Kulu Mele at the Odunde Festival
This past Sunday, Philadelphia celebrated the annual Odunde Festival, hailed as the "largest African American street festival in the country." It was started by Lois Fernandez and Ruth Arthur in 1975, and lives strong today, forty years later.
Sunday was a sweltering day, but the beating sun didn't stop thousands of Philadelphians (and others coming from near and far), from pouring onto South street. Walking towards a main stage on 23rd street, I passed vendors selling African dresses, CDs, pastries, sweet juices, drums, wooden carvings, jewelry, artwork and more. The hot air only helped carry the aroma coming from those selling insence. Every block offered a different type of African music blasting from speakers, and it was hard not to dance my way down the street.
Resisting the urge to stop at every vendor, I finally made my way to the main stage. I got there early to get a "front spot" for the Kule Mele performance since I've wanted to see this premier African dance troupe perform for months.
After a breif introduction, Kulu Mele began. For at least forty minutes, different groups of dancers took the stage in vibrant dress, performing styles from various regions of Africa, led by live drumming and rich vocals. The dancers brought it all, and their energy was unreal. They seemed to dedicate their mind, body and soul to each and every step. The audience shouted, danced and clapped, inspired by the movement.
We are nothing short of blessed to live in a city where this type of cultural festival is available at our fingertips every year, at no cost! Learn more about the festival, the sponsors, and the history at odundefestival.org, and from the video below.
