Sharing the story of where you’re from is a way of connecting past and present, of tracing the line between current home and cultural heritage. Welcoming your community to share in that experience celebrates the journey, too—something that Helen Agbonison calls “arm chair travel”, and has been offering to St. Albert through Taste of Africa over the past few years. 

“Arm chair travel is an opportunity to bring people virtually to certain parts of Africa and the Caribbean, to experience the beauty in other countries through the eyes of community members,” she explains. “It is important because it helps residents understand the heritage of St. Albert residents and increase their knowledge of other countries.” 

To do so, Taste of Africa mixes live performance with culinary delights. The event features a wide range of live performances including poetry, fashion parades, singing, storytelling, dance, drumming and more. It also invites audiences to experience the flavours of Africa, with a selection of dishes to try drawn from all across the continent. All of it is a way of sharing the culture of the some 800 people of African Descent living here in St. Albert. 

“We look for African-descent performers to tell their ethnic stories, sing their songs, dance to their rhythm, [and] play instruments peculiar to their country,” Agbonison says, of curating the Taste of Africa program. 

A Taste of Africa began in 2019, as an extension of the Africans & African Descendants Friendship Club of St. Albert, a club Agbonison founded. Their very first event, An Evening in the Park, took place in 2019, and they’ve been going strong ever since—the club now programs a variety of events, and offers mentorship and support throughout the year. They run giving campaigns and volunteering, do community engagement opportunities and talent searches. The club has around 130 members, and A Taste of Africa is their largest event, celebrating Black History Month by showcasing the diversity of talent that exist within the city. 

“It just makes you appreciate all the people and value them,” Agbonison says, of culture-sharing events like this. 

Taste of Africa managed to persevere through the worst of the pandemic through some take-home ingenuity—Agbonison and the rest of the organizers boxed-up sample platters of food that could be picked up by guests, and then performances were streamed virtually. This year, back to being in-person, it’s being hosted at the Arden. 

“We hope for people to have a fun evening, learning about African-descent cultures, experience the vibrancy of the African descent heritage and embrace them as neighbours, colleagues and friends,” Agbonison says. 

By: Paul Blinov

Purchase tickets for Taste of Africa here.

To learn more about the Africans and African Descendent Friendship Club of St. Albert, visit their website.

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