28–29 June 2025
The Museum of African Art in Belgrade proudly announces a new edition of the Afro Festival, taking place on June 28 and 29, 2025. For over two decades, the Afro Festival has stood out as a unique event on Serbia’s cultural scene – a space for open dialogue, learning, artistic exchange, and celebration of the richness of African culture.
Over the course of two vibrant days, the museum transforms into a lively, dynamic stage – a place where cultural traditions meet contemporary expression and authentic artistic inspiration. With a wide range of educational and engaging activities for both children and adults, the festival fosters the preservation of cultural heritage while promoting African art, crafts, and cultural practices.
The friend of this year's Afro festival is the Disko Travel agency, which arrives with a suitcase full of surprises! The luckiest visitor will win a magical trip to Morocco, the lottery draw is on Sunday at the Festival! If you like travel, disco rhythm, colors and stories from all over the world — be sure to visit them at the stand, they have prepared additional surprises.
Click here to download the Programme for both days of the Afro Festival 2025 (PDF).
Tickets are available at all Ticket Vision points of sale, through the website www.tickets.rs, and at the MAU Entrance.
PRОGRАМME
Saturday, 28 June
10 AM – 6 PM | Museum Garden
Sales Exhibition
AFRICAN BAZAAR
The sales exhibition offers visitors a wide variety of artistic, handcrafted, and souvenir items from across the African continent. In collaboration with local artists and creatives, the Bazaar features a curated selection of jewelry, textiles, clothing, and accessories inspired by African motifs and design.
Outdoor Exhibition
"IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA" – A Retrospective of the Most Successful Works from the MAA Annual Art Competition (2014–2024)
In anticipation of the tenth edition of the art competition, which will be held this autumn, we present to visitors an exhibition of the most successful drawings from the very beginning of this special program organized by the Museum of African Art. The exhibited works, created during previous competitions, reflect inspiration drawn from themed exhibitions, the museum’s permanent display, imaginative reflections and thought processes, as well as the artistic skills of children and youth—and their teachers. Thanks to collaboration with numerous primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, preschools, art studios, and other creative associations, several thousand children and young people have participated in the MAA art competition over the past decade.
11 AM – 2 PM | Museum Garden
Creative Workshop for Children
WHAT DOES MY KANGA SAY?
Among Swahili communities in East Africa, messages about love, religion, and family are often conveyed by wearing or gifting colorful kanga fabrics. Kangas are said to “speak,” as they give visual form to traditional proverbs, folk poetry, and reflections on current social change. In this workshop, children will design their own paper kangas using collage and coloring techniques. The aim is to create a visual piece that expresses a personal message or broader, universal ideas. The workshop will be led by Аlеksаndrа Gаčić, Аnа Аcić i Маriјаnа Strubеl.
Creative Workshop for Children
IMAGINED CITIES
Each participant will contribute to the creation of a collective artwork – a model of a shared, imagined city. Our inspiration comes from selected photographs of cities featured in the exhibition “Prefabricating Solidarity: IMS Žeželj between Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Angola”. Using paper and cardboard, we will build models of buildings, houses, and bridges; draw streets and parks; cut and glue rivers, lakes, trees, and other essential elements needed for life in an urban settlement! The workshop will be led by Аlеksаndrа Gаčić, Аnа Аcić i Маriјаnа Strubеl.
11 AM – 5 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Children and Adults
MANCALA – A Board Game
Mancala is one of the oldest known strategy games, played in various forms across four continents: Africa, Asia, South America, and North America. Played in pairs, the rules of mancala are easy to learn—but mastering the game and winning is a true challenge. Join us at the Afro Festival to learn how to play mancala and become part of a growing community of passionate fans of this timeless game. The program features: Ivana Vojt, curator of the Objects of Everyday Use collection, and demonstrators: Aleksandar Milošević, Andrea Bojović and Katarina Nikolić.
at 2, 3, 4 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Adults
AFRICAN TURBANS
Get ready for an African summer! Add an African turban as a stylish accessory to your look! In this workshop, you’ll learn several traditional African headwrap styles. The program features: Aleksandra Prodanović Bojović, curator of the textile collection, and guest demonstrators from Africa, Rose Thumbi and Naila Yusuph. The Museum will provide African fabrics for 20 participants. You are also welcome to bring your own wrap or fabric – ideally a firm cotton material approximately 215 x 65 cm in size.
The workshop lasts an hour and you can choose to participate in a workshop that starts at 2, 3 or 4 pm.
