Friday, March 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
The second annual Black Heritage Weekend Festival March 29 and 30 will celebrate cultural diversity.
The theme is "The Fruits of Africa," a journey through the black diaspora -- the cultural migration of Africans, Europeans, Asians, Latin Americans and Indians.
A preview, complete with ethnic costumes and dances, was given at a press conference this morning at the West Las Vegas Arts Center.
Diana Aird, president of Aird and Associates and Caribbean Delights Productions, coordinated the first festival last year to help people better understand diversity.
"People don't understand there is diversity within diversity," Aird said.
To be black, white or Asian does not mean that people share comparable experiences of others of that race. A black person born and raised in Las Vegas and a black person from Tunisia can attest to that.
"When you say Native American, most people think an Indian is an Indian is an Indian, though they might not say it," Aird said. "One of the things I found is that people don't realize or care to recognize the divisions within divisions, and how cultures evolve from region to region. There may be one common thread, but the lives of those people become very different."
Festival highlights include:
* March 29, noon to 9 p.m. -- Poets, storytellers, entertainment, workshops and the products of more than 50 local artists and artisans will be featured at the Sammy Davis Jr. Festival Plaza and throughout Lorenzi Park at Twin Lakes Drive and Washington Avenue.
* March 30, noon to 10 p.m. -- There will be entertainment and activities along the five blocks of the Fremont Street Experience from Main Street to Las Vegas Boulevard.
Other activities that day include: 3 p.m. -- an Easter egg hunt; noon to 4 p.m. -- choirs, poets, storytellers, fashion and hair designs and art and craft exhibits; 5 to 10 p.m. -- stage show, reggae dance hall and street performers, culminating in a Mardi Gras-style carnaval.
The African festival will include cultural experiences from Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Morocco, Kenya, United States, Canada, and seven Caribbean and six Latin American countries.
Aird, who is black and Hispanic, was born in Panama. She explained that the cross-cultural experience is something to be cherished and enjoyed, which is why she calls her event "infotainment."
"We don't want to sit people down at a desk and slap them over the knuckles with a ruler and say, 'Learn this.' We want people to get absorbed in another culture and really experience it," Aird said.
"It is a wonderful event. It goes beyond African dance and really enlightens people about what other cultures are like. It's not just an event about black people for black people. It really could enlighten the whole city," said Tanya Hubbard, an African dance performer.
She was part of last year's celebration and will participate again this year.
Local poet Keith Brantley, who will perform during the event, commended the festival for bringing so many branches of African culture together.
His poetry will reflect on spiritual, historical, factual and urban aspects of the black experience in the United States.
The event is sponsored in part by the city of Las Vegas' Parks & Leisure Activities Division, the Fremont Street Experience and volunteers of the Cross-Cultural Alliance. The event hot line is 225-2000, or call 454-1212 for more details.
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