Elegba Folklore Society has developed and produces four annual major, unique events that strengthen individuals and families, that build community and that attract visitors to Richmond and Virginia. All feature high quality, multidimensional art. They are:
Black Book Expo, A Conscious Literary Festival
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration
–Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration observes Juneteenth National Freedom Day and features a symposium, performances, children’s activities, the Freedom Market & Torch Lit Walk on the Trail of Enslaved Africans. People are engaged in a moving and memorable recount of historical occurrences along with new information. Here they can deepen their perspectives in a way that many have called “life changing.” The Society introduced Juneteenth to Richmond in 1996, and this program has become the flagship event of its kind in our region.
Down Home Family Reunion
–Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife, is a weekend festival of world music and dance, a Heritage Market, children’s events — often powered by the children, themselves — interactive site demonstrations & down home healthy food. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990 to connect aspects of West African cultural traditions with African Americans & to show their influence on the American South. Bringing the world home, audiences are exposed to the artistic expressions — performing and material – of African world cultures in a lively, colorful and informing celebration of heritage and light.
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival
–Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presents performances, workshops, children’s activities, The African Market, food to observe the year’s-end Kwanzaa holiday. This holiday event supports the Society’s mission and the principles of Kwanzaa, affirming the community as it passes from one year to the next. One of the largest on the East Coast, it was first presented in 1990.