3rd Saturday Documentaries: Carmen and Geoffrey
2023-04-15 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Carmen and Geoffrey
A joyful documentary that celebrates the nearly fifty year marriage of two artistic giants of the dance and theatrical worlds: dancer/choreographer/ actress Carmen De Lavallade and multi-hyphenate Geoffrey Holder. Enjoy their journey in their own words and through interviews and videos with other celebrated artists like Judith Jamison, Gus Solomons, Jr., Dudley Williams, Ulysses Dove and Alvin Ailey. It captures the intimate chemistry between soft spoken and brilliant Carmen and boisterous Geoffrey, whose credits include his legendary production of The Wiz.

Master Dance Class Taught by Solo Sana - Mali, West Africa
2023-04-22 13:00 | VCU Dance Center, 10 N Brunswick St, Studio 203, Richmond, Virginia, United States
April 22
African Dance Master Class • 1p
VCU Dance Center • 10 N Brunswick St, Studio 203
RVA

Souleymane Solo Sana

Enjoy a culture class and a dance class with Souleymane “Solo” Sana, an accomplished traditional dancer from Mali, West Africa. Throw off your shoes and socks and immerse yourself in the body-mind-spirit of the experience! A former principal member for one of the premiere companies of Mali, Ballet Du District de Bamako, he is a leader among artists. Solo’s presence at local ceremonies and festivals in Mali has always been in high demand, performing with renown djalys or griots and musicians as well as internationally known artists.

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Sonia Sanchez baddDDD
2023-05-20 17:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
3rd Saturday Documentaries at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center • baddDDD Sonia Sanchez • Saturday, May 20th • 5pm • FREE ADMISSION
As the Juneteenth season of recognition and recompense approaches, let’s sit with revolutionary poet, author, playwright, activist and teacher, Sonia Sanchez. She has been raising her voice since the 1960s in the name of liberation and civil rights. In BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez, Sanchez’s life unfolds through her work accompanied by jazz performance and commentary from some of her writing contemporaries and well known hip-hop artists that recognize her work as one of the pioneers of that genre. She is self-described as “a woman with razor blades between my teeth.”

Juneteenth 2023, A Freedom Celebration: Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans
2023-06-10 19:00 - 22:00 | Manchester Dock, 139 Virginia Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Elegba Folklore Society will present the Torch Lit Night Walk Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans as a part of and pilgrimage introduction to Juneteenth, 2023, A Freedom Celebration on Saturday, June 10 beginning at the Manchester Dock, 1308 Brander Street, at 7:00p. Interpreters will interweave the narratives of enslaved Africans with the historical record, characterizations of the day and music. This program is free and open to the public.
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration, and it attracts visitors from around the state and beyond. It reflects particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation that shaped a nation, while highlighting the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America. In its 27th year, attendees can engage in spirit-filled performances, sacred rituals, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspectives and ancestral homage.
Free to the public. Donations accepted.
Look back. Focus Forward.
Questions? story1@efsinc.org or 804.644.3900.

Juneteenth 2023, A Freedom Celebration
2023-06-11 16:00 - 21:00 | African Burial Ground, Broad and 15th Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration June 11, 2023

Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration is Virginia’s flagship Juneteenth holiday commemoration. First presented in 1996, it is reflective of Richmond and Virginia’s particular and poignant stories of enslavement and emancipation, and it highlights the resolve and resilience of Africa’s children in America.
Richmond is ground zero with regards to the country’s evolution in its racial mores, disparities and hierarchies. Juneteenth 2023, A Freedom Celebration will be a vital part of our community’s reset and healing.
Stay tuned for details as we invite you to this 27th Anniversary event where you can engage in performances, healing cyphers, the Get Woke Youth Summit, the Freedom Market, historical perspective and ancestral homage at Richmond’s African Burial Ground.
The elders say, “We have to go out the way we came in.” The pathway is being established.
Stay tuned for details.
Click here to check out an interview regarding Junteenth, A Freedom Celebration on Heritage Radio Network’s “Hot Grease” hosted by Nicole Taylor.

