Archive

A Meeting Point of Cultures, Creativity, and Rhythm

AFRO FESTIVAL AT THE MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART

20–21 June 2026

Afro Festival, a unique event dedicated to African culture and art, will take place on June 20 and 21 at the Museum of African Art in Belgrade (14 Andre Nikolića Street, Senjak). For more than two decades, the festival has attracted thousands of visitors and this year once again offers a rich and diverse programme, ranging from creative workshops and exhibitions to musical performances, culinary presentations, and educational activities for both children and adults..

Over the course of two festival days, the Museum transforms into a vibrant stage and a meeting place for cultural traditions, contemporary expressions, and authentic artistic inspiration. With the support of numerous African embassies and consulates, the museum garden will once again become the “Durbar – Festival of Festivals”, a colourful space dedicated to discovering African cultures through their sounds, flavours, and visual traditions. Festival stands will showcase authentic cuisine, handicrafts, and artworks from across the continent, while the aromas of spices and coffee, the rhythms of drums, and the lively energy of human encounters will blur the boundaries between performers and audiences.

This year’s programme once again brings together play, knowledge, and creativity. Visitors can look forward to art and craft workshops, learning how to tie traditional African headwraps, collaborative mural painting, playing the traditional board game Mancala, concerts, dance performances, guided tours of the Museum’s permanent collection, and tours of the current exhibition “Recy: Art – Waste as a Resource”.

Special Musical Guest: Les Amazones d’Afrique

The musical highlight of the festival will be a concert by Les Amazones d’Afrique on Sunday, June 21. Founded in Bamako in 2014, this pan-African female collective brings together artists from Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and Congo, who perform in their native languages. Their music fuses West African traditions with hip-hop, trap, and electronic sounds, creating a powerful, dance-driven, and distinctive musical expression that has made them one of the most acclaimed contemporary music collectives on the African continent. Their latest album, Musow Danse (2024), produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, Taylor Swift), was praised by Rolling Stone as one of the most significant pan-African music releases of the modern era. Their songs carry strong messages of freedom, dignity, and women’s empowerment, combining artistic expression with social engagement.

Afro Festival remains a unique event in the region, presenting African cultures not only through traditional heritage but also through contemporary and immersive experiences. It is a festival of encounters, rhythm, and openness – two days during which Belgrade breathes differently.

With its rich and diverse programme, Afro Festival will once again bring together numerous friends and partners – the embassies of Algeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia, as well as Brazil, a country with a rich African heritage, and the honorary consulates of Jamaica and Gabon. The festival will also welcome the Arab Cultural Center, the Algerian Friendship Society, the Serbia–Morocco Friendship Association, the Polish Institute, participants of the “World in Serbia” programme, the Associations of Students from Angola and Eswatini, Belgrade Fashion Week, Sekopak and the Capoeira Angola group, alongside a wide range of exhibitors presenting handicrafts, souvenirs and designer items inspired by African cultures. Complemented by a diverse gastronomic offering showcasing flavours from Africa, the Middle East and countries of the African diaspora, the festival will also feature special prize giveaways organized by Disko Travel, including the grand prize – a trip to Morocco, which will be awarded during the final draw on Sunday at 4 p.m. Afro Festival will once again create a unique space for cultural exchange, shared experiences and the celebration of African creativity in the heart of Belgrade.

Click here to download the Programme for both days of the Afro Festival 2026 (PDF).

Tickets are available at all Ticket Vision points of sale, through the website www.tickets.rs, and at the MAU Entrance.

PRОGRАМME

Saturday, 20 June

10 h

10-18 h | Museum Garden

Sales exhibition

AFRICAN BAZAAR

The sales exhibition offers visitors a diverse selection of art, craft, and souvenir items from across Africa. In collaboration with local and African artists and designers, we present a carefully curated collection of jewellery, textiles, clothing, and accessories inspired by African motifs, traditions, and contemporary design.

