Acacias Fest
Acacias Fest is an event by Join Angola and it’s scheduled to happen in Benguela from the evening of the 15/07/22 to the 17/07/22.
It will feature only Angolan dance teachers, to contribute in preserving and showing Angolan authentic culture.
While the schedule is still a work in progress, you can expect 3 days full of dance classes and 4 nights of proper Angolan parties. Don’t miss it!
Why this Festival?
Seeing authentic Kizomba is hard
Passion for Kizomba is growing all around the world. Consequently, more and more people are interested in discovering where it comes from and how it’s actually danced in its country of birth. For most people, however, this is proving quite a challenge, as it can be hard to find an Angolan kizomba teacher around the world.
Limited access to online services for Angolans also means less content is available. As a matter of fact, putting classes online can be quite hard from Angola, as both good equipment and a decent internet connection are more expensive in Angolan than in many other countries.
What Join Angola is doing
At Join Angola, we have always worked to eliminate these barriers by bringing authentic Kizomba to you! Over time, we have provided you with dozens of online classes. We have organized monthly lives on social networks so that you can see what an Angolan party is like. And, of course, we have facilitate artist exhanges before coronavirus. You can see some of this work on our website and on our Youtube channel.
The concept of Acacias Fest
The past year (and counting) is been very hard for all of us, and we can’t wait to see you in person! This is why we’ve decided to invite you all to Benguela for an unprecedented event: Acacias Fest. This Festival is the first of its kind in Benguela. We also believe it to be the first Kizomba Festival in the world that features only Angolan teachers (but we are ready to be proved wrong!).
Love for pure, authentic Angolan culture – in all its forms – is at the core of our values. As a result, we want this to be a space for you to take part in real Angolan classes, taught by some of the best teachers in the country! We also want this to be a true exchange and an opportunity to learn from each other, so your presence is very important.
When organizing this Festival, we we were thinking of people who love dancing as much as we do. At the same time, we were also thinking of anyone who loves discovering new cultures. That’s why we have thought of a huge variety of activities: classes for beginners and instructors; parties with local artists; and the possibility to discover other parts of Angola… if you are anything like us, we’re absolutely sure you’ll find something you love! Have a look at our schedule and at the activities we propose during your time in Angola.
Flexibility in these hard times
We are constantly following the global situation in relation to the ongoing pandemic and we have prepared different back-up plans. If the situation is negative or uncertain by May 2022, we will either reschedule or cancel the Festival. In case of cancellation, the ticket will be completely refunded to you (minus bank fees, if incurred). In case of re-scheduling, you’ll have a month to decide whether you want a refund or you want to keep the ticket for the re-scheduled dates.
Additionally, we want to provide you with some extra-flexibility (we all know how plans can change!). You’ll be able to ask for a complete refund (again, minus bank fees if incurred) until 01/05/22, no questions asked! After that date, in case the Festival goes on as planned, we’ll only offer partial refunds. If you have any question about our refund policy, contact us!
We hope these options are useful and that you buy your ticket soon, as there are limited spaces!
Why the Acacia tree?
Acacias are a very beautiful tree, particularly common in many parts of Africa. They have big branches that extend to the sides, providing great shades.
Benguela, in particular, is known as the “Cidade das Acacias Rubras” (=”the city of the Red Acacias”) because of the many plants of Delonix regia planted along the city streets. Their flowers have a beautiful, strong red colour that makes walking around the streets more pleasurable.
Now, there’s a secret around these trees, that many people don’t know and that we only share with our community:
they aren’t really acacias!
Have you been able to read the secret? 👆🏿 😉 If you haven’t, join our Facebook community, where you’ll find information about this, and more!
Get your pass now
Buy your pass and secure your place in festival!