1 PM – 2 PM | MAU Gallery
Guided Tour of the Exhibition
PREFABRICATING SOLIDARITY: IMS-ZEŽELJ BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA, CUBA, AND ANGOLA
In the 1970s, Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Angola were linked by an unusual exchange of prefabricated construction technology. As members of the Non-Aligned Movement, these three countries sought their own paths to development beyond Cold War polarization. A key material component in this effort was the IMS-Žeželj system—a sophisticated skeletal construction method patented in 1957 by engineer Branko Žeželj at the IMS Institute in Belgrade. The tour is led by Jelica Jovanović.
1 PM – 3 PM | Museum Garden
Music
DJ JERRY
Jérôme Beyanga (b. 2001), better known as DJ Jerry, is originally from Uganda and has been living, studying, and working in Belgrade for the past four years. A senior student of mechanical engineering at the University of Belgrade, he is also a professional DJ. He’ll be spinning popular Afro music sounds, including genres like Afrobeats and Afrohouse.
2 PM – 3 PM | MAU Permanent Display
Guided Tour of the Tactile Exhibition
SEE, TOUCH, FEEL...
“See, Touch, Feel…” is a special guided tour program designed to integrate visitors with visual impairments into museum activities, as well as anyone who wishes to experience African art through touch. Together with museum curators and Boris Dončić, our collaborator from the Serbian Association of the Blind, visitors will have the opportunity to “walk through” the tactile exhibition. The exhibition features tactile pathways for navigation, audio description, and Braille labels accompanying the tactile objects on display.
2 PM – 5 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Children and Youth
CAPOEIRA ANGOLA – RHYTHM AND MOVEMENT
An opportunity for children and youth to try this globally popular martial art, which combines elements of dance and acrobatics, alongside members of the Capoeira Angola Center Belgrade and to the rhythms of Afro-Brazilian percussion. The workshop is led by instructors Aleksandra Minić and Stefan Živaljević from the Capoeira Angola association.
Creative Workshop for Children
MSO HILI ANA LILE
“Each person contributes in their own way; no one is perfect” — this is one of the meanings expressed on the fabric known as kanga, characteristic of the Swahili Coast cultures. Along with various proverbs, kangas are recognized by their contrasting colorful patterns, including lavish flowers, mango fruits, bunches of grapes, palm trees, as well as symbols of culture and ballot boxes. At this year’s Afro Festival, children will collaboratively paint a large-format fabric featuring selected kanga motifs. The workshop is led by Milica Josimov and Milica Marinković.
3 PM | Stage
Dance Performance
KUFAMBA WITH DONIA TEMBE ĐURIĆ
Kufamba is a fusion of contemporary and traditional Mozambican dance. After Donia Tembe Đurić’s performance, the audience will have the opportunity to join her on stage and try out some steps of the Marabenta dance.
4 PM – 5 PM | Stage
Percussion Workshop
THE POWER OF RHYTHM AND THE BEAT OF A NEW AFRICA!
KASIVA MUTUA is Kenya’s leading percussionist — a rhythm virtuoso, singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her work seamlessly blends tradition and modernity, promoting gender equality while preserving cultural heritage. Kasiva Mutua, a drumming prodigy inspired by her grandmother’s folk tales, has grown into one of Kenya’s most prominent percussionists. On international tours, she fuses traditional African rhythms with contemporary genres such as jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and funk, elevating the role of African women in music. Kasiva stands out in the male-dominated world of percussion and has participated in renowned programs such as The Nile Project and Coke Studio Africa. At the Afro Festival, Kasiva will lead an interactive percussion lecture and workshop together with visitors who bring their own instruments (drums, djembes, percussion, etc.)!
Kasiva Mutua (Photo: Ellie Obati)
Sunday, 29 June
10 AM – 6 PM | Museum Garden
Sales Exhibition
AFRICAN BAZAAR
The sales exhibition offers visitors a wide variety of artistic, handcrafted, and souvenir items from across the African continent. In collaboration with local artists and creatives, the Bazaar features a curated selection of jewelry, textiles, clothing, and accessories inspired by African motifs and design.
DURBAR
Durbar – The Festival of Festivals is a day of friendship, music, and dance. With the participation of African embassies in Belgrade, and set in the pleasant outdoor atmosphere of the Museum garden, this day is dedicated to celebrating African music, dance, art, and crafts. Thanks to the kind support of the African diplomatic community in Belgrade, visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy culinary specialties from various regions of Africa. Specially arranged stands featuring handcrafted artworks, textiles, jewelry, spices, and beverages contribute to the vibrant festival atmosphere, offering an unforgettable experience of Africa’s rich cultural heritage. This year’s participants include the embassies of Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Burundi, Ghana, Egypt, DR Congo, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, and Tunisia, as well as the consulates of Gabon, Jamaica, and Namibia.
