Africa Fest 2026 Draws Nearly 500 in Barbados, Deepening Africa–Caribbean Ties

Deidre Brathwaite and Prince Kuntulo Bazawule, co-founders of The Diasporadical Initiative and organizers of Africa Fest 2026, at the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, October 30, 2026. (Photo: Frank Owusu/Shot by Frank)

Audience members join the Q&A after the first Caribbean screening of Half Heaven at the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, during AfroFilms on the opening night of Africa Fest 2026. (Photo: Jaron Moore/MarNiko Media)

Student volunteers from the American University of Barbados portray African queens Nzinga, Nandi and Nefertiti and kings Osei Tutu I and Shaka Zulu at the Procession of the Queens & Kings, Wildey House Gardens, October 31, 2026. (Photo: MarNiko Media)

The Diasporadical Initiative's Africa Fest drew close to 500 guests to Barbados with a screening of Cameroon's Oscar entry, a family festival and a beach build.

BRIDGETOWN, SAINT MICHAEL, BARBADOS, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Africa Fest 2026, the annual festival of The Diasporadical Initiative, drew close to 500 guests to Barbados from October 30 to November 1, using film, culture and enterprise to strengthen ties between Africa and the Caribbean. The second edition, presented in a first-time partnership with the Barbados National Trust under the theme “Celebrating Our Queens & Kings,” featured the first Caribbean screening of Cameroon’s Oscar-submitted feature Half Heaven, a heritage festival for families, and a sustainable-building session on the beach.

African Pictures International (API), the festival’s Official Film Partner, curated AfroFilms, its film program, selecting Half Heaven and presenting the screening with Black Film Wire (BFW), the Official Media Partner. The Diasporadical Initiative is a registered Barbados non-profit (#52979).

“There’s this growing yearning for partnership between the Caribbean and Africa that is being showcased this weekend in Africa Fest. Now is the time.”
– Prince Kuntulo Bazawule, Founder, The Diasporadical Initiative

Friday, October 30: A Cameroonian Story Barbados Recognized as Its Own

The weekend began with film. At the Barbados Museum & Historical Society, around 100 guests attended the first Caribbean screening of Half Heaven, Cameroon’s submission for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, now streaming on Prime Video. The film follows Kizito, a pastor torn between judgment and acceptance of people who live differently from him.

Hosted by Bazawule and moderated by Sahndra Fon Dufe, founder of API and Editor-in-Chief of BFW, the Q&A featured director Enah Johnscott and producer Carista Asonganyi, both joining by video. Fon Dufe opened with the question at the heart of the weekend: “How do we move beyond celebrating these connections to actually creating, producing, financing and distributing stories together?”

“This is the first time my film has been watched in the Caribbean, so I’m fulfilled,” said Johnscott. “One message I wanted the audience to take away would be not to be judgmental, because humans are created in a way that we quickly judge another person in order to feel good about ourselves.” He also called for “joint co-productions” between Central Africa and the Caribbean. Asonganyi, who made Half Heaven as a first-time producer, self-financed the film and shot it during the unrest in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions. “This is an opportunity for us all over the world to come together and tell our own stories how we want them told,” she said.

The audience was hooked. One viewer asked whether Kizito returns for Bisona, saying, “I have to know how it ends.” Johnscott revealed that the team filmed Kizito’s return to Victoria but cut it in the edit. “I always want to respect the intelligence of the audience,” he said. Asonganyi added: “Our goal is to spark conversations. Where you are right now is exactly where we wanted you to be.”

Barbados’ Ambassador to CARICOM, His Excellency David Comissiong, said the film reflects “a social reality that is to be found in the Caribbean and Africa,” and called for greater collaboration between Caribbean and African filmmakers. Barbadian audience members followed the film’s Pidgin dialogue without captions, a nod to the many words of African origin in Bajan dialect.

Saturday, October 31: Close to 500 Celebrate Queens & Kings

If Friday was about telling stories together, Saturday was about living them. Close to 500 people, up from 350+ in 2025, filled Wildey House Gardens, headquarters of the Barbados National Trust, for the flagship family day.

The centerpiece was the Procession of the Queens & Kings, in which students from the American University of Barbados modeled costumes of African royalty. Nigerian storyteller Tosin “Tosinger” Taiwo headlined, joined by Ola Ilé, Barbados’ first all-female African drumming band, and the Barbados Landship, inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

Guests sampled Ghanaian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Barbadian dishes, and in the second annual Jollof Wars, Nigeria beat Ghana and Senegal for the second year running. Kejetia Marketplace vendors sold African and Afro-Caribbean fashion, art and books.

For children, API curated a film slate that included three favorites from Norway’s youth-focused Bragi Film Festival, brought by its co-founder, Nigerian filmmaker Regina Udalor: Emo Town, Pure Water and When Mummy Calls. The Hon. Trevor A. Prescod, JP, MP, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibility for Pan African Affairs and Heritage, toured the grounds, and the Church of Pentecost joined as a partner.

Sunday, November 1: Building for the Future on the Beach

On the final day, the conversation turned from heritage to what comes next. At AFRO LIME on Miami Beach, Oistins, participants built sand pyramids, a nod to African engineering, then sustainable structures from sand and seawater using modular building kits from Rebella.

“We are privileged to be doing this with The Diasporadical Initiative team. It represented an opportunity for knowledge sharing, hands-on learning and human capacity building, connecting the ingenuity of African craftsmanship with the possibilities of next-generation construction technology,” said Nicholas Wildman, Founder and CEO of Rebella.

From the screen to the stage to the shoreline, Africa Fest 2026 offered its own answer to the question posed on opening night: how to move beyond celebrating the connection between Africa and the Caribbean, and start building on it.

Interviews: For media requests, contact African Pictures International at info@africanpicturesinternational.com or (404) 647-4952, or The Diasporadical Initiative at info@diasporadical.org or +1 246 284 0206.

About The Diasporadical Initiative
The Diasporadical Initiative is a Barbados-based nonprofit that bridges the gap between Africa and the Caribbean, helping young people connect with their African ancestry through innovation, sustainability, entrepreneurship and arts and culture. diasporadical.org

About African Pictures International
African Pictures International (API) is a creative economy company building the infrastructure for African and diaspora storytelling across film, media, publishing and culture.

About Black Film Wire
Black Film Wire is a trade publication dedicated to African and Black diasporic cinema. blackfilmwire.com

About Rebella
Rebella is a sustainable construction company and the exclusive Caribbean distributor of Dextra Group’s GFRP rebar solutions. rebellagroup.com

Sahndra Fon Dufe
African Pictures International
+1 404-647-4952
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