Open-air exhibition

IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA

We present the most outstanding works selected from the 10th Impressions of Africa Art Competition, organized by the Museum for children and teenagers aged 6 to 18 between (April-June 2026). More than a thousand participants from primary and secondary schools, preschools, and children's art studios took part in the competition, with awards presented to the most successful young artists in three age categories. The works on display reveal inspirations drawn from the Museum’s thematic exhibition and permanent collection, as well as the imagination, reflections, and artistic talent of the participating children and teenagers, supported by the guidance and dedication of their teachers.

Promotional stand

DISCO TRAVEL

Festival partner Disco Travel is back this year with a suitcase packed full of surprises! As a special treat for Festival visitors, they are giving away an unforgettable trip to Morocco. The lucky winner will be selected during the Festival raffle on Sunday at 4 pm. If you're passionate about travel, vibrant cultures, colour, music, and stories from around the world, don't miss their stand. Alongside the grand prize, a host of additional surprises awaits, adding an extra touch of excitement to your Festival experience.

11 h

11-12 h | MAU Permanent Display

Interactive storytelling session (in Serbian)

BOTSWANA – 9 Years in Search of the Dream of (J)utopia

Jelena Mitrović, artist and activist

An interactive storytelling session about fascinating, funny and sometimes challenging situations the Serbian artist and activist Jelena Mitrović, her husband, and two daughters encountered during their 9 years in Botswana. Through personal stories and illustrations, Jelena will reflect on the dualities of Africa and our ability (or inability) to understand them.

11-12 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

Refresh your fashion look with inspiration from Africa! Learn to tie a turban in the African style, using authentic ankara fabrics. The museum provides African fabrics for 20 participants per session. You are welcome to bring your own scarf or material: a sturdy cotton fabric, approximately 215x65 cm, is required.

11-14 h | Museum Garden

Creative workshop for kids

PRESERVING AND CREATING THROUGH RECYCLING –Transforming Plastic Bottle Caps into Pictures

How can we give new purpose to used packaging and materials? Discarded plastic bottle caps of different sizes and colours will find a new life in the museum’s creative workshops – we will imagine and create images from them. Inspired by nature, clouds, treetops, the sun, and animals, children will use recycling techniques to create mosaics made of colourful plastic caps.

Creative workshop for kids

KENTE FABRICS – A Treasury of Colors and Meaning

Kente textiles of the Akan people are recognizable for their geometric motifs and vivid colours. Historically associated with royal dynasties in Ghana, they remain an important part of many ceremonial occasions today, as well as a source of inspiration for contemporary African designers. Through this workshop, children will become familiar with the symbolism of colours and patterns, and will then draw and create their own designs inspired by the rich Kente tradition.

11-17 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for kids and adults

MANKALA – 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. It is a two-player game with simple rules that are easy to learn, but difficult to master. Practice playing mancala and join the growing number of passionate fans of this engaging game.

12 h

12-13 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

12-13 h | Stage

Concert and workshop

THE MUSIC OF HOPE

Music of Hope is a programme conceived by the Music Art Project organisation, which for many years has used collective music-making as a tool for child development, strengthening self-confidence, cooperation, creativity, and a sense of belonging. Through songs inspired by the rhythms of cultures from different continents, as well as original compositions created as part of the programme, children will show that music is a space for connection, play, learning, and attentive listening to one another.

True to the spirit of the programme, the audience becomes an active participant rather than a mere spectator. Everyone is invited to join in through voice, movement and rhythm, creating a unique collective experience of music, play and connection.

12-14 h | Museum Garden

Workshop

THE BEAUTY OF ARABIC LETTERS – From Alif to Ya

The Arab Cultural Center’s a workshop is dedicated to the art of Arabic calligraphy – one of the most recognizable forms of visual expression in Arab culture. Children and adults will have the opportunity to encounter the beauty, rhythm, and expressiveness of the Arabic script, and to learn how to write their own names in Arabic. Through hands-on practice and an introduction to the basics of calligraphy, the workshop demonstrates the intersection of language, art, and tradition. Facilitators: Miljana Šurlan, Muhamed Yahya Abdel Ghaffar-Shika, Brankica Bogosavljević.