Outdoor Exhibition
"IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA" – A Retrospective of the Most Successful Works from the MAA Annual Art Competition (2014–2024)
In anticipation of the tenth edition of the art competition, which will be held this autumn, we present to visitors an exhibition of the most successful drawings from the very beginning of this special program organized by the Museum of African Art. The exhibited works, created during previous competitions, reflect inspiration drawn from themed exhibitions, the museum’s permanent display, imaginative reflections and thought processes, as well as the artistic skills of children and youth—and their teachers. Thanks to collaboration with numerous primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, preschools, art studios, and other creative associations, several thousand children and young people have participated in the MAA art competition over the past decade.
11 AM – 12 PM | MAU Permanent Display
Catalog Launch
PREFABRICATING SOLIDARITY: IMS-ŽEŽELJ BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA, CUBA, AND ANGOLA
The catalog for the exhibition of the same name features original texts by the curator-research team, including Vladimir Kulić, Vesna Pavlović, Jelica Jovanović, and Fred Rivera. This ambitious publication tells the history of architectural collaboration—the so-called “triangular solidarity” between Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Angola. Published in four languages, the catalog includes research findings, documentary materials, and a portfolio of artistic photography by Vesna Pavlović. The discussion panel features Ana Miljački and Jelica Jovanović.
11 AM – 5 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Children and Adults
MANCALA – A Board Game
Mancala is one of the oldest strategy games, played in various forms across four continents: Africa, Asia, South America, and North America. Played in pairs, the rules are easy to learn but winning is a true challenge. Practice playing mancala at the Afro Festival and join the growing community of passionate fans of this timeless game. The program features: Ivana Vojt, curator of the Objects of Everyday Use collection, and demonstrators: Aleksandar Milošević, Andrea Bojović and Katarina Nikolić.
at 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Adults
AFRICAN TURBANS
Get ready for an African summer! Add an African turban as a stylish accessory to your look! In this workshop, you’ll learn several traditional African headwrap styles. The program features: Aleksandra Prodanović Bojović, curator of the textile collection, and guest demonstrators from Africa, Rose Thumbi and Naila Yusuph. The Museum will provide African fabrics for 20 participants. You are also welcome to bring your own wrap or fabric – ideally a firm cotton material approximately 215 x 65 cm in size.
The workshop lasts an hour and you can choose to participate in a workshop that starts at 11 am, 12 pm or 1 pm.
11 AM | Stage
Performance and Certificate Ceremony
SWAHILI – Language Workshop
Every spring and autumn, the Museum of African Art organizes Swahili language workshops designed for adults. Combining language learning methodology, native speaker experience, and curatorial practice, the program offers a unique museum-based experience for acquiring a foreign language. After a short performance, participants will receive certificates of completion for this program.
Performance and Certificate Ceremony
KUFAMBA – Dance Workshops
Participants of the Kufamba dance workshops will perform the folk song Amatue Tue and choreography of the popular Mozambican Marabenta dance. The performance will conclude with the awarding of certificates for successfully completing the second cycle of the dance workshops.
11 AM – 2 PM | Museum Garden
Creative Workshop for Children
WHAT DOES MY KANGA SAY?
Among Swahili communities in East Africa, messages about love, religion, and family are often conveyed by wearing or gifting colorful kanga fabrics. Kangas are said to “speak,” as they give visual form to traditional proverbs, folk poetry, and reflections on current social change. In this workshop, children will design their own paper kangas using collage and coloring techniques. The aim is to create a visual piece that expresses a personal message or a broader, universal idea. The workshop is led by Aleksandra Gačić, Ana Acić, and Marijana Strubel.
Creative Workshop for Children
IMAGINED CITIES
Each participant will contribute to the creation of a collective artwork – a model of a shared, imagined city. Our inspiration comes from selected photographs of cities featured in the exhibition “Prefabricating Solidarity: IMS Žeželj between Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Angola”. Using paper and cardboard, we will build models of buildings, houses, and bridges; draw streets and parks; cut and glue rivers, lakes, trees, and other essential elements needed for life in an urban settlement! The workshop will be led by Аlеksаndrа Gаčić, Аnа Аcić i Маriјаnа Strubеl.
