GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — In the heart of downtown, Calder Plaza will host a celebration of culture this weekend as it welcomes A Glimpse of Africa Festival. The event kicked off Friday afternoon and it continues through Sunday.
"A Glimpse of Africa is a nonprofit that represents and advocates for immigrants and refugees, or rather, new Americans from the continent of Africa and any Black immigrants," said founder and CEO Fridah Kanini.
Now in its fifth year, A Glimpse of Africa Festival showcases the different cultures of African people living in West Michigan.
"I have three little kids, so being able to bring them in, for them to be part of the community. We're from Zimbabwe, so for them to experience the culture, different African cultures, and be involved, I think that's really amazing," said volunteer Michelle Morris.
"I have my daughter who is going to participate in a fashion show, and she's only seven years old, so to really bring her in to enjoy the community and enjoy such a good cause, that A Glimpse of Africa provides, I think it's amazing."
Kanini says that while West Michigan is "home" for immigrants, Africa is too. So participating in events like this can help give immigrants a sense of belonging.
"Sometimes you don't feel represented if you don't see people who look like you, and you don't connect to other cultures so quickly, because you are new. But when you see people where you can celebrate the culture, you feel connected," she said.
A Glimpse of Africa has a full list of events on their Facebook page, but they say one event they don't want people to miss is the flag ceremony on Saturday at 1 p.m.
"Africa has 54 countries, so we have 54 flags, and we walk through every single flag. It's called out loud, and the person walks with the flag very, very proud, representing their country from Africa," Kanini said.
"And then we also share a little message that gives people a glimpse of that country and what it is about. So it's like at the Olympics. You just walk through with your flag. You really feel proud to represent, of course, the the country or the nation you come from."