12-13 h | MAU Permanent Display

Lecture (in English)

CANCELLED: BETWEEN CANVAS AND REVOLUTION - Jamila Bent Mohamed, feminism and Algerian independence

Dr. Marta Vidi-Behiese, assistant professor at the Faculty of Asian and African Cultures, University of Warsaw

Djamila Ben Mohamed (1933–2023) is one of the most significant figures of Algerian modernism. Her artistic practice, political engagement, and struggle for emancipation were inseparably intertwined. It was precisely this multiplicity of roles that contributed to her lasting visibility among the modernist artists of independent Algeria.

13 h

13-14 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

13-14 h | MAU Permanent Display

Interactive storytelling session (in English)

BOTSWANA – 9 Years in Search of the Dream of (J)utopia

Jelena Mitrović, artist and activist

13-14 h | Stage

Africa's Living Heritage

CAPOEIRA ANGOLA

Step into the circle and discover Capoeira Angola, an Afro-Brazilian tradition that brings together movement, music, rhythm, and interaction. Through demonstration and participation, visitors will experience the energy of this unique art form, whose roots connect African heritage, community, and creative expression.

KIZOMBA ANGOLA

Discover Kizomba, one of Angola’s most popular dance traditions, known for its smooth movements, close partner connection, and captivating rhythms. Through demonstration and participation, visitors will have the opportunity to experience the elegance and warmth of this dance form, which has won admirers around the world.

KUGIDZA! Dance to the rhythm of Eswatini

Performers from the Kingdom of Eswatini will present Kugidza, a traditional dance characterised by energetic foot-stamping, rhythmic singing, drumming, and coordinated group movement. Dressed in traditional attire and accompanied by symbolic props representing cultural tools and weapons, the group offers a vivid expression of Swazi heritage.

14 h

14 h | Museum Garden

Tour and artist talk

Recy: Sculpt(H)ure-aay

The exhibition “RECY: ART – Waste as a Resource” curated by Ivana Vojt (in the MAU Gallery space), is accompanied by a special programme “Recy: Sculpt(H)ure-aay”– which includes artworks installed in the Museum Garden. These are the interpretations of three young local artists on the theme of waste in Africa: “The Weight of the World on My Head” by Marko Blanuša, “Plastic Age” by Petar Božović, and “Voiceless” by Damjan Božović. Join the artist-led tour and conversation. This programme was realised in cooperation with Nestlé Serbia.

Photo: Aleksej Nešović, Nestlé Serbia

14-17 h | Museum Garden

Art workshop for kids

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ANIMALS IN TINGATINGA ART

Tingatinga – a Tanzanian painting style known for its bright colours, glossy surfaces, and depictions of nature. Emerging in the second half of the 20th century, this art movement has become a global symbol of contemporary East African expression. The youngest participants will collaboratively bring the magic of this style to life on a large canvas, creating a shared mural filled with authentic and colourful animal motifs.

14-17 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for kids and teenagers

CAPOEIRA ANGOLA – Rhythm and Movement

An opportunity for children and young people to try out this globally widespread martial art, together with members of the Capoeira Angola Center Belgrade club, and accompanied by Afro-Brazilian percussion rhythms. Participants will engage int the practice that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and martial arts.

14-18 h | Stage

Music

DJ JERRY

DJ Jerry (Ubuntu Events, Belgrade) will perform at this year’s African Festival with an energetic set spanning afrobeats, amapiano, and house music. Known for his live mixing and dynamic performances that respond in real time, he creates a powerful experience in dialogue with the audience and the festival atmosphere.

15 h

15-16 h | MAU Permanent Display

Tactile exhibition guided tour (in Serbian)

SEE, TOUCH, FEEL...

A guided tour of the tactile exhibition has been designed with the aim of including visitors with visual impairments, as well as all other visitors who wish to experience selected objects from the Museum of African Art’s permanent exhibition through touch. Together with museum curators and Boris Dončić from the Association of the Blind of Serbia, the audience will have the opportunity to “walk through” the tactile display, which today also includes guiding paths for movement, audio descriptions, and captions in Braille.

