Kilkenny Castle Park was a dream venue for Africa Day with its vast rolling sward of emerald green. Thousands of locals mingled with performers and our African friends as a balmy sun kissed a lavish outpouring of joy and talent.
A diverse cross-section of Irish and other nationalities converged to celebrate Africa’s artistic and musical heritage, and its spell-binding oral traditions. African cuisine beguiled as face-painting and visually stunning fashion displays vied for attention. Whirligig shape-shifting and scintillating drama pulled at the heartstrings.
As in Ireland, song in Africa is integral to all of life’s milestones…especially births, deaths, marriages, and political activity. Excitement mounted as Mada took the stage. Local election candidate Toluwani Akaehomen thrilled the crowd with her evocation of all that’s best and revered in her culture. She invited other performers to join her and then the fans volunteered.
The result was more electrifying than a rock concert. Waves of kinetic energy seldom experienced on the normally quiet grounds washed over the crowd.
The fast rotation and ripples of costumed dancers drew rapturous applause, and the drumming set up an incantatory tempo that sent hearts racing. In Africa the drum plays a time-honoured role, its haunting rhythm expressing, or resonating with, the mood of the people. In the past it served as a means of communication. The magic of the drums transferred well to Nore Side. Enchanted Kilkenny folk caught up in the exuberance of it all danced along… moved by the spirit of liberty sweeping parkland.
Ireland and Africa have an affinity also in their age-old love of story-telling. Like the Irish, Africans have always valued the importance of passing on the essence of a proud legacy through the generations.
The tales and soulful poetry that filled the Castle Park air on Saturday called to mind the Shanachai of Celtic fame. Just change the times and locations and it could have been the story of our own long history of struggle for survival and justice, and our interaction with an empire upon which the sun reputedly never set.
But that same sun shone benevolently on Saturday, as lads and lassies in rival county jerseys, in Kilkenny for a hurling showdown, added their colours to the celebration… dancing, singing along, sampling exotic food, or exploring the Afri-Market- a break from an emotionally-charged build-up to the big game.
Africa Day was a blessing, and a sign that Kilkenny is both a welcoming city and the creative capital of Ireland…
-John Fitzgerald
