History

The first St. Louis African Arts Festival was held in 1991 as an outgrowth of the 34th Annual African Studies Conference hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. A year prior to the conference, a group of academic, business, and community leaders came together to explore ways in which a forum could be established that would bring the diverse community of St. Louis together for the purpose of learning and celebrating the rich and diverse cultures of African and African American people. Thereby, the mission of such a quest would be to increase the awareness of the global contributions of African people and people of African descent through the arts, cultural, and educational programs.

The St. Louis African Arts Festival provides the community at large access to the richness of African culture and its impact on western culture. Our organization's mission is achieved by creating an African village atmosphere that engenders fellowship among attendees and exposes them to African culture through educational and entertaining activities. These activities include, but are not limited to: African art, dance, jewelry making, drumming, authentic hair braiding, mask-making, and an African marketplace.

The African Heritage Association (AHA) has been a 501(C) 3, non-profit organization since 1995 and is governed by its Board of Directors. The AHA has fiscal oversight by its own certified public accountant and is fortunate to have accounting support from Washington University.