The Little Africa festival returned to St. Paul for the 11th year, as members from African communities came to showcase their cultures and support their businesses.
“It means a lot to me because it brings together different cultures, awareness, businesses,” said Ugandan-born John Kisekka. “There is plenty of food. I encourage all Africans to come meet, socialize, make new friends, and engage in business.”
Kisekka, a deejay who professionally goes by the name of DJ Johnie, said that he hoped the festival achieves the goal of celebrating and raising awareness for African cultures in the Twin Cities. He moved to the United States from Uganda more than two decades ago and began working as a deejay not only as a means of earning money but also to promote African music.
The festival, which was organized by African Economic Development Solutions (AEDS) to promote African culture and business in the Twin Cities, took place on Aug. 3, in Saint Paul at Hamline Park near Little Africa Plaza. Multiple streets in the area were closed to vehicles giving festival goers plenty of space to explore the dozens of vendors, small businesses, and community organizations representing various nationalities from both the African continent and the diaspora.
The event opened with a parade, followed by a performance by Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli, a Native American dance group dedicated to preserving indigenous culture through dance. Starting the performances with the group was special homage to the rich Native American culture that preceded the United States.
The event hosted lots of vendors and food trucks where hundreds of festival goers sampled foods from various African cultures as well as fusion meals and drinks from around the world. Attendees could purchase jollof rice, Jamaican jerk chicken, lemonade, Asian bubble tea, as well as matcha lattés from a newly established pop-up café owned by a first generation Ethiopian American.
The women from Mama’s Market and Deli, also performed an Ethiopian coffee ceremony which involved roasting, brewing, and serving coffee in three rounds. Mama’s Market and Deli is one of the newest small businesses to open inside Little Africa Plaza with the help of AEDS. The market is owned and operated by nine immigrant women and offers deli sandwiches, smoothies, and Ethiopian specialty coffee, among other items.
African immigrant business ownership has increased drastically in recent years, doubling between 2017 and 2022. The growth has been fueled in part by organizations such as AEDS and the African Development Center, which have been committed to sharing resources and securing business loans for new ventures. With increased access to funding and business education, African-born entrepreneurs and their descendants have established enterprises to meet the needs of their communities.
The population of Minnesotans who identify as African has increased in the past several decades. The increase in mainly attributed to the arrival or Somalis and Ethiopians, most of who came as refugees. There are also significant populations of Kenyans, Liberians, and Nigerians.
But the festival didn’t attract only people with direct ties to Africa. Milwaukee transplants and St. Paul residents, Carrie Cattlett and Luke Jacobs came to the event because they live in the area and wanted to support one of their favorite local businesses.
“This is literally in our neighborhood,” Cattlett said.
“Mama’s market is right next to our house, and we love them,” Jacobs said. “So, we wanted to come here and support them and also see everything else that the African festival has.”
Author
About Cynthia Simba, Mshale Reporter
Cynthia is a graduate of the University of Minnesota School of Journalism. She has interned at Mshale and Voice of America and previously worked at the Minnesota Daily. She recently returned from Seoul, South Korea where she was an English educator.
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