REVIEW OF THE AFRO FESTIVAL 2025
During the weekend of June 28 and 29, the Afro Festival brought the Museum of African Art’s courtyard to life, celebrating African culture through music, art, games, and the evocative scents and tastes of a continent that never ceases to inspire.
Visitors took part in art and creative workshops, learned to tie African turbans, experimented with the kanga fabric painting technique, played the traditional game of mancala, and joined in capoeira and kufamba dance sessions. This year’s festival featured a special guest, DJ Jerry, whose sets captured the rhythms of African evening gatherings blended with the unique sounds of Afro-Belgrade nightlife. The program also included expert-led tours of the Museum’s exhibitions, such as the current show Prefabrication of Solidarity: IMS Žeželj between Yugoslavia, Cuba and Angola, as well as the tactile exhibition See, Touch, Feel....
The highlight of this year’s festival was Kasiva Mutua — a celebrated Kenyan percussionist, singer-songwriter, and music activist. On the first day, she led an interactive percussion workshop, while on the second day, the festival stage transformed into the very heart of Africa. Her concert became a true musical journey that brought the audience to their feet. Traditional African rhythms, seamlessly woven together with elements of jazz improvisation, funk, and reggae, created an atmosphere of hypnotic energy where no one remained unmoved. After the performance, Kasiva Mutua, visibly moved, shared her impressions:
“The concert was extraordinary, especially because I saw the smiles of Serbian and African visitors — I will carry those smiles with me forever. I feel at home in Africa. Yesterday I led a workshop for people who had never played the drum before, including many children with African roots born here, which touched me deeply. It’s so important for younger generations to know their roots. I congratulate the Museum for its organization and for bringing together so many embassies. It matters that African countries nurture these ties and that we all fight for human rights and foster understanding. I met many people from Africa who live and study in Belgrade and actively promote African culture. And I saw how people from Serbia enjoy African coffee, shawarma, and delicacies from Ghana.”
Photo: Marija Piroški
The highlight of the festival was the Durbar Day - a traditional program with stands of African embassies that presented national gastronomic specialties, art and craft products. With the support of African embassies and consulates in Serbia, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, prof. Dr. Đuro Macut, director of the Museum of African Art, Dr. Marija Aleksić, and the Dean of the Group of African Ambassadors in Belgrade, H.E. Fatah Mahraz, Ambassador of Algeria. Dr. Macut emphasized the importance of friendship between Serbia and Africa, Dr. Aleksić greeted the visitors and thanked them for their presence, while Ambassador Mahraz emphasized the importance of cultural bridges between African countries and Serbia. Dr. Marija Aleksić, director of the Museum of African Art, thanked the attendees and emphasized that the festival has been gathering the widest audience and promoting African art and culture over 20 years, representing a platform for establishing dialogue and understanding.
"I am especially glad that this year we can welcome the embassies of Algeria, Angola, Brazil, Ghana, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, guests from the Embassy of Burundi in Rome and the Embassy of Nigeria in Budapest, as well as the consulates of Gabon, Namibia and Jamaica," said Aleksic. H.E. Fatah Mahraz, Ambassador of Algeria and doyen of the Group of African Ambassadors in Belgrade, emphasized the importance of the festival, which has been organized since 1997.
Photo: Marija Piroški
Primie Minister of Serbia, prof. Dr. Đuro Macut, solemnly opened the Durbar with the words: "The Museum of African Art is a pillar of the relationship between Serbia and Africa and a reminder of the time when together with our friends from Africa, in the spirit of solidarity and equality, we built the Movement unaligned. Today, when the world is once again going through a period of deep divisions, geopolitical tensions and economic challenges, we are convinced that the basic principles of the Movement - advocacy for peace, equality among peoples, mutual solidarity and the right of each country to independently decide on its own development - have not lost their importance. On the contrary, today they are more relevant than ever. Serbia is absolutely ready to establish new bridges of cooperation with the African continent, both economically and culturally, in tourism, education and in every other aspect."
This year, special attention was devoted to ecology. In cooperation with the company Sekopak, a recycling point was set up where visitors could bring plastic bottles and cans, contributing directly to the preparation of the upcoming ReciArt exhibition. Adding to the lively atmosphere, festival partner Disko Travel organized a prize draw — with the lucky winner receiving a trip to Morocco.
Photo: Marija Piroški
Thanks to long-term and inspiring collaboration with superb artists behind the camera - Marija Piroški and Jovana Pantelić - we are very excited to present to you a promotional film that brings great energy and a breath-taking atmosphere of the Afro Festival held on June 28 and 29, 2025 at the Museum of African Art! Masterful recordings faithfully convey the rhythms, colors and spirit of the festival, and invite you to relive these unforgettable moments once again:
