Annual · Bowie State University
Denu means children.
One day a year, we stop and celebrate the wealth that is our children — what they have accomplished, what they have inherited, and what they will carry forward.
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Denu Festival hero
Children on stage mid-recital, in full dress — past festival photography is strong, use it.
A festival for the generations coming behind us.
Denu is the Ewe word for children, and it names the thing this day is about. The festival celebrates the wealth that is our children, the legacy that is their inheritance, the dedication and accomplishment of every student who worked through the year, and the greater love of our families and the generations still to come. It is part recital, part marketplace, part family day. The children who have studied at the studio all year take the stage and show their families what they have built. Around that, the day fills with vendors, food, games, and the kind of gathering that makes a community visible to itself. Everyone is welcome. You do not need a child in the program to come.
The Recital
Every studio class performs — the youngest children through the advanced companies. This is the heart of the day, and it is what the year has been building toward.
The Marketplace
Local businesses alongside children's vendor tables. Young people run their own stalls, which is its own kind of education.
Games & Family Activities
Programming for the whole family, all day, around the recital.
Food Vendors
Food on site throughout the festival.
Presented with — Farafina Kan and Tam Tam Mandingue, in conjunction with Bowie State University. The festival has been hosted at Bowie State in partnership with the Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers, and with the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Professional Development.
The next Denu Festival has not been dated yet.
It happens once a year, in early summer, at Bowie State University. Join the list and you will know the date before it is announced anywhere else.
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Past Festivals gallery
Photo gallery, most recent first — no hand-written copy required. This is the strongest argument for attending the next one: it shows the festival is real, established, worth a family's Saturday.
Denu is the day the year points toward. Come and see what these children have built.
farafinakanstudioclasses@gmail.com
Baba M · 301-252-9643