Juneteenth 2023 Details
Purchase Tickets

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32ND DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION • AUG 19
2023-08-19 16:00 - 23:00 | Abner Clay Park, Brook Road and West Clay Street, Richmond, 23219, United States
32nd Down Home Family Reunion,
A Celebration African American Folklife
Returns to Abner Clay Park on Saturday August 19, 2023
Richmond, VA • Elegba Folklore Society, Richmond’s Cultural Ambassador, will present the 32nd Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration African American Folklife on Saturday August 19, 2023 downtown in Historic Jackson Ward’s Abner Clay Park. The festival’s hours are 4p – 11p.
This event features two stages — the Ed Allison Main Stage of world music and dance and the Annie Tyler Children’s Place Stage — the Juanita Ragland Heritage Market of merchandise and food, Waverly Crawley Community Row, folkloric site demonstrations and more.
The components of the festival are named to honor ancestors who have supported and loved Elegba Folklore Society’s programming and Richmond’s heritage.
The festival is designed 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. It is sited in Historic Jackson Ward to call attention to the neighborhood’s illustrious black history and future potential.
The Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration African American Folklife was named the 2022 Tourism Event of the Year by Richmond Region Tourism. It is a free family festival.

In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans
2023-09-10 - 2023-11-18 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Please join Elegba Folklore Society to experience In the Beginning… Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, a cultural history tour. Journey into Richmond’s history to visit sites to hear the stories that live between the pages of history books. Ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view. Walk in our ancestors’ footsteps from their arrival point at river’s edge into Shockoe Bottom, the area of Richmond that housed the holding pens, jails, blocks and burial ground. Learn from narratives of enslaved Africans, the historical record and characterizations of the day to immerse yourself in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today.
We will travel by bus and also on foot. Please wear comfortable shoes. Bring a bottle of water. Covid protocols.
Tours occur every second Saturday through November. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7.50 for children under 12.

***Check date availability at ticket purchase***

First Fridays ArtWalk at Elegba Folklore Society's Cultural Center
2023-10-06 17:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
October 6
First Fridays ArtWalk • 5p – 9p
Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center
101 E Broad St
Richmond, VA 23219
Free
Announcing the Afro Funk Wear Collection
See for yourself. Wearable art with creative and eclectic applications of denim and Senegalese influenced Baay Faal fabric treatments. Feast your eyes. Adorn your body.
Plus! Prints, Memorabilia, Artifacts, Imports, Collectibles, Home Decor, Wearables, Books, Jewelry, Shea & Cocoa Butters, Black Soap, Oils, Incense & More.

3rd Saturday Documentaries - Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work
2023-10-21 17:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Frantz Fanon, was a Martinique-born psychiatrist, political philosopher and Pan-Africanist. He used both his clinical research and lived experience of being a black man in a racist world to analyze the effects of racism on individuals –- particularly on people of color — and of the economic and psychological impacts of imperialism.
He gravitated towards radical politics and the philosophy of black consciousness known as negritude. His 1952 book, Black Skin, White Masks, offers a penetrating analysis of racism and of the ways in which it is internalized by its victims. In it Fanon espouses the concept of cognitive dissonance, and says, “Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.”
This film traces the short and intense life of one of the world’s greatest thinkers of the 20th century. English subtitles.

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Belly of the Beast
2023-11-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
3rd Saturday Documentaries at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center •Belly of the Beast • Saturday, Nov. 18th • 5pm • FREE ADMISSION
When an unlikely duo discovers a pattern of illegal sterilizations in women’s prisons, they wage a near impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. Filmed over seven years with extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, BELLY OF THE BEAST exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California prisons.

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS Holiday Sales Event - December 8th
2023-12-08 12:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Deck the halls with African art
Fa la la la la
It’s the Real Black Fridays. Visit for discounts & cheer.
Our Home is Your Home. Come, feel the Vibe.
The Real Black Fridays
Give the Gift of Culture
December 8th & 15th.
Open Late!
Covid Protocols. Safety First.

