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Homowo African Storytelling
The Homowo Festival of African Arts quietly evolves into a storytelling celebration
 After 15 years of thunderous
drumming and powerful rhythms, the Homowo Festival of African Arts has elected to embrace a quieter tradition. Honoring one of the most
ancient rituals in African culture, Homowo African Arts will present Homowo African Storytelling, a celebration of African folk
stories. Homowo is in the planning stages for this event to take place in Washington Park in the Rose Garden Ampitheater in August. Watch this site for new information as it develops!
The tradition of storytelling is one of the most ancient in African culture. Rich with stories, songs, poems, and customs, entire
cultures have been carried down through the centuries by the spoken word. The Homowo African Storytelling event will replace the
long-standing Homowo Festival, a traditional Ghanaian harvest festival founded by master Ghanaian drummer Obo Addy in 1990. For years, the
Homowo Festival has brought to Portland an authentic ethnic celebration, blending African music, dance, pageantry, crafts, food
and demonstrations.
"The Homowo Festival was a labor of love," explains Addy. "It has always been important to me to share the heritage of the original
Ghanaian festival with the Portland community to create a welcoming, vibrant place for people of diverse international origins. The Homowo
Festival was successful in its mission, but it is time for a change in direction. We're excited to use the time-honored method of
storytelling to share the rich cultural traditions of Africa."
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