Multicultural Festival offers venue to diverse group of entertainers

BY VALERIE REDDELL
Editor
polknews@gmail.com

LIVINGSTON — The entertainment lineup for the 12th annual Multicultural Festival on Jan. 16 promises to refl ect the rich cultural diversity present of the people of Polk County. Crowd favorites such as Glenn Lenderman, the oneman band, the Ayubu Kamau Sacred Afrikan Drum & Dance Society; gospel duo Johnny & Nelda Flanagan and tribal dancers from the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas will return this year. Lenderman’s set list is always a surprise since he can quickly switch from impersonating Willie Nelson’s unique brand of Texas country music to the rock rhythms of ZZ Top and throw in a few of his own songs to round out the evening. The Ayubu Kamau Sacred Afrikan Drum and Dance Society of Dallas brings to the stage the movements and rhythms of the music and dances passed down in several of the traditional cultures present on the African continent. One of the goals of Ayubu Kamau is preserving that legacy and promoting a harmonious oneness of mind, body, fi tness and fun. Their program is designed to retain the individuality of several of the forms of expression of African countries and cultures. There is no one style of drumming or dance that encompasses the continent’s entire cultural landscape just as there is no single style of European dance or music. Instructors at Ayubu Kamau teach students to enjoy and perform dances from the west and central regions of Africa and the African Diaspora that occurred as the peoples were moved around the globe. This year’s Multicultural Festival will be held at a new site, the Livingston Junior High on U.S. 59 just north of the hospital. Volunteers will begin serving a free catfi sh dinner at 5 p.m. and entertainment is set to begin at about 6 p.m. Some educational booths will open at 4 p.m.