I attended the Smithsonian’s 2011 Folklife Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC. This year Columbia, the Peace Core’s global outreach, and Rhythm &Blues are being celebrated through music, arts & crafts, dance and food. There is so much to see so I took my time doing as much as possible in one day. The following is only a sampling:
Kenyan Cooking Demonstration – an American woman living in Kenya for 16 years and a Kenyan woman gave a demonstration on how to cook goat stew, fried goat and maize. As they cooked, the American woman talked about the traditions, the landscape and the people of Kenya. I learned that 75% of Kenya is arid and used to raise livestock. The remaining 25% is used to grow produce and other plants. Ingredients in Kenyan cooking do not include spices, but salt is used frequently. However, Somali immigrants tend to cook with spices and fruits (e.g. coconuts and mangos) in local dishes. During special celebrations, the entire animal is slaughtered, cooked and distributed to individuals based on seniority and gender. For example, with goats, men are given the head, and women are given the kidneys.
Unfortunately, they did not sample the demonstrated dishes. However, the smell of the stewed goat with carrots, potatoes and onions made me quite hungry and excited about lunch…
West African Food Concession – While the festival offers foods from Asia and Columbia, as well as barbeque, I, like many others, stood in line at the West African concession stand because I wanted to try something completely different. The menu included four main dishes: beef, fish, chicken and lentils. The chicken platter was the most popular item being sold, but I ordered thiebou dieun, the fish, because I eat poultry at least three times a week. Thiebou dieum comprises of fish, carrots, yucca and cabbage and was served with a heaping portion of djolof rice, which is cooked in a rich tomato sauce. I liked the dish but was not blown away, as I felt it lacked spices. Yes, I just saw the Kenyan cooking demonstration and learned that they cooked with little spices. However, I could not stop comparing this food to my friend’s Ghanaian mother-in-law’s dish where the flavors explode in your mouth. Anyway, I am glad I had this dish over the others because it’s rare that I eat foods from Africa.
Shea Butter Demonstration – I have always been curious as to how shea butter was made because there are vendors that make and sell it at local farmer’s markets and it’s an ingredient in my hair products and lotion. The Peace Core representative explained the entire process of making shea butter. She told the audience how it starts from a nut, which is grounded into a powder and boiled with water. When the oil from the nut separates from the water, it is skimmed from the top and will eventually solidify into the shea butter. The exhibit also included Ghanaian women who were demonstrating how shea nuts are crushed manually using a large muddle. I learned that these women are part of a sustainable economic development program that trains women to produce, market and sell products. They sell their products through Shea Yeleen International, which produces soaps, body butter and balms to be sold around the world. Their body butter is incredible so I bought some in the festival’s marketplace.
After that demonstration, I called my sister Ruth who works nearby because she is a nut for shea butter, no pun intended. It was lunchtime so she came down to learn more about shea and helped me finish off that huge portion of thiebou deign.
Columbian Pavilion – Columbia is the featured country so there is an entire area dedicated to this culture. I saw an Afro-Columbian female group of folksingers that sang various songs about life and nature. I was excited about this group because this ethnic population is rarely seen in media about Columbia. Their voices were melodic and so beautiful, and I loved how they encouraged the audience to join them in traditional dances. Shockingly enough, I did not get up and dance; I arrived late and felt uncomfortable jumping into the circle.
The Columbian pavilion also featured many talented craftspeople making baskets, pottery, canoes and even braiding hair. I thoroughly enjoyed the exhibits and learned a lot.
Other Activities – I was at the festival for four hours so I was able to see a lot. In the Rhythm and Blues area, I heard a soulful youth group, a doo-wop group and a Motown female group. Back in the Peace Corps area, I heard music and dancers from Botswana and Mali, saw weavers from Morroco, Peru and West Africa, and learned how to design Ghanaian cloth. I also saw an exhibit on east European wine making and Jamaican organic farming.
As usual, the Smithsonian does an incredible job producing this festival. There are many opportunities to learn, sample and participate in cultural activities. If you are in town for the July 4th holiday weekend or next weekend, I encourage you to take a couple of hours to visit this wonderful celebration of cultures.
Photo Album of Festival
