Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Yanga Fest 2010! at the DuSable Museum

The DuSable Museum's Yanga Fest was a two day celebration featuring the opening of a new exhibit, The African Presence In Mexico From Yanga to the Present.
The two day festival was with filled art, music and dance! Activities included the DuSable Museum's 36 Annual Arts and Crafts Festival. Also featured were explosive dance and music presentations by Muntu Dance Theatre, Mexican Dance Ensemble, Dance Africa, Alyo Children's Theatre, Sones De Mexico and The Family Reunion Band that highlighted the power and beauty of Mexican and African-American culture.

Under the direction of the new president and CEO, Carol Adams, Phd, the DuSable Museum and the National Museum of Mexican Art, the exhibit which introduces the little known history of Africans in Mexico including the early African travelers, the Olmec heads, Yanga, and the interaction of Africanos, the Indigenous cultures (Native Americans) and the Spanish during the slave trade in Mexico. It is a powerful presentation of the shared history of African-Americans and Mexicans in the new exhibit.
The exhibit, which is organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art is described as "the most comprehensive project ever organized about African contributions to Mexican culture over the past 500 years." The exhibit is curated by Sagario Cruz of the University of Veracruz and the National Museum of Mexican Art's visual art director, Cesareo Moreno.

All photos by Aki Antonia c2010. All rights reserved.
To enlarge, click on the photo.

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