12 noon | Stage
Official Ceremony
Official address by the Dean of the Group of African Ambassadors in Belgrade, H.E. Fatah Mahraz, Ambassador of Algeria, as part of the program “Durbar – A Day of Friendship, Music, and Dance”
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Stage
Music and Performance
TRADITIONAL SOUNDS OF LIBYA
Join us for a special musical performance by talented musicians from Libya, who will enchant the audience with traditional songs and rhythms of their homeland.
1 PM – 2 PM | MAU Permanent Display
Guided Tour of the Tactile Exhibition
SEE, TOUCH, FEEL...
“See, Touch, Feel…” is a special guided tour program designed to integrate visitors with visual impairments into museum activities, as well as anyone who wishes to experience African art through touch. Together with museum curators and Boris Dončić, our collaborator from the Serbian Association of the Blind, visitors will have the opportunity to “walk through” the tactile exhibition. The exhibition features tactile pathways for navigation, audio description, and Braille labels accompanying the tactile objects on display.
2 PM – 4 PM | Stage
Concert
KASIVA MUTUA
The special guest of the festival is KASIVA MUTUA, Kenya’s leading percussionist — a rhythm virtuoso, singer, guitarist, and songwriter. Her work harmoniously blends tradition and modernity, promoting gender equality while preserving cultural heritage. Kasiva Mutua, a drumming prodigy inspired by her grandmother’s folk tales, has grown into one of Kenya’s most prominent percussionists. On international tours, she fuses traditional African rhythms with contemporary genres such as jazz, hip-hop, reggae, and funk, elevating the role of African women in music. Kasiva stands out in the male-dominated world of percussion and has taken part in renowned programs such as The Nile Project and Coke Studio Africa.
Kasiva Mutua (Photo: Ellie Obati)
2 PM – 5 PM | Museum Garden
Workshop for Children and Youth
CAPOEIRA ANGOLA – RHYTHM AND MOVEMENT
An opportunity for children and youth to try this globally popular martial art, which combines elements of dance and acrobatics, alongside members of the Capoeira Angola Center Belgrade and to the rhythms of Afro-Brazilian percussion. The workshop is led by instructors Aleksandra Minić and Stefan Živaljević from the Capoeira Angola association.
Creative Workshop for Children
MSO HILI ANA LILE
“Each person contributes in their own way; no one is perfect” — this is one of the meanings expressed on the fabric known as kanga, characteristic of the Swahili Coast cultures. Along with various proverbs, kangas are recognized by their contrasting colorful patterns, including lavish flowers, mango fruits, bunches of grapes, palm trees, as well as symbols of culture and ballot boxes. At this year’s Afro Festival, children will collaboratively paint a large-format fabric featuring selected kanga motifs. The workshop is led by Milica Josimov and Milica Marinković.
4 PM – 6 PM | Museum Garden
Music
DJ JERRY
Jérôme Beyanga (b. 2001), better known as DJ Jerry, is originally from Uganda and has been living, studying, and working in Belgrade for the past four years. A senior student of mechanical engineering at the University of Belgrade, he is also a professional DJ. He’ll be spinning popular Afro music sounds, including genres like Afrobeats and Afrohouse.
5 PM – 6 PM | MAU Gallery
Guided Tour of the Exhibition
PREFABRICATING SOLIDARITY: IMS-ŽEŽELJ BETWEEN YUGOSLAVIA, CUBA, AND ANGOLA
In the 1970s, Yugoslavia, Cuba, and Angola were linked by an unusual exchange of prefabricated construction technology. As members of the Non-Aligned Movement, these three countries sought their own paths to development beyond Cold War polarization. A key material component in this effort was the IMS-Žeželj system—a sophisticated skeletal construction method patented in 1957 by engineer Branko Žeželj at the IMS Institute in Belgrade. The tour is led by Jelica Jovanović.
*Recycling is a key topic of today, present in African art as a motif that inspires us to take care of the environment. We want to give packaging waste a new chance and extend the life of plastic bottles and cans. That is why we invite you to dispose of packaging waste used at the Afro festival at the stand of the company Sekopak, and everyone who brings 5 plastic bottles or cans will receive a symbolic gift. Therefore, you will also participate in the exhibition that is being prepared at the Museum of African Art.
Click here to download the Programme for both days of the Afro Festival 2025 (PDF).
Tickets are available at all Ticket Vision points of sale, through the website www.tickets.rs, and at the MAU Entrance.
