After 53 years of presenting the family-friendly, culture-filled International African Arts Festival (IAAFestival) in Brooklyn, this year’s organizers were initially confronted with a major obstacle — where to hold the 54th annual event while their regular festival site was undergoing renovations.
However, after an update from the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, concerned IAAFestival officials confirmed that the 2025 event will be held at its Commodore Barry Park home in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood on July 4, 5 and 6.
“We got a call,” said IAAFestival Chairman Segun Shabaka. “They rescinded and said we can use the park again this year, because the renovation is postponed.”
Before the Commodore Barry Park site was confirmed and IAAF prepared a scaled-down version for another location in another city-owned park. “I know we’re large, but we scaled down our [number of performing] artists. We scaled down our [scheduled] days, and we have scaled down our footprint.”
From a simplistic and colorful painting of a child’s smiling face to the presentation of international performers, arts and crafts from the Caribbean, North and South America, Europe and the African continent, Brooklyn’s long-running IAAFestival is an anticipated event for New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors.
But as the IAAFestival organizers prepare for this year’s anticipated event, they’re also pondering the future of their longtime happening. “For decades, we produced most of the income needed for this event. But we don’t have that anymore. The vendors are older, they’re aging out, and COVID took a lot of people out of the picture,” Sabaka said. “Our expenses have gone up tremendously, and we realize we have to reinvent ourselves.”
For updates on the performers and activities visit the International African Arts Festival’s website.
Panel faces business issues
SIP NYC’s “Sip & Chat” series continues Thursday in Manhattan with a panel discussion focusing on real estate, entrepreneurship, and protecting bank accounts with cybersecurity. The session — taking place at 360 Madison Ave (entrance on 45th St.), from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. — is presented by NYC SIP, the city’s first Black-owned wine and spirits marketing firm, founded by Joy and James Frazier. To RSVP for the event, visit Evite.
The event’s panelists are real estate broker Christopher Webb; Kendra Price, senior business relationship manager at JPMorgan Chase; Sybil Ferere, founder of The Fragrance Creator, a luxury fragrance oils company; and Christina Thomas, cofounder of Brown Girls Brew, craft beer company.
For more information on the “Sip & Chat” event at SIP NYC.com website. [http://thesipnyc.com/]
Indo-Carib music fest
Flushing Town Hall, at 137-35 Northern Blvd. in Queens, has searched the globe to create the “Indo-Constellations: Rāginī Festival” on March 23 at 5 p.m., featuring music from Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and even far-flung Fiji in the South Pacific.
The one-night-only show stars Guyanese-rooted Bollywood artist Ben Parag and his classical Indian chutney-infused music blend; Trinidadian steelpan virtuoso Josanne Francis; the “soca, chutney, tassa, and electronic beats” of DJ Roshni Samlal; and performer Fijiana, exploring “the intersections of Indo-Caribbean and Fijian culture.” The festival also includes a panel discussion, food and beverages for sale, and a culminating DJ set.
Visit the Flushing Town Hall website for tickets and information. The concert can also be live streamed. Call the box office at (718) 463-7700, extension 222.
Black movie programming
Fawesome.TV — the free, ad-supported streaming service that boasts thousands of movies and TV shows — is following its February presentation of Black History Month selections with several Hollywood movies featuring Black performers in noteworthy and historic roles.
This month’s selections from the streaming service include the 2000 coming-of-age drama “Finding Forrester,” starring Rob Brown, the recipient of several “Best Newcomer” awards, and Hollywood stars Sean Connery and F. Murray Abraham.
Viewers can watch Halle Berry’s historic Hollywood role in the 2001 drama “Monster’s Ball.” Berry became the first Black woman and woman of color to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Fawesome’s March lineup also includes comedian-actor Jamie Foxx’s Best Supporting Actor-nominated performance in the tense 2005 action-thriller “Collateral,” starring Tom Cruise. Check the Fawesome website for a full list of March films.