REAL BLACK FRIDAYS Holiday Sales Event - December 15th
2023-12-15 12:00 - 21:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival
2023-12-30 13:00 - 19:00 | Greater Richmond Convention Center – Exhibit Hall B, 5th & Marshall Streets, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Capital City Kwanzaa Festival December 30, 2023

Capital City Kwanzaa Festival presents performances, workshops, children’s activities, The African Market, food and more observe the year’s-end Kwanzaa holiday, a cultural affirmation of values, thanksgiving and growth. This event is the largest of its kind in Virginia, and therefore, one of the largest on the East Coast. Elegba Folklore Society’s Artistic Director first produced a Kwanzaa program in Richmond in 1986 and the Society first presented its festival in 1990. (Annually during the December Kwanzaa Holiday)

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Details

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Vending Application

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Volunteer Signup

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Parking

2023 Capital City Kwanzaa Festival Covid Protocols

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Before There Was History, There Was Black History: The Kemet Collection
2024-02-02 17:00 - 2024-02-29 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
The public is invited to visit Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St in Richmond, VA, to explore the origins of civilization. Artifacts, photographs and material culture from Egypt, the north eastern African country that was known in antiquity as Kemet, will be on view beginning Friday, February 2 with an opening reception from 5p – 9p.
Before There Was Any History, There Was Black History :||: The Kemetic Collection will be displayed as an infusion of expressive art into Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s permanent collection, ARTiFACTS, through February 29.
From architecture and engineering marvels to mathematics, from spirituality to its artistic expressions, from Kings and Queens of an ancient past to artifacts, decor, adornment and fashion, visitors can learn the influences of Kemet (a.k.a. Egypt) on the shaping of the world.
Located in the downtown arts district, Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center’s visitors are invited to experience, browse and buy.

The Talking Gourd: Fairfield Library
2024-02-05 18:00 - 20:00 | Fairfield Library, 1401 N Laburnum Ave, Richmond, 23223, United States
Join Omilade Janine Bell of the Elegba Folklore Society for The Talking Gourd
Be engaged by images, oral histories, music and ceremony to interactively learn about Mother Africa’s global contributions and influence. Feel culturally enriched and joyful. Feel new connections to the shaping of the world.
Catch the Buzz —
“I found it interesting that many styles of architecture, medicine and other sciences, economics, art and many other disciplines were originated in Africa.”
“She was very engaging. I could have sat and listened to her all day.”
We’re saving your seat!

The Talking Gourd: Glen Allen Library
2024-02-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Glen Allen Library, 10501 Staples Mill Rd, Glen Allen, VA, 23060, United States

Why Kemet Matters: The Reclamation of African Culture With Anthony T. Browder (3rd Saturday Documentaries)
2024-02-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
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Anthony T. Browder is an author, publisher, cultural historian, artist, and an educational consultant. He is a graduate of Howard University’s College of Fine Arts and has lectured extensively throughout the United States, Africa, Caribbean, Mexico, Japan and Europe, on issues related to African and African American History and Culture.
He has traveled to Egypt 54 times since 1980 and is currently director of the ASA Restoration Project, which is funding the excavation and restoration of the 25thdynasty tomb of Karakhamun in Luxor, Egypt.
Among Browder’s books are Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization and the soon to be released Why Kemet Matters. Both are available at the Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society.

3rd Saturday Documentaries: Hapi
2024-03-16 15:00 - 18:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
3rd Saturday Documentaries at Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center • Hapi • Saturday, March 16th • 3pm • FREE ADMISSION
Drawn from the lore of Hapi, the Kemetic diety who presided over the flooding of the Nile that brought forth fertile soils, bountiful crops, and a rich economy, this film explores the relationships between economics and culture.

Meet the Maasai
2024-03-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Chief Joseph Ole Tipanko, Cicilia Seleyian & Kilenyi John Parsitau are returning from Maasailand in Kenya. Be in our audience to learn about their storied history and contemporary life ways. Browse & buy amazing handmade beaded jewelry.

