2009 Kunta Kinte festival canceled

Twenty-two years after a small group of African Americans started the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival in Annapolis, the annual event has been canceled.

Money problems led organizers to call off the 22nd annual Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival scheduled for Sept. 19, even though several grants had been awarded for the event and an invitation had been extended to President Barack Obama and his family.

The nonprofit organization that puts on the festival does not have enough cash on hand to launch the event at City Dock, so the group is planning a fundraiser instead on July 17.

"Being where we were last year, we couldn't make any money off the festival," said David Arthur, president of the board of directors for Kunta Kinte Celebrations Inc. "In order for us to charge admission, we'd have to rent fences. … It's a spend a lot of money to make a lot of money situation."

The annual event celebrating the societal contributions of African-Americans draws thousands of people from Maryland and nearby states. It has become a focal point of efforts to highlight Annapolis' African-American culture and promote the city's heritage to tourists, said Connie Del Signore, president and chief executive officer of the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County Conference and Visitors Bureau.

"I personally love that festival," Del Signore said. "I'm personally very disappointed. I know that it's a tourist draw and it certainly plays into our African-American heritage that we've been promoting. Since President Barack Obama was elected, there has been a renewed interest in African-American history."

Last year, organizers moved the festival from the county fairgrounds in Crownsville back to its original home at Annapolis' City Dock - the same place where Kunta Kinte landed as a slave in 1767.

Author Alex Haley traced his ancestry in America to Kunta Kinte's arrival in Annapolis, and the story became the basis for the best-selling novel "Roots" and the miniseries of the same name.

The Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival was free last year, partly because the open, public site at City Dock did not have the infrastructure in place for admission to be charged, Arthur said. The nonprofit organization barely broke even.

"We didn't want to take that gamble again. Even if we did that, we wouldn't be able to recoup that cost," Arthur said. "We're building up so that we can have a festival next year, so that we don't have a robbing-Peter-to-pay-Paul sort of situation."

The cancellation news dampened the spirits of longtime supporters, including 76-year-old Hannah Chambers. She was among the first of the group of festival organizers who dreamed of the event as a way to celebrate African-American culture and Kunta Kinte. The plan was to use the proceeds for scholarships.

The festival has grown, but Chambers said it has always stayed true to its roots: authentic African dancing, clothing, food and education.

"Well, I was very, very sorry to hear that it had to be canceled," she said. "It's been a continuous thing. It's never been canceled before."

Chambers said that Alex Haley's story of Kunta Kinte has always fascinated children, and she frequently sees them climbing into the lap of the Alex Haley statue at City Dock.

"Basically, the children are the ones who will feel the cutback," she said.

Ruby Singleton Blakeney is not ready to give up on the festival yet.

"It's absolutely absurd that the city will allow this not to happen this year," said Blakeney, who works for the city as the director of Small and Minority Business Enterprise Development. "I feel like it's something that's very necessary for the community."

Blakeney extended the invitation to the Obamas, which she said hasn't been turned down or accepted yet. She said she thinks the city can find enough grant money to fund the overhead costs for the festival this year, and she hopes publicity about the cancellation will inspire community members to start donating now.

"I've gotten several tour companies calling because they want to bring tour buses here," Blakeney said. "I think it's really terrible, and I think it's a sad, sad situation. ... We just have to join hands and work to make this happen."

Chris Haley, a descendant of Kunta Kinte who is also Alex Haley's nephew, lamented the impact of losing the festival, even if for only one year.

"Part of what has been a benefit of the Kunta Kinte festival is the goodwill that it builds with the community," he said. "It's that goodwill and spirit that's the true loss of it being canceled this year."

Haley, the director of the Study of the Legacy of Slavery at the Maryland State Archives, said the festival intertwines contemporary history with African history.

"It allows you a glimpse of a different part of history, a different heritage - but it is a heritage that's linked to Annapolis, that's linked to U.S. history," Haley said, adding that there's still optimism to be had in light of the cancellation.

"Now a person of African descent is in the White House, and I don't think that anyone would have predicted that back when the festival began," Haley said. "So maybe this is the end of things, or maybe it's a new beginning. Regardless, the sun will rise again."

The fundraiser for the Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. July 17 at the Loews Annapolis Hotel, 126 West St. There will be complimentary appetizers, live music and a cash bar. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. For tickets, call 410-626-1051.