San Diego Rep Announces Changes To 2020 Kuumba Fest Lineup

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP), San Diego Urban Warriors Inc. and the African American Advisory Council of San Diego REP announced today the full schedule for the 28th Annual San Diego Kuumba Fest. Curated by festival Artistic Director Dajahn Blevins, the 2020 Kuumba Fest will take place February 28th - March 1st, 2020, in the Lyceum Theatres.

The festival opens Friday, February 28th with the annual Night of Positive Images honoring and celebrating Black ancestry. Saturday's events center primarily on family-minded programming including a Kuumba Kidz performance and the ever popular Late Nite Live. The Fest concludes Sunday with a day full of events, culminating in an evening of comedy to bring celebration and healing through laughter.

"This year's celebration of engineers for change is steeped in the annual opportunity and leadership for San Diego to embrace and experience African American culture through Black traditions, voices, art and expression," says Blevins. "We are honoring the journey and connecting to the future creatively together."

Founded in 1993 by Blevins, Kuumba Fest is San Diego's longest running and premier celebration of African-American expression, culture and heritage. Kuumba (Swahili for "creativity") Fest brings together community leaders, local performers and celebrities for an annual audience of nearly 5,000. From gospel to hip-hop and theater to dance, San Diego's Kuumba Fest presents a wide showcase of arts that celebrate Black American culture in all its variety. Kuumba Fest will offer a three-day festival that includes educational workshops, hip-hop dance and speech competitions, performances of plays, Late Nite Live (San Diego's version of Late Night at the Apollo), and as always, a gospel concert finale. An African Market Place featuring arts and crafts for sale by local vendors will also be presented in the lobby of the Lyceum Theatres.

A full schedule of this year's events and performances is listed below, along with dates, times and ticket prices for each event. For more information, call San Diego REP's box office at 619.544.1000.

Friday, February 28th

Friday Night of Positive Images

Open for shopping at 6 PM, the African Market Place offers exotic, cultural vendors, fashion, art, jewelry, food, live jazz, a community reception, exhibits, family resources, libations and a drum call serve as the pre- show. Beginning at 7 PM, pageantry and power backdrops the Awards Ceremony in the Royal court, Parade of the Ancestors speak of Black heritage, closing the night with a moving chore poem play "Sarah Elizabeth: The Lynching of a Black woman who was Connected," written by Ginger Galloway and adapted and directed by Calvin Manson. Tickets for the Friday Night of Positive Images are $25.

Saturday, February 29th

11 AM - Reopening of the African Market Place with the addition of the youth village, educational workshops, panel discussions and book fair. Entrance to the African Market Place is free.

1 PM - Annual youth presentation of Kuumba Kidz who learn African culture, history and heritage and share in the Youth Production. Tickets for Kuumba Kidz are $5.

2 PM - Extemporaneous Speech Competition - Youth & adult participants pull topics from the box and have two minutes to speak on their selected topic, with a $45 prize for each winner. Admission is free.

2:30 PM - Workshop on Healthy Foods - Cooking and healthy living demonstration and teach back. Admission is free.

3 PM - Step & Dance - Black 2 Connected fitness and movement competition and showcase connecting dance and movement to healthy fit lifestyles and tools to address childhood obesity and increased discipline. Tickets to Step & Dance are $12.

5 PM - Taste of Soul - Contest in the spirit of Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) Kuumba Fest host a friendly competition of SD top chefs, cooks and restaurants promoting the best Black owned and operated eateries. Tickets are $7.

6 PM - Black 2 Connected Poetry Slam & Arts Experiential: through words and expression what it will take to reconnect to the struggle and journey for cultural integrity, survival and sustained prosperity. Tickets are $10.

8 PM - YBNB VIP Showcase of positive images and vibration of local black owned businesses, and organizations that serve the community showcasing their products, brand and services. Admission is free.

9 PM - Late Nite Live, Tribute to the Apollo Theatre - Interactive audience showcasing of San Diego's top and most self- determined artist, performers and entertainers. Youth and Adult segments and $600 in prizes. Tickets are $15.

Sunday, March 30th

11 AM - Readers Theatre presentation led by Antonio Johnson connecting to and celebrating the African American experience honoring the work of critically acclaimed August Wilson. Don't miss this treat. Tickets are $10.

12 PM - Reopening of the African Market Place. Entrance to the African Market Place is free.

2 PM - Panel Discussion: The Plight of the Black Family - Interactive panel of Black men sharing, discussing and answering questions based on their feelings and experience on what it will take to save the Black Family. Admission is free.

4 PM - Gospel Celebration - Hand clapping, foot stomping traditional spiritually moving music, singing and rendering up praises for the positive vibrations and energy of empowerment from a higher power. Tickets are $10.

6:30 PM - Black is the Color of my True Love - A romantic drama about a couple whose divorce causes the ancestors to take them on a journey of reconnecting can the ancestors help confront the pain and restore the American Black family. Tickets are $15.

8:30 PM - Comedy Show/After Hours Event for the whole Kuumba Fest family and community to come together closing out Kuumba Fest 2020, gathering with celebration, laughter and healing featuring: J. Anhur-Shi, Kayshawn, P. Howard, N. Robinson, W. Ford, B. Young. Have a drink & laugh till you're free to connect for a better day. Tickets are $15.