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World Ebony Network Ethnic Folklore Festival (WENEFF), an ethnic equity and equality folklore festival, is an annual seven-day ceremony, wrapped around June 17th Achebe Day and the Juneteenth festival
WENEFF is created on the basis of “Telling His of Her Own Story”, which was conceptualized from the principle of the Igbo-African philosophy and principle of “Egbe bere/bulu, Ugo bere/belu. Nke si ibe ya ebena/ebelu, ka nku kwa ya”. This proverb translates, in English, as “Let the kite perch and let the eagle perch. If the one says the other shouldn’t perch, let its wings break (Live and let live).”
WENEFF parallels the mission of World Ebony Network to reinforce the noble and enduring principles, practices, philosophies (3Ps) of people of African ancestry and to appreciate the good aspects of other heritages. It generally supports the actual world trends of folklore culture universalization and particularly meets UNESCO’s initiatives for world communities to actively promote dialog between cultures and generations through folk practices.
WENEFF’s goal is simple. It is “To achieve WEN’s mission”.
WENEFF is a must do. The conception of WENEFF was born of the constant rude reminder that: African heritage descendants are overwhelmed by new values, principles, and practices that drastically widens gaps between the past and the future; that some heritages have packaged their stories appearing more dominant that the others; and that the idiom “he who pays the piper calls the tune” is true, especially when the piper has painstakingly studied, cultivated, and applied the right resources, regardless of where they come to suite his or her purpose.
WENEFF is a creative medley of dance presentations, traditional and contemporary music, workshops and dialogues from various ethnic groups that care to tell their stories at the festival. It will be a vivacious and exhilarating celebration of our identities, offering a wide range of expertise from choice folklorists to spontaneous performances at the event where the truth about ethnic ancestral traditions will be told showcasing an assortment of majestic insignia bringing to live an opportunity for cultural diversity exchanges in its finest in the middle of summer.
The festival will showcase cultures from as many ethnic groups as possible. The festival will provide a window to the past and a kaleidoscope to the future. It will showcase the “African Heritage” as a heritage that all black people should identify with and the appreciation of race relations that descendants of African ancestors appreciate and how this festival will foster open dialogue about our heritages and the beauty of understanding and appreciating the principles, philosophies, and practices (the 3Ps) in all heritages. Whether we like it or not, this is where the world is now: The explosion of technology that has provided accelerated vehicles to the diverse social groups through which all kinds of interpretations proceed – both good and bad. To survive it, it’s best that we understand ourselves to understand others.
WENEFF supports UNESCO’s theme of World peace and Harmony whereby different nations share one another’s heritage expressions under one umbrella through various forms of expression ranging from dance, music, conversation, games, etc.
WENEFF will bring people from various parts of the globe in unity where they get to showcase and share their own cultural expressions with one another. This is what our African ancestors did well, “appreciating the good aspects of other heritages” with the aim to learn, understand, get along, and dwell in peace.
While WENs welcomes visitors from all over the world, we will also seize the opportunity to promote Bladensburg, Maryland in particular, and Prince Georges’ county as a whole, as an attractive, friendly & safe tourist destination in America. We thank the county executive of Prince Georges County Maryland, Ms. Angela Alsobrooks, for being the first to recognize WEN’s declaration of Achebe Day, celebration of each other’s ethnic diversity in beautify Prince Georges’ County, Maryland, a unique place for residents of various cultural backgrounds to contribute their unique and elaborate cultural heritage to the County’s economic growth.