16 h

16-17 h | MAU Gallery

Guided tour through the thematic exhibition (in English)

Recy: Art – Waste as a Resource

Through artistic and craft practices, the exhibition highlights one of the key global challenges – the consequences of the ever-increasing amount of waste and the possibilities of transforming it into a valuable resource.

Mrinalini Bedi, a master's student at the University of Arts on professional practice at MAU

17 h

17-18 h | MAU Gallery

Guided tour through the thematic exhibition (in Serbian)

Recy: Art – Waste as a Resource

Starting from the fact that rapid urbanisation, population growth, and changing consumption patterns have led to a dramatic increase in waste across the African continent, the exhibition presents creative responses by individuals, associations, and companies that turn this challenge into an opportunity. The focus is on utilitarian objects, jewellery, and souvenirs made from industrial solid waste materials in sub-Saharan Africa, which testify to innovative approaches to sustainability and economic resourcefulness. The exhibition is guided by its curator, Ivana Vojt (MAU).

Sunday, 21 June

10 h

10-18 h | Museum Garden

Sales exhibition

AFRICAN BAZAAR

Festival of Festivals

DURBAR

Durbar – Festival of Festivals is a day of friendship, music, and dance that brings together African embassies in Belgrade in the pleasant setting of the museum garden. The festival celebrates African music, dance, art, and crafts, with the support of the diplomatic community, and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy culinary specialities from different parts of Africa. Carefully curated stands featuring artworks and crafts, textiles, jewellery, spices, and beverages contribute to the festival atmosphere and present the richness of Africa’s cultural heritage. This year’s participants include the embassies of Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Ghana, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia, as well as the consulates of Gabon and Jamaica.

Open-air exhibition

IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA

Promotional stand

DISCO TRAVEL

10:30-11 h | Stage

Certificate and Award Ceremony

IMPRESSIONS OF AFRICA

More than a thousand children and young people from numerous primary and secondary schools, preschool institutions, and children’s art studios took part in the competition, with prizes awarded to the best authors in three age categories.

11 h

11 h | Stage

Presentation of a Museum Gift and Fashion Showcase

THE SPLENDOUR OF THE MOROCCAN CAFTAN

A remarkable Moroccan caftan over sixty years old, donated by the Serbian–Moroccan Friendship Association and the Belhayat family of Fez, will become part of the Museum’s collection as a testament to Morocco’s rich craft traditions and cultural heritage. The gift will be formally presented in a ceremony featuring welcome remarks by H. E. Omar Amghar, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, and the donors. The ceremony will be followed by a fashion showcase of caftans and takchitas from the Belhayat family collection, offering an exclusive glimpse into the luxurious and refined tradition of Moroccan caftan-making. Abdelmoutalib Belhayat and Yassine Billion Bacha will discuss the craftsmanship, aesthetics, and cultural significance of the garments on display, introducing visitors to outstanding examples of Morocco’s rich cultural heritage.

This programme is presented through the generous support of the Serbian–Moroccan Friendship Association and the Belhayat family. The donated caftan will be exhibited in the Museum’s entrance hall throughout the Festival.

11-12 h | MAU Permanent Display

Guided tour (in Russian)

THE ART OF WEST AFRICA & RECY: ART – Waste as a Resource

Explore the West African art collection of the Museum’s founders, Veda Zagorac and Zdravko Pečar, as well as a thematic exhibition dedicated to the growing challenge of waste accumulation in Africa and its creative reuse through contemporary art and craft practices.

Guide: Ksenia Sedyakina

11-12 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

11-14 h | Museum Garden

Creative workshop for kids

KENTE FABRICS – A Treasury of Colors and Meaning

Kente textiles of the Akan people are known for their geometric motifs and vibrant colours. Historically associated with royal dynasties in Ghana, they remain an important part of many ceremonial occasions today and continue to inspire contemporary African designers. Through this workshop, children will learn about the symbolism of colours and patterns, and will then draw and create their own designs inspired by the rich Kente tradition.

