Exotic music filled the Missouri Theater on Saturday evening as crowds gathered for Africa Fest 2020. The annual event, organized by local arts nonprofit Jabberwocky Studios and the University of Missouri African Graduate and Professional Student Association (AGPSA), includes a showcase of African music and dance.
The evening began with opening remarks from Dr. Badiana Mamadou, the faculty advisor for AGPSA. He discussed recent accomplishments by Africans in technology, literature, and the arts, emphasizing that “Africa has many great innovators, just like the rest of the world.”
Five local acts then presented different types of African artistry, from solo drum performances to large group dances. Harambee Dance Company gave the final performance of the night: a four-part blend of traditional African dance and modern dance, backed by live instrumentals. The audience responded with a standing ovation.
Dr. Linda Schust, Executive Director of Jabberwocky Studios, says the primary goal of Africa Fest is spreading awareness of African culture and art. Dr. Schust says she hopes this event is a chance for people to have a positive experience with people who are different than they are. “If you’re clapping to music with somebody,” she explains, “it’s hard to entertain negative feelings about that person at the same time.” Dr. Schust also wants people to understand that Africa is constantly modernizing. She said that “some Americans feel like Africa is still the Africa that existed during the slave trade,” but “while respecting the traditional culture of Africa, we wanted to spread the understanding that Africa hasn’t stopped changing.”
More about Africa Fest 2020 and Jabberwocky Studios’ work can be found at jabberwockystudios.org.
Isabel's Blog 
This was a very well written event news story. You used concise and easy to understand language to convey information to readers about this event effectively. In terms of structure, you used the inverted pyramid style very effectively to tell readers to most important information in descending order and were able to efficiently answer all of the 5 W’s as well. The quotes that you pulled from sources were very strong and effectively executed. You did a really good job of letting your sources tell the story and highlight the significance of Africa Fest through the direct quotes that you used. I don’t really have any suggestions besides mentioning around how many people were in attendance at the Missouri Theater for this event. Great job!
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Quotations need more work. In the fourth paragraph:
“If you’re clapping to music with somebody,” she explains, “it’s hard to entertain negative feelings about that person at the same time.”
No need to say “she explains”. And if you do want to say it, then add it at the end not in the middle. Makes for a more smooth reading experience.
Also, after that:
She said that “some Americans feel like Africa is still the Africa that existed during the slave trade,” but “while respecting the traditional culture of Africa, we wanted to spread the understanding that Africa hasn’t stopped changing.”
You can put “some Americans” in “” without putting the rest of it in quotes. I think “that” serves as a qualifier in instances where you’re not directly quoting something but paraphrasing it almost exactly as they said it. Some words like “while respecting the traditional culture of Africa” could also be omitted.
Overall, I thought the piece was good, I didn’t know Africa Fest was a thing. And I do believe that this is a serious awareness gap that needs filling.
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