Afri-Fest East now represents the biggest Afro-centric summer event across East Anglia. Since opening in 2024, it has proven to be a tremendous asset to the community. The new-fangled community development company Few Good Men, formed by those three friends, produced the festival. Just a few weeks ago, it drew more than 2,500 participants to advance the practice! Funded by Arts Council England, Afri-Fest East aims to instill confidence in young people through engagement with music and the arts.
The festival will be a dynamic centerpiece to the 2025 UK/Kenya season of culture. It is honoured to partner with British Council and Africa Centre London. Dr. Sopuru Mokwe, Afri-Fest East creative director, noted the festival’s importance in sharing and celebrating heritage. He thinks it promotes cultural pride among young people.
Initially focused on nighttime events, the organizers recognized a growing demand for a family-friendly summer gathering that could engage audiences of all ages. This transition has helped Afri-Fest East flourish into a platform celebrating African culture, music and food.
Dr. Mokwe highlighted the festival’s objectives, stating, “One of the goals of the festival was to instill confidence in young people, to explore… whether that’s through music or the arts.” The festival offers a variety of performances, including those by storyteller Usifu Jalloh, known as the Cowfoot Prince, and local music teacher Obase Aboli. Alongside the music presentations, Afri-Fest East showcases drumming performances that are not only mesmerizing audiences, but engaging communities through interactive experiences.
The event goes beyond showcasing artistic expression, encouraging important conversations about cultural identity. Dr. Mokwe added, “They have an opportunity to experience their culture, a snippet of it. We know that’s not enough but hopefully it strikes a conversation, a spark to begin to explore their heritage.”
On its mission to engage and inspire with youth, Afri-Fest East has made it a goal over the next year to further extend its reach. The organizers are really focused on working with schools and creating fun, exciting, engaging experiences for students. “We did drumming sessions in schools, Djembe drumming… we’ll do a lot more with high schools in 2026,” Dr. Mokwe noted.
