This section covers people, events and resources concerned with Africa. There are separate sections for many of the 54 countries on the continent of Africa:
News and Upcoming Events for Africans in Cleveland
You Did It!
Thanks to your donations, the much needed ambulance was purchased for Saint Anthony of Padua dispensary in Mbahe Arisi County within the Catholic Diocese of Moshi, Tanzania. Thank you for your support!
Black Beanz - Cleveland Cultural Gardens World on Stage
Black Beanz is a group of young men from The Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and other African countries who met in high school in Akron Ohio and formed a dance crew. They performed at the World on Stage Concert event in the Cultural Gardens Centennial Plaza on Saturday September 7, 2024.
In their final dance at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation World on Stage Event they invited members of the audience to come up, learn some steps and dance with them. The ladies from Bollywood Cleveland, still in their costumes, joined in.
Every summer the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation hosts a series of free World on Stage concerts at the Centennial Peace Plaza on MLK Blvd. in Cleveland. The first concert of Summer 2024 was on June 29, 2024 and the focus was Percussion of the World. 4 diverse drum acts performed and the first performance was by Samba da Cidade (SDC), or "Samba of the City" in Portuguese.
Samba da Cidade at World on Stage
Samba da Cidade is a Cleveland-based samba school that brings together percussionists and dancers of all levels and ages to learn, play, dance, and perform samba and other rhythms inspired by the African Diaspora in Brazil, Cuba and elsewhere. Created and directed by Cleveland drummer and percussionist Dylan Moffitt (B. Mus., M. Mus., Cleveland Institute of Music), SDC is modeled after Rio de Janeiro's escolas de samba, the grass-roots organizations that prepare communities for the Carnaval parade.
SDC emerged in the summer of 2021, during the pandemic-induced isolation, when a handful of drummers began attending classes in Cleveland's Wade Oval park on Sunday evenings. What began as an effort to alleviate seclusion transformed into a thriving ensemble.
This performance was led by Chime (pronounced Chi-meh) who is a first-generation Nigerian who has lived mainly in the US but also Nigeria. He taught the audience some phrases and they joined in the song which then developed with the drums.
Africa & Byzantium Exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art
The new exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art, Africa & Byzantium, considers the complex artistic relationships between northern and eastern African Christian kingdoms and the Byzantine Empire from the fourth century CE and beyond. The first international loan exhibition to treat this subject, the show includes more than 160 works of secular and sacred art from across geographies and faiths, including large-scale frescoes, mosaics, and luxury goods such as metalwork, jewelry, panel paintings, architectural elements, textiles, and illuminated manuscripts.
Mosaic of Lion, 500s. Stone tesserae
You will see pieces representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths and countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Tunisia, Ethiopia and more.
This episode of Fun with Maps is about a vitally important stretch of 120 miles - the Suez Canal. Host Dan Hanson begins by showing the Sinai Peninsula to the east of the Suez Canal. Sinai is part of Egypt but is in Asia while the rest of Egypt is in Africa. It gets its name from the belief by the three Abrahamic religions that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on Mt Sinai, a mountain near the south of the peninsula.
The Suez Canal goes from Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea to Port Suez which empties into the Gulf of Suez and then the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and then the Indian Ocean. Dan looks at the 10 year construction of the Suez Canal and touches on many of the political, military and financial issues concerning it such as when Egyptian president Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal in 1956 and the 8 year blockade that started with the 1967 Six-Day War.
Dan tells the story of the famous Yellow Fleet which resulted from that blockade. The video also covers the recent (2021) blocking of the Suez Canal by a large container ship.
African Heritage Day - Cleveland Cultural Gardens World on Stage
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation 2023 World on Stage events in the Gardens are showcasing various heritages. The first 2023 event was African Heritage Day on July 1, 2023.
MC Sia Nyorkor with Ethiopian coffee
Audience members came from a variety of African countries including Liberia, Ghana, Congo, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia. One attendee from Pretoria, South Africa said, "This is the first time I've felt like home since I came to Cleveland."
There was delicious West African food, an Ethiopian coffee ceremony, drummers, dancers and fun for families.
It was a great day to celebrate the heritage of the Cleveland People from the 54 countries of Africa.
Djapo Cultural Arts Institute dancer
2022
Yum Village - New West African/Caribbean restaurant in Cleveland
Yum Village is a new Cleveland restaurant that features West African and Caribbean food. It's at 2215 Chester, right across from Cleveland State University.
We spoke with one of the owners Carasai Ihentuge who said there are 2 Yum Villages in his hometown of Detroit. Most of the food in the 2,400-square-foot space is non-GMO and vegan, but meat and chicken dishes are offered. Most are not very spicy.
Carasai's father is from Lagos, Nigeria and he grew up eating this food.
For us meat lovers, try the Flip Village Combo which is Mango Curry Chicken with Ginger Curry Chickpeas and White Potato Flips over a bed of delicious Coconut Rice or the DJ Village Combo which is Jezebel Peach Honey Mustard Chicken over Turmeric Rice served with Truffle Oil Greens and White Potato Flips. Neither is spicy.
Watch Carasai talk about the restaurant and the food.
2021
Fun with Maps - Lesotho
There are only 3 enclaved countries in the world. By enclaved we mean an independent country whose territory is completely surrounded by the territory of one other country. In Lesotho's case, it is within South Africa.
Lesotho is a unique and interesting country and the map really defines it. Did you know that the country of Wakanda in the Marvel superhero movie Black Panther was inspired by Lesotho? There's lots more interesting items about Lesotho. Keep having Fun with Maps.
Casablanca, Marrakesh, Algiers, the Barbary Coast, Morocco, the Sahara Desert, Darfur, Benghazi, Tunisia, Tripoli.
