NEWS and EVENTS

Afro Festival 2026

Record Attendance, Durbar, a Valuable Moroccan Kaftan Donation, and a Performance by Les Amazones d’Afrique Mark the Festival Finale

Filled with music, colour, dance, and encounters between different cultures, Afro Festival 2026 was held at the Museum of African Art in Belgrade. As the largest and longest-running event dedicated to African cultures in Serbia, the festival once again brought together thousands of visitors for a unique celebration of African creativity and cultural exchange.

This year’s edition attracted a diverse audience – from museum visitors and tourists to members of the diplomatic and artistic communities – reaffirming its status as one of Belgrade’s most distinctive summer events. Through music, art, and direct dialogue, the festival once again offered visitors a vibrant and immersive experience of African cultures.

The first day featured a rich programme combining education, creativity, and audience participation. Visitors took part in workshops, lectures, and guided exhibition tours, explored the African Bazaar and the outdoor exhibition Impressions of Africa, while programmes dedicated to music, Arabic calligraphy, dance, and African textile traditions attracted particular attention. The collaborative creation of a mural inspired by Tanzanian painting traditions was another highlight of the day.

The second festival day was marked by Durbar, the traditional “Festival of Festivals” and one of Afro Festival’s central events, which once again brought together embassies, consulates, and representatives of African countries in Serbia. Through music, dance, gastronomy, customs, and art, visitors had the opportunity to discover the cultures of Algeria, Angola, Ghana, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia, as well as Gabon and Jamaica, in a programme that transformed the Museum grounds into a vibrant mosaic of flavours, rhythms, and traditions.

A special moment of the festival was the address delivered by H.E. Joseph Kalala Mulamba, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Dean of the Group of African Ambassadors in Serbia. He emphasized the importance of Afro Festival as a space for cultural exchange, dialogue, and connection between Africa and Serbia, highlighting the Museum of African Art as a unique anti-colonial bridge between continents that fosters long-term cooperation and people-to-people connections through culture and education.

As part of the programme, a Moroccan kaftan from the Belkheyat family collection in Fez was ceremonially donated to the Museum of African Art by the Serbia–Morocco Friendship Association and the Belkheyat family. More than six decades old and entirely handcrafted, the kaftan was traditionally worn during wedding ceremonies and represents a valuable testament to Morocco’s rich artisanal and cultural heritage.

The musical highlight of the festival was the performance by Les Amazones d’Afrique, a collective bringing together female artists from several African countries. Their energetic fusion of traditional rhythms, hip-hop, trap, and electronic music delivered a powerful message of women’s empowerment, solidarity, and social change through music. Ahead of the concert, the artists expressed their desire to connect with audiences through shared values and to convey a message of strength, unity, and inspiration, emphasizing that music should inspire joy, connection, and a deeper appreciation of the power of women’s voices.

The second day also featured the sustainable fashion workshop Re:Make Shirt Lab – Africa × Serbia Redesign Workshop, organized in cooperation with Belgrade Fashion Week. The festival concluded with a prize draw organized by festival partner Disko Travel, in which the lucky winner received a trip to Morocco.

This year’s Afro Festival once again demonstrated that the Museum of African Art is not only a place for preserving and presenting cultural heritage, but also a space for contemporary dialogue, meaningful encounters, and authentic cultural experiences. By bringing together art, education, music, fashion, and heritage, Afro Festival continues to build bridges between cultures and reaffirm its place as one of the most distinctive and recognizable cultural events in Belgrade and the wider region.