Afro Roots Fest has historically celebrated the widespread influence that Africa continues to have on music and furthers the mission of Community Arts and Culture, which is to foster an appreciation of the arts and culture through education. It is as much about root African culture as it is about the syncretism of it with Western cultural traditions.

Originating in 1999 at the now-defunct Tobacco Road, Afro Roots Fest has become one of the area’s longest-running music festivals. Named one of the “10 Best Music Festivals in Miami” by the Miami New Times, it was crowned the “Best Music Festival” in the 2019 “Best of Miami” issue. Past performers have included Amadoun & Mariam, Sun Ra Arkestra, Alsarah, Fatoumata Diawara, Fulu Miziki, Salif Keita, Vieux Farka Toure, Toubab Krewe, and Roberto Torres, among many others. Since 2018, the event has become a nomadic affair that now includes separate concerts in markets such as Gainesville, Jupiter, Miami Beach, Doral, and Islamorada.

Through multi-act concerts, events at area schools, panel discussions, musical workshops, and showcases, Afro Roots Fest has consistently delivered top-shelf musical acts, opportunities for networking and Q&As, teaching moments, and a sense of global goodwill, all the while celebrating Pan-African and Caribbean cultures.

From its humble beginnings as a performance featuring the Sun Ra tribute band Afro Polyphonic Space Orchestra to its current incarnation featuring dozens of acts in several countries over several months’ time, it has always been about the music. Afro Roots music.