Unsurprisingly, we started off by satiating our appetites. I had the meat pies from the new Africana Restaurant over on Atwood which, I must admit, I have not yet frequented. They were quite tasty and I really loved the hot sauce.
This was also an opportunity for me to see the youth of today in action. Here's D, The D's eldest son (12) attempting to eat while fumbling with his cell phone:
I've read about the arguments of people like Mark Bauerlein and Susan Jacoby who say that the Internet and the "Digital Age" generally is taking an intellectual toll because people have no attention span and are too preoccupied with cell phones, iPods, and Facebook. Well, I have now witnessed a 12-year old attempt to text message and eat jerk pork simultaneously and fail.
While we ate under a tree, there was a drum circle just off of the path.
As folks ate and shopped, the main tent was alive with the opening ceremonies which included a visit from some royalty.
I believe they were from Ghana by way of Chicago.
"When you are a tribal chief in Africa, you are a tribal chief wherever you go in Africa. When you are a tribal chief in Chicago, you are a tribal chief only in Chicago."
Because of circumstances beyond my control, we weren't able to stay long. Here's a few observations.
I'll start with the most superficial by saying that I loved the African garb. The colors and the patterns were just wonderful. I know nothing about African haberdashery but the clothes were beautiful.
Both Buraka and Africana make some very tasty food. The former's dorowat with the wonderfully sour injera bread is a staple at Madison festivals. Plus their lentil & onion salad is the perfect summertime complement. And never let it be said that the extra hot sauce isn't genuinely extra hot. From the latter's stand we had the aforementioned meat pies but also the fried chicken which was also great. Nothing fancy, just lightly-seasoned chicken legs with a good dose of hot sauce.
One thing that was emphasized during the introductory ceremony was that Africa is a very large continent with many distinct cultures. Such comments reminded me that I am woefully ignorant of African cultures. If no one had told me, I wouldn't have known that Buraka serves East African food while Africana serves West African. The African Association of Madison has quite a task before itself to teach people here about the diversity of African heritages and cultures. While not everyone here may be as dumb as Kellie Pickler, it seems like the only time Africans make the news here is when they are dying. Famine, war, AIDS - these are the primary things which would catapult Africans onto our television screens, those of sub-Saharan Africa, anyway. Gaddafi gets the odd mention and we hear about extraordinary renditions to Egypt, but North Africa doesn't fare much better.
I want to attend Africa Fest next year. I'd like to catch some of the music & dancing, photograph the great duds, and be able to dispel some more of my ignorance.
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