Fashion and African Gospel at Celebrate Erie on Saturday
From 4:00 - 4:30 p.m. Ansumana Komba Gbembo will host a fashion show and speak about his art form. A native of Sierra Leone, Ansumana’s craft of creating custom-made clothing is integral to maintaining his African heritage. He says, “This will be something special to see. People don’t sew here anymore, most American’s clothing in made in China. But in African we still make our clothes. Come and see a continuation of my African sewing tradition. You can see the African fabrics and examples of my creations.”
From 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. David Kambowa and the Altar of Worship Choir will present infectious rhythms and soaring harmonies from their Pan-African Pentecostal Gospel tradition. David is a vocalist, composer, arranger, and keyboard player who grew up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. David says, “You cannot have a proper African Pentecostal service without music. It motivates and inspires, and helps people and brings them to God. Everyone participates in the music. Our music is based on African call and response. No one is shy to express themselves with song.” His repertoire is multilingual. They will sing in English, Swahili, Portuguese, French, and various African languages. His ensemble includes musicians from Ohio, New York, and Virginia and his choir are members of his Erie congregation.
Celebrate Erie is run by the Mayor’s Office and is a three day celebration of Erie food, art, and music. The Family Stage is on East Perry Square just south of the fountain.
Both presentations are possible through support from
