Caribbean music reverberated throughout the Killeen Civic and Conference Center Saturday so much so that attendees of the 14th annual Caribbean Afr’Am Festival couldn’t help but join the dance train and procession around the main ballroom.
One attendee who joined was Killeen resident Carmen Graham.
“It’s island music,” the Panama native said with a big smile on her face. “It takes me back to when I was a kid (and) dancing to that kind of beat, that kind of music. So it just lifts you up.”
Graham returned to the festival after not attending during the coronavirus pandemic.
“It gets people out and it makes you meet new people. You get to socialize again,” Graham said. “And from there, you can hear about other events that happen; you know, word of mouth. So that’s great. I’ve seen friends I haven’t seen since the pandemic.”
The Songhai Bamboo Roots Association, a Killeen-based nonprofit that teaches steel pan drumming, African drumming and cultural dance, among other things, organizes the annual event. Darlene Golden, one of the organizers of the event, said the event is designed to bring all cultures together.
“It’s not just about the Caribbean,” Golden said. “We highlight South America, Central America, North America, the Caribbean (islands), Africa (countries).”
The musicians who performed at the festival presented genres from different countries, including Trinidad, Belize, Guyana and Jamaica.
Songhai Bamboo Roots received nearly $15,000 from the Killeen Arts Commission to help with the event. Golden said taxpayer money is used to hire the services of international talent, such as Da’Ville and Fyah Sthar, both of Kingston, Jamaica.
The money also goes towards adding things to the event, such as the multiple bounce houses and inflatable activities that were in the hall for the kids to enjoy. Ultimately, Golden explained, the money goes toward tuning the organization’s steel drums and buying new drums.
All proceeds from ticket and vendor fees that are profits go back into improving the organization’s programs, such as purchasing new costumes or costumes, and other operating costs to keep all programs free to the public, Golden said.
He said he expected about 1,000 attendees at the event, which ran from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday. There were more than a dozen vendors selling food, clothing, and other items.
Songhai Bamboo Roots is also in the process of adding a new African drum program.
“Drums, it’s something because you know, this is a new generation. You have to have something to keep their attention,” Golden said.
IMPAC Outreach will host the fifth annual Taste of Africa on Sunday, August 7. The family-centered celebration of African cultures will include tantalizing taste, vibrant fabrics and fashions, exotic jewelry, handcrafted art, vibrant sounds, awe-inspiring dance moves and other acts. to show the public an authentic cultural display. The event will be held from noon to 6 pm at the Killeen Civic & Conference Center, 3601 South WS Young Drive, Killeen.
General admission tickets purchased in advance are $15 or $20 at the door. Vendor booth rental is $150.
