‘Just Africa’ festival scheduled for third weekend in September in downtown Albany

ALBANY – A taste of the Caribbean and Africa is coming to Albany with a fall festival that will also bring African dance, a parade of children’s fashions, as well as vendors, live bands, and arts and crafts.

The inaugural “Just Africa: A Celebration of African & Caribbean Culture” festival is set for Sept. 18-20 at the Riverfront Park in downtown Albany. 

The occasion is also an invitation for former Albany citizens to return and share their accomplishments. While most people know that Albany was the birthplace of Ray Charles, there are many other people with success stories who were born and lived in Albany, Daaiyah Salaam, who is helping organize Just Africa with her father, Albany businessman Omar Salaam, said.

“Albany. Georgia, is rich with a lot of history, culture, and there have been an enormous number of people who have come out of Albany and done tremendous things in the world,” she said. “We know Albany has tremendous challenges. We also know Albany, Georgia, has a tremendous amount of talent, everyday people that are talented, that are intelligent, that are creative that we want to highlight.”

Celebrating that talent and the cultures that have come together in the Good Life City is a big part of the festival.

“This weekend, Sept. 18-20, is a celebration of all of those things: food, dance, creativity, all of these things,” Daaiyah Salaam said. “It is an opportunity for people to come together to experience joy in Albany, Georgia.”

The father and daughter have formed a board of eight people from various walks of life who are helping with the planning. They also have consulted with young people to get their take on what they would like included.

“(It’s) not what we think they should want but what they think should be included, and we are incorporating that,” Daaiyah Salaam said. “We did a survey and got their input, what they would like to see, what the celebration will look like in terms of art. There’s a place for their creativity. One of the priorities was to ensure that we got the youth involved.”

The scheduled events include Jamaica and Caribbean night on the opening Friday, with reggae, dancehall, soca and more. Saturday is dedicated to African dance, music and culture with live bands and a parade of kid’s fashions. The closing Sunday will be a “cool-out day” featuring vendors and a live band.

Omar Salaam, who operated a clothing store downtown for years, started an African Heritage Day festival in 1988 that ran for six years, said that local performers and dancers as well as out-of-town artists will be among the performers.

“We’ve got more surprises coming to Albany that the kids will really love, (like) the world’s first virtual reality theme park,” he said. “We want to have a safe, successful event.

“We want people to experience the good food, the reconnection of Albany with the people who have left here. We want them to come back.”

Entry to the event will come at no charge, Omar Salaam said. Individuals interested in participating can go to [email protected], at [email protected] or by calling (229) 291-7728.

“We want everybody to come to Albany that weekend for a super great time,” he said. “Everybody is invited. The overall intent is to give people a sense of belonging, to be proud to be in Albany again, to be part of Albany again. We are trying to enhance what the local governments are trying to do to build a better community.”