Elegba Folklore Society Cultural Tours
2024-04-13 12:00 - 2024-11-09 16:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
In the Beginning…Virginia, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans

Evolutionary, experiential and visceral along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, attendees are invited to immerse themselves in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today. From the African arrival point at river’s edge to Shockoe Bottom and the sites of holding pens, jails, blocks and African burial ground, interpreters will interweave the narratives of enslaved Africans with the historical record. From your bus and along the walk, participants will have the chance to ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view.
Contextually, this interactive experience begins at Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, a space that emphasizes the authenticity of continental and Diasporic Africa through material culture.
Please encourage participants to wear comfortable shoes and dress. Bottled water is also suggested. The sites on the trail occur in a wooded area along the river as well as in urban city settings. There will be some walking.

In the Footsteps of Maggie Walker
Ẹlẹgba Folklore Society creates and guides this cultural history tour as a contextual biography of Jackson Ward luminary, Maggie Lena Walker. Evolutionary from her birthplace in Church Hill to her elevation in Historic Jackson Ward, attendees have the chance to ponder black excellence and community building in early 20th century Richmond in light of its significance today.

Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration - Featuring the Black Book Expo (June 7th)
2024-06-07 17:00 - 21:00 | Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration featuring the Black Book Expo will happen on Friday, June 7 through Sunday, June 9 as we are, thematically, Dancing with the Ancestors.
Join Elegba Folklore Society at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture on June 7 – 8, at 5p on June 7 and at 2p on June 8, for a vast display of literature featuring topics including black history, social justice, science, health, African Diasporic culture, African spirituality, personal development, novels and children’s books. Short talks by independent authors and book signings, a keynote speaker, live performances plus the Freedom Market filled with unique finds, tasty food and beverages and highlighting the Get Woke Youth Summit compliment this conscious literary festival in observance of Juneteenth.

Celebrate African and African American Art: Nigeria
2024-06-08 11:30 - 15:00 | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, 200 North Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States
TheTalkingDrumMusic

Be in our audience for excerpts from The Talking Drum. The drum is a legendary communications tool — a punctuating teller of life as it happens. This lively delivery of African and African American folktales and narratives combine with vocal and instrumental music to engage audiences along a rhythmic journey over continents and through time.

The Talking Drum has been called:

“Absolutely fantastic!”

Enjoy all! Then, join us next door at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture as Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration featuring the Black Book Expo continues with independent authors, live performances, a vast display of books plus snacks and drinks, 2p – 7p. Serendipity!

Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration - Featuring the Black Book Expo (June 8th)
2024-06-08 14:00 - 19:00 | Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA, 23220, United States

Juneteenth 2024, A Freedom Celebration - A Tribute to the Ancestors, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans
2024-06-09 14:00 - 19:00 | Manchester Dock, 139 Virginia Street, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
Join Elegba Folklore Society on Sunday, June 9 beginning at 2p at the Manchester Dock with A Tribute to the Ancestors, Along the Trail of Enslaved Africans. An evolutionary, experiential and visceral walk along the Trail of Enslaved Africans, attendees are invited to immerse themselves in past occurrences that impact our perspectives today. From the African arrival point at the Dock to Shockoe Bottom and the sites of holding pens, jails, blocks and African burial ground, interpreters will interweave the narratives of enslaved Africans with the historical record. Participants will have the chance to ponder the impact of enslavement on the enslaved as shared in their own words and from their own view. This program includes riverside meditative community rituals for Ancestral homage.

Working Roots
2024-07-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Elegba Folklore Society’s Cultural Center, 101 E Broad St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States
This interactive 2023-24 HBCU Scholars Fellowship presentation explores the historical connections between African American magic traditions—such as Hoodoo or Rootwork—and strategies of resistance to anti-black violence.
We will consider how enslaved Africans created magical objects, techniques, and concepts that have survived into the era of #BlackLivesMatter. From the uses of graveyard dirt to the Book of Psalms as a book of spells, this presentation challenges audiences to connect the role of liberation throughout African American religious history, in general, to the more specific context of magic’s application during slave rebellions and contemporary protests against police brutality. Healing and harming through supernatural means, in this way, becomes a radical practice governed by the pursuit of freedom.
Connect with culture. Enjoy the discussion, food and beverages.

