WORCESTER — Music, food, arts and crafts and a message of community unity. Those were some of the highlights of this year’s Worcester African Festival.
In its third year, the event Saturday, Aug. 2, on the Worcester Common was expected to attract more than 5,000 visitors. They heard rhythmic music from the main stage, smelled the native dishes wafting in the air and witnessed the colorful African attire worn by many of the roughly 70 vendors and some of the visitors.
“This is a celebration of culture, togetherness and unity,” said Jermoh Kamara, president of the Massachusetts Organization of African Descendants, which organized the festival. The organization is a coalition of volunteers from African nations living in Worcester who support socioeconomic, political and educational opportunities for the African diaspora.
Kamara noted a determination to hold this year’s festival, despite the current political climate that includes the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigrants. That development was cited as one reason by the organizers of the Latin American Festival for canceling this summer’s event.
That wan’t an option for the African Festival, said Kamara. “The community chose how to lead with joy, unity and togetherness, and not have fear.”
If there was any fear, it wasn’t readily apparent because visitors and vendors freely mingled and celebrated friendship and African culture.
Amadou Kane brought his handmade African carvings and baskets to the festival. Kane owns Butu International in Brockton and immigrated to the U.S. 30 years ago from Senegal. While he organized a few kalabash, a circular wallet made of leather, that he sold, Worcester resident Christine Fallstrom had her eyes of one of Kane’s colorful baskets.
“I came here for the baskets,” she said. She bought one, but there was more that drew her to the festival. “I love the food, I love the multicultural atmosphere and I love that Worcester is hosting this. It’s great for the community.”
While listening to the sounds from the main stage, Magdalene Kamau of Dudley took some time during her lunch break from work to enjoy fried plantains sold by one of the vendors. Kamau arrived in the U.S. 20 years ago from Kenya and proudly showed off her beaded bracelet with the word “Kenya” embroidered in the jewelry.
“I feel I belong here,” said Kamau to explain her motivation for attending the festival.
Nearby, a visitor stopped by where TamBo’s Kitchen was selling African foods and was persuaded to try a tomato-based rice dish called jollof. A staffer said the dish originated in Senegal and became mainstream in Nigeria.
Mary Oyomire ladled out scoops of jollof, wearing a distinctive purple dress that she made in Nigeria. A co-worker described the garment with two words: adire, which is a type of material and pattern, and abaya, for the style of Oyomire’s dress.
It was a family affair for some of the vendors. Anna Aduayi helped her parents transport their African clothing from Providence to sell at the festival. Aduayi’s parents emigrated from Nigeria, and their daughter was born in the U.S. “It’s being in this surrounding and knowing we can come together as one,” she said of why she was at the festival.
It wasn’t easy for Mussa Kromah to escape from his duties as a grandfather to mingle with other visitors, because he was tethered to a stroller, where inside his 6-month-old granddaughter was in a deep sleep. Kromah grew up in Liberia, lived in the Ivory Coast and immigrated to Worcester in 2003.
Being a grandfather came first, but Kromah was going to find time to rub elbows with other festivalgoers. “I want to make friends here. I want to meet strangers from different cultures that I’ve never met before.”
Maybe he had the chance to meet author Kiki Yaw Sarpong, who lives in Boston, grew up in Senegal and arrived in the U.S. a dozen years ago. Sarpong was at a booth selling his short story, “Emergence,” a fictitious account of an investigative journalist who is trying to uncover what caused a mass extinction of people living in Liberia.
Besides selling his work, Sarpong said it was important to be at the festival to have African authors represented in Worcester and beyond. “I want our stories told. It’s important to have representation.”
The festival recognized two Worcester organizations with special awards. African Community Education, which helps refugee and immigrant youth and families reach educational and social stability, was named the 2025 African Organization of the Year. The second award went to the Nigerian Amercian Association, recognized as the 2025 African Ethnic Organization of the Year.
Besides the festival, the day included a planned after-hours party at the Lara Lounge on Lincoln Street.
In between her duties to keep the festival running smoothly, Kamara made it clear the day more than supporting the African diaspora. It was a show of unity for all.
“This is a celebration of unity. Of economic development not just for African businesses, but also for Black and brown vendors…it’s a celebration for everybody, for all of our brothers and sisters.”
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram
