Ohio University in Athens hosted its sixth Global Arts Festival from March 17 through 19, marking 20 years of international cultural programming at the institution. The three-day event featured concerts, an international fashion show, film screenings, art exhibitions, lectures, and interactive workshops, most of them free and open to the public.
The festival included performances by the Azagu Steel Band, the Ohio University Steel Band, and faculty performing music from South America, as well as “Napakò: A Coahuiltecan Creation Story” presented by the Indigenous Cultures Institute. Musical traditions from Ghana, Brazil, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States were represented. More than 25 alumni steel bands from Ohio University and West Virginia institutions participated.
Ghana’s Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Abla Dzifa Gomashie, delivered a keynote address on March 19. The festival also marked the final concert directed by Professor Paschal Yao Younge, who has led the university’s global arts initiatives for 20 years. The 14th World Music and Dance Concert featured performers from the National Dance Company of Ghana and the Noyam African Dance Institute. Admission to the concert was $15, with free entry for Ohio University students.
Source: Ohio University