33rd Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife
2024-08-17 16:00 - 23:00 | Abner Clay Park, Brook Road and West Clay Street, Richmond, 23219, United States
33rd Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife – August 17, 2024 – Details Below

Down Home Family Reunion, A Celebration of African American Folklife is a downtown weekend festival that celebrates African American folklife with world music and dance, the Heritage Market, special children’s events, interactive site demonstrations and delicious down home food. It is designed to show aspects of West African cultural traditions that are African American and that have been absorbed by the American South. This is one of the Society’s original programs created in 1990.

33rd Annual Down Home Family Reunion Details

2024 Merchandise Vendor Application

2024 Food Vendor Application

Talented Youth Inquiry

33RD DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION SEEKS TO PRESENT TALENTED YOUTH The festival’s Annie Tyler New School Pavilion is a popular haven for our children. Rev. Tyler loved children and worked lovingly with Elegba Folklore Society to create quality cultural experiences for them until her death. May the good she did last forever. Cultural craft making teaches lessons, games ensure fun and the stage showcases talented youth. Please contact us if you are interested in arranging a performance!

Share Your Community Service

SHARE YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE AT 33RD DOWN HOME FAMILY REUNION If your community-based organization provides a community service you want people to know about, you may want to tell them from a table in the festival’s Waverly Crawley Community Row. Waverly Crawley was a fixture in Richmond’s Historic Jackson Ward, the festival’s location. He constantly encouraged people to get involved in the community to make it better. He wanted people to know that they could make a difference. Please contact us if you are interested in a table. May the good he did last forever.

Small Business Exhibitors

Small Business Owners! You are invited to the 33rd Down Home Family Reunion! This Celebration of African American Folklife will happen on Saturday, August 17, 2024, 4p – 11p in Richmond, Virginia!

Contact Us to Join Us in the SmartMart

• Display and tell your story

• Interact with and distribute materials to festival attendees

• Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage!

How You Benefit Fast-track the promotions of your products/services to Richmonders and visitors by distributing product samples and prize drawings. Reinforce your marketing and public relations campaigns by distributing your flyers, discount coupons, business cards, surveys and other promotional materials.

Enhance your product or service image in the Richmond business picture. Be highlighted among your peers and in the community in our covered SmartMart business tent. One table, two chairs and signage will be provided. Demonstrate your commitment to civic/social vitality. Be highlighted in one prize drawing from the Main Stage. This festival connects aspects of West African traditions with those of African Americans through the ambience of a family gathering. The festival’s location is Abner Clay Park, located downtown in Historic Jackson Ward.

World music and dance headline the Down Home Family Reunion along with site demonstrations and children’s programs. This event couples history with its contemporary significance. With an expected attendance of 13,000 the festival includes a SmartMart with you in mind. Please contact us if you are interested.

Parking

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Run Richmond 16.19 - Friday, September 20th
2024-09-20 17:00 - 20:00 | Main Street Station, 1500 E Main St, Richmond, VA, 23219, United States

Run Richmond 16.19 - Friday, September 21st
2024-09-21 07:00 - 09:00 | Kanawha Plaza, S 8th & E Canal St, Richmond, VA, Richmond, VA 23219, United States

Richmond Folk Festival: Textile Origin Stories - 9/28/2024
2024-09-28 13:00 - 17:00
Join us at the Richmond Folk Festival for a journey into the African origins of textiles and music! Explore indigo fabrics, kente cloth, African American quilts, and more. Engage with the ngoni, banjo, and the soulful sounds of the kora and djembe. Experience live demos, workshops, and performances by talented artists.
Let’s celebrate the richness of African cultural traditions together!

Richmond Folk Festival: Textile Origin Stories - 9/29/2024
2024-09-29 13:00 - 18:00
