The Cheza Nami Foundation encourages diversity awareness through African culture and uses dance, play, and movement to deliver a unique learning experience. The nonprofit offers activities to community organizations, schools, and corporations while addressing educational and social needs that help foster community building, global citizenship, and personal enrichment.

The nonprofit will present its 11th annual Taste of Africa Festival on Saturday, October 7, from 10 am to 6 pm at the Shea Homes Plaza Lawn Area of the Bankhead Theater in Livermore. Taste of Africa is a free, outdoor festival celebrating the rich diversity and heritage of Africa and the Diaspora. The festival features a vibrant lineup of musicians and dance performances by local African and African Diaspora artists, awe-inspiring art exhibits, tantalizing cultural cuisine, an African marketplace, a community art project, and a Kidzone featuring a reading corner, arts and crafts, and interactive instrument exploration.

New this year is the Moving Together program. African and Diaspora Artists will lead drumming and dance workshops, at no charge, on McLeod Street across from the Bankhead Theater. Master teachers from cultures spanning Mali, Senegal, Brazil, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and others will share their skills in these workshops, which are open to all ages and require no experience. The main program will be followed by a night market starting at 6 pm. The event is made possible in part by grant funding from the California Arts Council and the City of Livermore as well as sponsorship by Livermore Valley Arts.

Last year, the nonprofit's annual Taste of Africa festival drew more than 3,000 attendees. This year promises to be even more extraordinary, according to officials. "All proceeds and donations from the event will be directed toward supporting local Bay Area youth outreach programs, making this a celebration with a profound purpose," according to Cheza Nami Foundation Founder Catherine Ndungu-Case, who grew up in a rural village in Kenya, where she experienced a childhood enriched by an emphasis on family and culture.

In 2011, the lack of accessible educational resources about Africa prompted her to create Cheza Nami, which is Swahili for "come play with me," as a vehicle to share her African heritage with her children and the larger public. In addition to the annual Taste of Africa Festival, Cheza Nami has created or partnered on a host of projects over the years. Most recently, in July 2023, Cheza Nami and the Pleasanton Unified School District developed a two-week Black Excellence Pilot Project for African-American students and their families. Projects have included Pleasanton Cultural Arts and Learning Assemblies for students from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade; Diversity and Culture Camps, which are weeklong summer camps for youths of all ages and abilities; Library Programs, which promote Young Adult literature; and Corporate Diversity Awareness and Drumming Circles.

"Our projects are customized to reach everyone, regardless of ethnic or national heritage," notes Ndungu-Case. "Sharing the universal language of art from the continent of Africa with communities in the Bay Area enables dialogue, understanding, and acceptance."

For more information about the Taste of Africa Festival, please visit chezanami.org/events or call 925-398-3827.  

For more information about the Cheza Nami Foundation, please visit chezanami.org.