dsmWeekly - August 21, 2024

Doro wat is an African dish using a slow-cooking process similar to Jamaican jerk chicken. (Photo: Ministry of Curry)

FOOD & DINING

Get a taste of African culture
Writer: Mathany Ahmed

Raymond Abwe visited a lot of heritage festivals when he first moved to Des Moines from Tanzania nine years ago. It was a great way for him to learn more about his new home and the diverse mix of cultures represented in it.

“As an African, I thought, ‘Why not us?’” he said. “We should have a festival where people can come, see how we dress, and dance and learn about our culture, too.”

He was inspired to start the first Des Moines African Youth Festival Awards – or DAFESTA for short – five years ago. Since then, it’s become one of the biggest celebrations of African cultures in Des Moines and attracts visitors from all over the United States.

Starting at 5 p.m. Saturday, DAFESTA will once again put African culture on full display. Tanzanian pop singer Hamisa Mobetto will emcee the evening’s program, which includes a fashion show as well as live music and dance performances.

“Everybody’s welcome,” Abwe said. “We have people from so many different places come, just because they have an interest and want to learn the cultures.”

The evening culminates in an awards ceremony, which will recognize African residents for their contributions to fashion, art and music. African artists from across the country, including Atlanta-based Bin Justin and Chicago-based Chidboy, have been gearing up to compete for Best Musical Performance.

“A lot of these performers tend to sing in their own language,” Abwe said. “We don’t want to lose the culture."

He believes celebrating African people in Des Moines adds to the area’s reputation as a bastion of diversity and inclusion, while also helping immigrants stay connected to the countries they came from. “There’s always a stereotype that when you come to the United States, you have to act like an American – but that doesn’t mean you have to forget about your own culture.”

And of course, it wouldn’t be an African festival without the food. A specialized catering team at Prairie Meadows will prepare African classics for the event, but a few local restaurants offer these staples year-round. If you can’t make it to this weekend’s event, here are a few of Abwe’s recommendations to experience African cuisine on your own schedule:

This fest highlights music, dance and food from around the globe, right here in Des Moines. (Photo: World Food and Music Festival)

BEST BET

Eat your way around the world in one weekend

Once you’ve left the African continent, sample offerings from the other continents at the World Food and Music Festival. More than 90,000 people visit the annual festival to eat, dance and experience a smorgasbord of Des Moines’ diverse communities. This year’s event has more than 60 local vendors representing 30 countries.

The festival kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday in Western Gateway Park with a naturalization ceremony for newly minted U.S. citizens. Visit between 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday or 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Sunday for live cooking demonstrations from local chefs, samples of exotic fruits from around the world and a cultural stage featuring global music performances.

The Week Ahead

Intro to Backyard Beekeeping (10-11 a.m. Saturday): If you’ve heard the online buzz about beekeeping and have some questions, make a beeline for this free informational class at Art Terrarium.

20th annual Ingersoll LIVE (3-10 p.m. Saturday): The family-friendly block party celebrates the businesses, people and organizations that fill the neighborhood with music, art and food.

Iowa Demon Hawks exhibition games (7 p.m. Saturday): The Iowa Demon Hawks, an indoor soccer team, kicks off the first of three world exhibition games this fall against the Brazilian National Soccer team. It’s the first time the world-renowned Brazilian team will compete in our state.

Sista Soul Fest (11 a.m. Sunday): Shop from Black women-owned businesses at this annual festival in Evelyn K. Davis Park. Learn more about its founder Loretta Terrell below.

Annual ice cream social (2-4 p.m. Sunday): Join the Ankeny Area Historical Society Museum for ice cream and brownies. Freewill donations support the museum’s programs for the next year.

Cloris Awards Ceremony (5 p.m. Sunday): Head over to Hoyt Sherman Place to support local theater companies. Mix and mingle with the local performers at Noce Jazz Club for the after-party starting at 7:30 p.m.

ARTS & CULTURE

Comedy and concerts: Des Moines Performing Arts announced the lineup of shows for the upcoming Live at the Temple Concert Series and the Temple Comedy Series. Tickets for both series are now on sale. The concert series includes performances from singer Matthew Sweet on Oct. 1-2 and a return of Irish Christmas in America on Nov. 23-24. Comedians from the Second City troupe stop by the Temple Theatre on their “65th Anniversary Tour” in late October. Check out the full lineups online.

ARTS & CULTURE

Pride in film: The Varsity Cinema announced its newly formed Varsity Pride Advisory Board, which includes Kira Barker, Rachel Hardy, Paul Hengesteg, Dan Jansen, Derek Klopfenstein, Matt McCoy and Rosie Rowe. The board meets throughout the year to help choose films with diverse perspectives and voices that represent the queer community for the Varsity Pride film series. The next showing in the series is “Maurice,” a 1987 film starring Hugh Grant in Edwardian Cambridge, which screens on Aug. 28.

Loretta Terrell founded this Sunday's Sista Soul Fest to uplift Black women. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)

ARTS & CULTURE

Busting barriers: A festival of Black women entrepreneurs

Writer: Mathany Ahmed

Loretta Terrell envisions a world where more Black women are CEOs. Or owners. Or founders or moguls or any other titans of industry they can imagine.

This entrepreneurial spirit is one she shares with many of her peers. Black women are the fastest-growing group of business owners, according to a 2023 report from GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research initiative.

Even so, Terrell couldn’t help but notice the systemic barriers that kept her dream from becoming a reality. A Wells Fargo analysis of women-owned businesses found that Black women who initiate new business ventures often have fewer financing options and less community support than other entrepreneurs.

“There were a lot of doors that weren’t really open to us as female, Black business owners,” Terrell said.

So in August of 2020, Terrell set out on a mission to overcome at least some of these barriers by founding Sista Soul Fest, a celebration of Black women. Terrell and a team of co-organizers invited dozens of Black women-owned businesses to share their products and services with the community. Every year since, hundreds of guests have made their way to Evelyn K. Davis Park to eat, network and shop a unique mix of products tailored to the needs of women of color. The festival “has let us grow as a community of businesses.”

The festival’s guiding mission is to give Black women-owned businesses the support they need. In reality, it’s broader: It’s a daylong celebration of Black and brown women and girls. The festival also incorporates Black culture and history, beginning each year with a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the Black national anthem. A central stage features dance, music and poetry by local Black women.

Earlier this year, festival organizers raised funds to support participants in other ways, too, helping them to create marketing materials or set up an LLC. More than anything, Sista Soul Fest offers women of color a chance to build confidence as business owners.

“This festival lets Black women and girls know that entrepreneurship is available, it’s attainable, and it’s sustainable,” Terrell said. “We can really do this.”