Creative workshop for kids

PRESERVING AND CREATING THROUGH RECYCLING –Transforming Plastic Bottle Caps into Pictures

How can we give new purpose to used packaging and materials? Discarded plastic bottle caps of different sizes and colours will find a new use in the museum’s creative workshops – where we will imagine and create images from them. Inspired by nature, clouds, treetops, the sun, and animals, children will use recycling techniques to create mosaics made of colourful plastic caps.

11-14 h | Museum Garden

Workshop

RE:MAKE SHIRT LAB Africa x Serbia Redesign Workshop with Ivana Tokin & Elizabeth Faniyi

The workshop explores sustainable and circular fashion through redesign, repair, and the reuse of textiles together with its participants. By connecting African and Serbian textile traditions through a contemporary approach to fashion, existing garments are not discarded but transformed into new, unique creations. Visitors are welcome to bring a favourite shirt, garment, or textile with African motifs that they would like to refresh and transform. Everything created during the workshop will be taken home by the participants as a unique, personally shaped piece. The workshop is led and mentored by Ivana Tokin and Elizabeth Faniyi.

11-17 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for kids and adults

MANKALA – Board Game

12 h

12 h | Stage

Ceremonial address

H.E. JOSEPH KALALA MULAMBA, Ambassador of the Democratic Republic of the Congo & Dean of the Group of African Ambassadors in Belgrade

12-13 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

13 h

13-14 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for adults

AFRICAN TURBANS

13-14 h | Stage

Africa's Living Heritage

KIZOMBA ANGOLA

KUGIDZA! Dance to the rhythm of Eswatini

13-14 h | MAU Gallery

Guided tour through the thematic exhibition (in Serbian)

Recy: Art – Waste as a Resource

Following the fact that rapid urbanisation, population growth, and changing consumption patterns have led to a dramatic increase in waste across the African continent, the exhibition presents creative responses by individuals, associations, and companies who transform this challenge into an opportunity. The focus is on utilitarian objects, jewellery, and souvenirs made from industrial solid waste materials in sub-Saharan Africa, which testify to innovative approaches to sustainability and economic resourcefulness. The exhibition is guided by its author, Ivana Vojt, MAU curator.

14 h

14 h | Stage

Music

LES AMAZONES D’AFRIQUE

This pan-African female band was formed in 2014 in Bamako and today brings together artists from Mali, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Congo, who sing in their own native languages. Their music blends West African traditions with hip-hop, trap, and electronic sound—resulting in a powerful, danceable, and unique fusion that has made them one of the most recognisable contemporary music collectives on the African continent. Their latest album *Musow Danse* (2024), produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, Taylor Swift), was named by *Rolling Stone* magazine as one of the most significant pan-African music releases of the modern era.

14-17 h | Museum Garden

Art workshop for kids

THE MAGICAL WORLD OF ANIMALS IN TINGATINGA ART

Tingatinga – a Tanzanian painting style known for its bright colours, glossy surfaces, and depictions of nature. Emerging in the second half of the 20th century, this movement has become a global symbol of contemporary East African artistic expression. The youngest participants will collaboratively bring the magic of this style to life on a large canvas, creating a shared mural filled with authentic and colourful animal motifs.

16 h

16 h | Stage

Prize draw

DISCO TRAVEL

16-17 h | MAU Permanent Display

Tactile exhibition guided tour (in Serbian)

SEE, TOUCH, FEEL...

A guided tour of the tactile exhibition has been designed with the aim of inclusion of people with visual impairments, as well as all other visitors who wish to experience selected objects from the Museum’s permanent exhibition through touch. Together with museum curators and Boris Dončić from the Association of the Blind of Serbia, the audience will have the opportunity to “walk through” the tactile display, which today also includes guiding paths for movement, audio descriptions, and captions in Braille.

16-18 h | Museum Garden

Workshop for kids and teenagers

CAPOEIRA ANGOLA – Rhythm and Movement

An opportunity for children and young people to try this globally widespread martial art together with members of the Capoeira Angola Center Belgrade club, accompanied by Afro-Brazilian percussion rhythms. Participants will engage in a practice that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, and martial arts.