Afrobeat music played in the Wellness room at the Multicultural Association of Fredericton (MCAF) as children ran and danced. The side walls were filled with poster photos and biographies of key New Brunswick African Canadians embracing.
Among the smiling attendees, Taiwo Rasaki introduced Oluwastise, her 5-month-old daughter to the Afro Fest community. Rasaki came to Fredericton from Nigeria in the fall of 2023 to study at New Brunswick Community College.
“I feel it’s a good thing to be among my people,” said Rasaki. “I’ve been away from home for a year, so this motivated me to come here.”
The event was a taste of home for Rasaki, with her favourite part being the plethora of African food available throughout the weekend.
“There are so many foods [at Afro Fest] that I’m not eating for the past year.”
For many people, Afro Fest is a place to make connections. The two-day celebration is a flagbearer event for the New Brunswick African Association and this year’s Afro Fest took place on Sept. 6 and 7. Open to anybody, Afro Fest is a celebration meant to uplift and connect the community with African culture.
“[The goal of Afro Fest] is to bring the community together, a diverse community … because it is beautiful to showcase our culture in this wonderful Canada we call home today … we need to celebrate it,” said Saa Andrews Gbongbor, the Executive Producer for Afro Fest.
Gbongbor, a former St. Thomas University student turned Cultural Diversity Coordinator, loves New Brunswick. As a sideline, Gbongbor likes to create: he has a Home Base Recordz Inc. recording studio.
“I produced the first-ever Fufana Kingdom theatre program at St. Thomas University … it brought diverse people to come act … The story is based on Sierra Leone, where I come from.”
“We’re in a great province. It’s a beautiful place,” said Gbongbor. “I know what New Brunswick is and I want to contribute.”
Day one of Afro Fest was a meet-and-greet, which facilitated the building of social networks and featured entrepreneurship in the province. There were hugs, laughter and swaying to Afrobeat music amongst fellow NB African entrepreneurs.
“We don’t need to just stay in our African bubble. We need to get out there. You need to go tell people ‘Hi, I’m here.’ This is what I do.’ You need to show yourself,” said Gbongbor.
Around 1,150 people participated in the two day Afro Fest event, said Gbongbor. Thirty-four vendors showcased themselves on day two, such as the Black Business Professional Network, DJ-Respro, food vendors and clothing and hair vendors.
Afro Fest is hosted every year by the New Brunswick African Association, which is led by President Yusuf Shire.
“We usually get newcomers arriving to the province during the summer or winter … this is the time to get everybody to meet one another … like a connection time to build the community,” said Shire.
Aside from connecting the African Canadian community, Shire is also working to get his Red-Seal certification. He was motivated to get into food because many of the women in his community were business owners back home who are now experiencing barriers to continuing business in New Brunswick, such as financial and language issues.
“If they can see somebody who looks like them doing it, they can get encouragement.”
Shire has a side business catering food so he could help fellow Africans with language barriers find human resources, grants and funding. Shire shares the MCAF’s human resources, such as the industrial kitchen and office space.
“Most of the entrepreneurs, they’re doing businesses at their home, they don’t have an address, or they’re doing it after hours,” said Shire.
Shire works with two prominent NB African businesses; Food by Fatou Senegalese Food and Hana’s Ethiopian Café. The owners are both ‘like [his] sisters.’
“This is the whole idea of networking and mixing, at the same time socializing … We’re strong together. We’re strong here because we look after one another,” he said.