You've seen these exotic locales in movies, TV shows and the news but do you know where they are or much about them? In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at North Africa.
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent and contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries). This first episode in a series covering Africa includes Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco (including Western Sahara), Tunisia and Sudan.
After watching you will never listen to Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash or even the US Marines Hymn the same.
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at what has been called the 8th continent - Madagascar. The map shows how isolated Madagascar is from the rest of the world and that makes it a hotbed of biodiversity - 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. It has varieties of plants and animals that do not exist anywhere else. You've probably seen lemurs (endemic to Madagascar) but there are thousands of other unique animals and plants such as the fossa, chameleon, the baobab tree and more. Dan also shows a quick look at the Spiny Desert of Madagascar exhibit in the Cleveland Botanical Garden.
Fun with Maps - The Horn of Africa
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson shows the Horn of Africa which consists of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia. He shows how the close proximity to the Arabian Peninsula and the extended coastline of the peninsula have influence the politics, commerce and culture of the region. He also tells a story that connects a popular Beatles song and a famous fossil millions of years old.
Fun with Maps - The Nile River
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson shows the Nile River, the longest river in the world. The Nile River and Egypt are intertwined but the Nile travels through almost a dozen countries in Africa including Sudan where the White Nile and Blue Nile merge. And, there is a surprising fact about the Nile that makes it unique.
Watch the introductory video of Fun with Maps
2018
Mama Fasi's Girls and Grandmas Drum Ensemble at the Cleveland Museum of Art
Mama Fasi's Girls and Grandmas Drum Ensemble performed at the annual International Cleveland Community Day in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Mama Fasi invited audience members up to play drums and dance.
Fashions from Rwanda and Burundi at Cleveland multicultural party
Raissa and Jeanine represented Rwanda and Burundi. Raissa wore a mushanana like a Rwandese, and Jeannine also wore mushanana with the colors of Burundi.
Barefeet Dance Tribe is an Afro beat dance group. The focus of this group is to educate others about the African culture and its dance styles and to bring awareness to the growth of Afrobeats in the United States. They performed at International Cleveland Community Day at the Cleveland Museum of Art.
JAPO African Ensemble from Senegal at ICC-WIN Multicultural Holiday Party
One of the highlights of the 7th annual Cleveland Multicultural Holiday Celebration put on by the International Community Council Worldwide Intercultural Network (ICC-WIN) in Cleveland at the Global Center for Health Innovation was the performance of the JAPO African Ensemble performing drums and dance from Senegal and West Africa.
Tam Tam Magic West African Drummers and Dancers at Continental Cup July 2, 2015
Tam Tam Magic performed at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Continental Cup put on by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
The Continental Cup is now in its 10th year and the 2015 event had 3300 athletes from 11 countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Mongolia, China, Bermuda, China, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Nepal and Greece.
A team from Kenya posed for photos at the opening ceremony of the 2015 Continental Cup put on by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.
The Continental Cup is now in its 10th year and the 2015 event had 3300 athletes from 11 countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Mongolia, China, Bermuda, China, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Nepal and Greece.
African Drumming and Fashion at Cleveland Multicultural Event
The Golden Ciphers performed West African drumming from Guinea at the International Community Council - Worldwide Intercultural Network's (ICC-WIN) 5th annual multicultural holiday celebration at the Global Center for Health Innovation in the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland Ohio.
Representatives from Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea and Liberia also participated in the International Fashion Show which featured traditional costumes of dozens of countries.
Guinea, West Africa drum song with audience participation
The Passport Project featuring Mohamed Tounkara performed drum and percussion music from Guinea, West Africa at the 2013 International Folk Festival at Wade Oval in University Circle in Cleveland. Chloe Hopson started the Passport Project to bring new ideas to her neighborhood. In this song, Mohamed Tounkara taught the audience some African words and had them sing along with the song.
The many different cultural performances were a highlight of the grand opening of the Ames Family Atrium in the Cleveland Museum of Art on Sunday October 28, 2012. This included a performance by Sengalese drummers and dancers Tam-Tam Magic.
The many different cultural performances were a highlight of the grand opening of the Ames Family Atrium in the Cleveland Museum of Art on Sunday October 28, 2012. This included a performance by West African drummer Sogbety Diomande.
The African Soul International Dance Troupe brought drumming and dances from West Africa to the ClevelandPeople.Com International Pavilion at Ohio's Celtic and International Festival.
African Soul International Dance Troupe
Sudan, South Sudan, and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know
Margaret W. Wong Offices - June 8, 2012
Many of us have heard about the problems in Darfur and Sudan. We may have followed the story of the Lost Boys of Sudan
Margaret W. Wong and Alex Machaskee hosted an event for Ambassador Andrew S. Natsios at Ms Wong's offices on June 8, 2012 that gave an insight into the issues facing Sudan and the region and an update on the Lost Boys.
Margaret W. Wong, Ambassador Natsios and Alex Machaskee
Young Kenyan athletes compete Cleveland Clinic Sports Health International Youth Sports Festival John Carroll University July 1-4, 2010
Young Kenyan athletes march into Don Shula Stadium
An impromptu Balafon performance at Parade the Circle in University Circle in Cleveland Ohio. The balafon is a resonated frame, wooden keyed percussion instrument from West Africa, similar to a xylophone.
African Soul International
Drummers and Dancers from African Soul International perform traditional rhythms from West Africa (Senegal and Guinea) at the Cleveland Oktoberfest.
Tell us about the music, food, holidays, traditions, costumes, language and other qualities that make African-Americans so special.
Hashim El Raman plays Mbira music at a Cleveland Ohio festival in June 2009. The mbira is the national instrument of Zimbabwe and has been played by the Shona people for thousands of years. It is also called the thumb piano.
