Go Africa founder Anna Nije with Anthony King

AN African cultural festival five years in the making will have its grand finale in Angel this weekend – but there’s so much more to come, its founder says.

The Go Africa Festival is a bi-weekly arts and crafts street market that has popped up in Chapel Market every other Saturday since August this year, evolving from humble beginnings as a one-day event in a com­munity centre in 2019.

The location of this year’s festival is particularly significant for founder Anna Nije, who remembers Chapel Market as “territorial” and unwelcoming to black traders when she first moved to the area 30 years ago.

“The National Front used to go up and down here giving out their leaflets,” she explained.

Ms Nije, who is of Gambian descent, set up Go Africa to encourage people to embrace their cultural identities – whether that be people with African heritage or otherwise – and was “elated” by the success of this year’s event.

She said: “We want people to get to like our culture, understand our culture and break those discriminatory barriers.

“When you do an event in a community centre, people who are not a part of that culture, they’re going to think that they can’t come.

A stall in Chapel Market

“But if you have an event in the street it’s more welcoming, that’s made people who are not African be able to enjoy and understand our culture, which is what we wanted – to be inclusive.”

Trader Nicola is at Go Africa for the first time with her business My Sanctuary Space, which sells homemade candles and diffusers.

She said: “It’s been really well organised. I’ve met other like-minded traders and it’s been a great experience.”

Ms Nije said of this year’s festival: “We have had some grants from the council but it has taken a long time to get there. I have definitely been doing the hard graft trying to get the event through the door, training myself to speak the right language to the council, to the funders.

“And so many people have come down because they know I had a vision and I was determined to make that happen and I have, and that’s the elation for me – I’ve made this happen.

“I’ve broken down the barriers for other people of colour who want to do something and they can do it. And for me, it’s the legacy of making sure that people can have a vision and execute that, and be included.”

The final event on Saturday will feature reggae buskers, cocktails, baby clothes, African drumming, art and jewellery traders, all with a focus on hand-crafted wares.