History

The St. Louis African Arts Festival began in 1991 as an artistic and cultural arm of the African Studies Association’s 34th Annual Conference hosted by Washington University in St. Louis. A variety of festival programs and activities were held throughout the metropolitan St. Louis area. Due to the overwhelming response from the broader community to the first St. Louis African Arts Festival, event organizers began to plan for the next festival held the following year.

The mission of the St. Louis African Arts Festival is to provide the community at large access to the richness of African culture and its impact on western culture. We achieve our mission by creating an African village atmosphere that engenders fellowship among festival attendees. This unique cultural celebration exposes festival visitors to African culture through educational and entertaining activities.

The African Heritage Association of St. Louis, Inc. was established in 1995 and serves as the parent organization of the St. Louis African Arts Festival. It is a 501(C) 3, non-profit organization.