Interview with Yasin Kiraga Misago, Founder/Executive Director of The African Descent Festival

Can you share a little bit about you journey to become the person you are today?

Yasin Kiraga Misago are my names. I am a historian, Human Rights Advocate, Social Scientist, and Event promoter. I came to Canada as a refugee sponsored student by the World University of Canada to study and graduated in Political Science and International Relations at the Vancouver BC main campus. I am Alumni WUSC- World University Service of Canada Student Refugee Program raised from Uganda, Burundi and Malawi, where I left to study and settle in Canada.

My journey started as a student at the University of British Columbia, where I arrived to study and, like many African students, we were so worried about the absence of African studies, African Arts and Cultural recognition and celebration in both the classroom and museum of Anthropology. What we saw at UBC and what we know about Africa was not meaningfully represented, and as a social science and history student, this bothered me too much to step up to investigate the history of African Descent/Black Canadians' contribution to Vancouver, UBC campus, British Columbia, and in Canada.

I joined the African Student Association, a student body which was a university voice to advocate the teaching and recognition of Arts and culture of Africa at the University. With my few friends and the African Students Awareness Initiative, we wanted to celebrate Africa and the history of African Descent Canadians as part of global citizens by respectfully recognizing the Black Canadian History, arts and culture in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Africa, and the African diaspora. It was so sad that Canadian Black History is treated as tokenism with little attention, yet Black people have been in Vancouver, BC, and Canada even before the foundation of what we call modern Canada.

James Douglas, the first governor of BC, was racially a mixed person with his mother a former slave, many Black people who made great contributions to BC are not recognized, and our heritage, both tangible and intangible, destruction and expropriation of Black Canadian History made me to take a stand against the racism and discrimination of Black History, arts and culture in Canada. I decided to start the African Descent Society British Columbia and African Descent Festival with a mission to promote Arts, culture and History of Black/People of African descent in Canada through live music, history research, exhibition and culture.

How did the idea come to launch the very first African Descent Festival arise? What was the concept behind this event?

I was doing a Black history month walking tour in 2012 and discovered the lack of recognition of Black History, Arts and Culture in Vancouver. In 2013, I decided to create an organization that promotes arts and culture for the Black community in Vancouver. That same year, the City of Vancouver, announced to remove Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaducts which destroyed Hogan's Alley - a historical part of a Black neighborhood in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

I convinced the youth of African Descent to start hip-hop, storytelling, dance, music, food and culture at Hogan's Alley, asking the city to restore the former Black community. We had to use music and storytelling to reclaim our culture in Vancouver, including the historical sites. I registered with the African Descent Society of British Columbia to promote Arts and culture through live music, festivals, fashion shows, African Dance classes, and many more in Vancouver. My aim is to rejuvenate the history of African Descent in Vancouver, BC, and Canada.

The ADF, presented by the African Descent Society British Columbia, is an annual, outdoor, special event entering its 9th year in Vancouver, British Columbia. This year the event will be held at English Bay Beach.

What year did you run your first event and what was that first event like?

We opened the first African Descent Festival in September 2015 at Thornton Park in Vancouver. It was a heavy rainy day, and we were amazed by the appreciation and great turnout at the event. This was the pivotal event that laid the foundation for the success of the African Descent Festival. A lot of Vancouverites, despite the heavy rain, came to support me and my colleagues. Many Canadians empowered me and motivated me to keep the ball rolling and to work hard to promote the biggest event in later years. Today, the African Descent Festival is considered one of the best live music festivals in Vancouver and Canada. The vision is still growing, and I sincerely appreciate the City of Vancouver for giving us English Bay Beach as our new venue.

How has the African Descent Festival grown, changed, and expanded over the following years?

The African Descent Festival has grown to the level of an International live music, food and cultural festival in Canada. The size of the festival has expanded beyond what it was in 2015 when it began. The festival draws thousands of people from across the World. It is now a World tourism and destination center with major cultural attractions. 

ADF has rapidly become one of Vancouver’s most dynamic and fast-growing festivals, incorporating live music and other cultural festivities. ADF demonstrates an impressive year-over-year growth in both the caliber of musical acts and revenues from a combination of attendees, personal and corporate donations, and government support from walks of life which helps the growth of African Descent Festival audience.

Your next festival will be Aug. 12th - 13th at English Bay.  The schedule is filled with a parade, live painting, live music, fashion designers and more?  Can you share a few of your personal favorite, don't miss things for readers to check out?

All music is good, but I love African music styles of Afrobeat, Dance, Hall, and reggae. Music is healing, and ADF promotes music, dance, arts and culture. We welcome everyone to come to English Bay with their dancing shoes and clothes because this year is bringing the finest Artists to get them dancing. Join us on August 12 and 13th, 2023 to experience the richness of African Descent foods and Music at English Bay. The festival is a free, inclusive, and family-friendly event.

I was amazed to discover this was a free event?  Why did you choose to not charge and what challenges did that create?  

The festival is a free event to the public, but we call for any support from Vancouverites to support the growth of the African Descent festival with generosity. We want to create free accessibility events for all diversity and multicultural groups in Vancouver with our limited budget. However, we welcome and highly appreciate any donation/support to donate to the festival's growth and cause.

Why is it important to have festivals celebrating the wide range of cultures and heritages present in our multicultural community?

It is important to celebrate the history, culture, and heritage of the people of African Descent in Vancouver. English Bay beach was pioneered by Joe Fortes, a Black Canadian from Trinidad and Tobago, and he became the first Vancouver lifeguard in Vancouver. We wanted to raise awareness for the people of African Descent's Arts and Culture, the first exodus of Black settlers in British Columbia who were invited to Salt Spring Island and Vancouver Island by Sir Douglas in 1858, raise awareness for the history of the first black people to settle in Vancouver in the 1880, raise awareness for the people of African Descent community that thrived in the Vancouver from 1900-1971 and were desecrated by the City of Vancouver in 1972 with the construction of the Georgia and Dunsmuir Viaduct, increase awareness for the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024 and UNESCO General History of Africa Project.

We strive to promote the arts and culture of people of African Descent in Vancouver and BC. The people of African Descent have scattered everywhere ever since the destruction of the former Black community in Vancouver Strathcona and Hogan's Alley. We wanted to promote resilience and antiracism in Canada through bringing people together and to learn from each other's history, culture and heritage. The English Bay beach is a home for Joe Fortes, and we hope to make it one of the World's destinations for tourists.

Is there anything else you'd like to share with readers?

I have contacted the media - CBC, CTV, Radio stations, and many television and media personalities – for the event promotion. We are inviting people to donate and support the African Descent Festival. We kindly ask our fans to come in large numbers to support the African Descent Festival. Aug 12th and 13th, see you all there.

Please visit our website and social media platforms to learn more about us, our work, and mission.

Links - 

• Website - www.africandescentfestival.com/africandescentfestival
• Instagram - www.instagram.com/africandescent.fest
• Facebook - www.facebook.com/AfricanDescentFestival