Celebrating Africa’s Creativity, Heritage and Unity
The All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture UK (AAFAC UK) is a cultural and charitable initiative headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, created to celebrate, preserve and promote the extraordinary diversity of African arts, culture and heritage.
AAFAC UK is being developed as a year-round platform for cultural engagement, education, creativity and collaboration, with the All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture UK serving as its flagship annual celebration.
Who We Are
Our ambition is simple but far-reaching: to bring Africa’s cultures together on one inclusive UK platform—celebrating their individual identities while recognising the heritage, creativity and aspirations that connect us.
Africa is a continent of remarkable cultural diversity.
Across its 54 countries are thousands of communities, languages, traditions, histories and forms of creative expression. From music and dance to literature, fashion, film, visual arts, storytelling, craftsmanship and cuisine, Africa’s cultural influence reaches far beyond the continent itself.
The global African diaspora has carried, preserved and transformed these traditions, creating new expressions of African identity while making significant contributions to the cultural life of countries around the world, including the United Kingdom.
AAFAC UK was conceived to provide a dedicated platform through which this richness can be celebrated, shared, preserved and experienced by everyone.
We want to create spaces where traditional heritage meets contemporary creativity; where established artists stand alongside emerging talent; where generations learn from one another; and where people from different cultures come together through shared experiences.
Our Story
AAFAC UK was founded from a belief that African arts and culture deserve a prominent, inclusive and enduring platform in the United Kingdom.
The organisation was founded by Joseph Ayavoro and Samuel Maitland, who share a vision of creating an institution capable of bringing together African communities, artists, cultural practitioners, educators, young people, institutions and the wider public.
What began as the vision for an annual cultural festival has developed into a broader ambition: to establish a respected organisation working throughout the year in arts, heritage, education, youth development, community engagement, creative enterprise and international cultural exchange.
The annual festival will remain at the heart of AAFAC UK, bringing these different areas together in one major celebration.
Our Home in Manchester
AAFAC UK is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Manchester provides a fitting home for our organisation. It is a city shaped by creativity, industry, innovation, migration and cultural diversity, with communities from across Africa and the wider world contributing to its identity.
From our Manchester base, we aim to build relationships throughout Greater Manchester, across the United Kingdom, throughout Africa and with the global African diaspora.
Our roots are local, our outlook is national, and our relationships will be international.
More Than a Festival
Although our name begins with a festival, AAFAC UK is intended to be much more than an annual event.
Our long-term programme will bring together several areas of activity:
Arts & Culture
Celebrating traditional and contemporary African music, dance, theatre, visual arts, fashion, literature, film, storytelling, crafts and other creative expressions.
Heritage
Helping preserve, interpret and share African histories, traditions, cultural knowledge and practices with present and future generations.
Education
Creating opportunities for schools, universities, families and the wider public to learn about Africa through workshops, exhibitions, talks, cultural demonstrations and educational resources.
Children & Young People
Providing opportunities for young people to explore heritage, develop creative skills, gain confidence, volunteer, receive mentoring and participate in cultural leadership.
Creative Enterprise
Creating platforms for artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians, craftspeople and other creative practitioners to showcase their work, develop networks and explore responsible opportunities for professional development and collaboration.
Community
Working with communities to strengthen participation, belonging, intercultural understanding and positive relationships.
International Cultural Exchange
Building connections between cultural practitioners and institutions in the United Kingdom, Africa and the diaspora through dialogue, collaboration and exchange.
Our Flagship Festival
The All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture UK will be the organisation’s flagship annual public celebration.
The festival is envisioned as a vibrant meeting place for Africa and its diaspora, bringing together multiple art forms and cultural experiences within one programme.
Visitors will be able to experience African:
- Music and live performance.
- Dance and theatre.
- Visual arts and exhibitions.
- Fashion and design.
- Literature and storytelling.
- Film and digital creativity.
- Food and culinary heritage.
- Traditional crafts.
- Educational activities.
- Youth programmes.
- Creative enterprise and innovation.
Our ambition is to progressively increase participation from communities and cultural representatives connected with countries across the African continent while maintaining high standards of quality, authenticity, accessibility and inclusion.
Who We Serve
AAFAC UK exists to benefit the public.
Our programmes are intended for people of all backgrounds, cultures, ages and communities.
We particularly seek to engage:
- African and African diaspora communities.
- Children and young people.
- Families.
- Artists and cultural practitioners.
- Schools, colleges and universities.
- Community and voluntary organisations.
- Researchers and educators.
- Creative entrepreneurs.
- Cultural institutions.
- Visitors interested in discovering African cultures.
- The wider UK public.
You do not have to be African to participate in AAFAC UK.
Our doors are open to everyone who wants to experience, understand, celebrate and engage respectfully with African arts and culture.
Our Approach
Celebrate
We celebrate the distinctive cultures, traditions and creative achievements found across Africa and its diaspora.
Connect
We create opportunities for people, communities, generations, artists and institutions to meet, exchange knowledge and build relationships.
Inspire
We use arts, culture, heritage and education to encourage curiosity, creativity, confidence and ambition.
These three principles are reflected in our organisational expression:
Celebrate • Connect • Inspire
Partnership Is Central to Our Approach
AAFAC UK recognises that an organisation with a continental vision cannot succeed by working alone.
We therefore aim to build meaningful relationships with:
- African and diaspora community organisations.
- Artists and cultural practitioners.
- African diplomatic missions.
- Local authorities and public bodies.
- Schools, colleges and universities.
- Museums, galleries and cultural institutions.
- Arts organisations.
- Charities and voluntary organisations.
- Responsible businesses and sponsors.
- Tourism and creative-industry organisations.
- International cultural partners.
Our approach is collaborative. We seek to create opportunities with communities rather than simply for communities.
Our Commitment to Public Benefit
AAFAC UK is being developed with public benefit at the centre of its work.
Our cultural programmes will seek to advance education, increase access to the arts, preserve and celebrate heritage, encourage participation and strengthen understanding between communities.
As the organisation develops, we are committed to operating with:
- Integrity.
- Accountability.
- Transparency.
- Inclusion.
- Good governance.
- Responsible financial management.
- Respect for cultural diversity.
- Safeguarding.
- Equality of opportunity.
- Measurable public benefit.
Looking to the Future
Our ambition is to build an organisation that lasts for generations.
We want AAFAC UK to grow from its Manchester roots into a respected national platform for African arts, culture and heritage, while developing meaningful connections with organisations and communities across Africa and internationally.
Success will not be measured simply by the size of our annual festival.
It will also be measured by the young person inspired to explore their heritage; the artist given an opportunity to reach a new audience; the school that gains a deeper understanding of Africa; the cultural tradition passed to another generation; and the relationships created between communities that might otherwise never have met.
That is the institution we are working to build.
One Africa. Many Cultures. A Shared Platform.
Africa’s strength lies not in being culturally identical, but in the extraordinary richness of its diversity.
AAFAC UK exists to provide a platform where those cultures can stand proudly in their own identity while contributing to a shared celebration of African creativity, heritage and human connection.
From Manchester to Africa and the global diaspora, we invite communities, artists, educators, institutions, partners and audiences to be part of this journey.
All Africa Festival of Arts and Culture UK (AAFAC UK)
Celebrating Africa’s Creativity, Heritage and Unity
Celebrate • Connect • Inspire
