“Inever knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I was not happy.”

The free community event will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2022, at J. Howard Pew Park in Waterways will highlight several African nations’ majesty.

The event was started in 2020 by Rehoboth Alliance with a goal to feature the local “cultural exhibitions so that residents do not have to travel to Edmonton or Calgary to experience cultural festivals. The ACFAC also aims to increase the social well-being of individuals, families, and the community,” explains Regina Oppon, Executive Director, Rehoboth Alliance, who has been with the group since 2015.

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About 20 nations along with African ones are represented at the event, such as Sierra Leone, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, Colombia, Uganda, Jamaica, Cameroon, Gambia, Rwanda, Congo, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Ukraine, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to name a few. MP Laila Goodridge is expected to attend as well. Fun family activities like a parade of nations, cultural exhibitions, live music, dance performances, a fashion show, cultural cuisines, BBQ, paint workshops, and a youth talent show are on the agenda. In addition, readings by local authors, STEM activities, face painting, balloon twisting, and raffles are also planned.

“Come and enjoy the festival with your whole family. Also, bring swim gear and extra clothes to change for kids because there will be a waterpark available at the event. The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, the main sponsor of the event, always supports us, and we expect our MLAs to support the event as well. In addition, community leaders and presidents of associations will also be attending, such as the United Way, Presidents of the Nigerian Association, and the Ghanian Association. Other businesses supporting us are TD Bank, RBC, Scotia Bank, Coverall, Cake Delights and Craft Designs, and Stigg Security,” continued Oppon.