the city. Towards the end of the day, everyone was asked to meet in the auditorium to view the African dance session. I would recommend that everyone attend the next event. There are so many cool things happening in The Magic City, you just have to know where to look

Face painting

Face painting was awesome! I met new friends while standing in line in the summer heat. There was only one artist that painted faces. Observing the kids and adults ahead of me, I noticed that painting was her expertise. I was very fascinated of all the things she could paint upon request. The list of things included butterflies, flowers, cats (any kind), spider, turtle, princess etc. I also noticed the utensils and brushes she used sped the timing up for each canvas face that she painted. When it was finally my turn, I couldn’t wait to spark a conversation. I sat down and explained that I wanted my face painted as a leopard.



I loved my face painting, didn't want to take it off

 I chose a leopard because I thought the spots would be cool to paint also to keep it in the African theme. Once she started painting my face I asked, “how long have you’ve been face painting?” She replied nearly 10 years. I also asked did you go to school for this or take any art classes? And for the most part the answer was No. She said, “I work for a telephone company (laughs).” I was shocked! I began to tell her that I am a fashion blogger, I love to sketch, I am still learning to sew and when I was enrolled in Auburn University I took an art class along with intro fashion classes. She was intrigued and asked me the name of my blog I replied, (theestylish1.blogspot.com) as I proceeded to give her my business card.

Paint your mark in the city

The next activity was inside paint your mark in the city. This activity consisted of a very long sheet of white art a paper filled with land marks of places in the Magic City. The instructions were to choose a space, paint whatever you want and sign your name. I chose to paint a red heart and yellow stars representing my love and magic for the city of Birmingham. I left my mark in between the Civil Rights Institute and the Alabama School of Fine Art.

Art by: @nichollekobi

Finale

The finale was the African dance. In the auditorium on the stage there were two male drummers and five female dancers dressed in beautiful gowns and head wraps. The fashion were beautiful. The ladies changed a few times wearing different styles of clothing. As the dance began I noticed there was a rhythm. The drum beat kept the rhythm of the dance, it was the heart of the performance as the women celebrated their heritage.  The woman that narrated the performance engaged with the audience + encouraged us to make animal noises because in her country they believe the lions, tigers, elephants, zebras, etc are all giving God Glory in their own language. It was beautiful to watch!



Artwork that I completed doing adult coloring.

My plan was to upload the videos of the African dance and paint your mark in the city but I was having trouble uploading the videos.