Back to Angola Festival From Bradenton to The Bahamas
Celebrates Historic Connection Between Two Nations
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By Kirsten Harrington Photographs Courtesy of Bradenton Area CVB and L. Roscoe Dames II
panish moss hangs from live oaks, fluttering in the breeze from the nearby Manatee River. Benches, a gazebo, and a boardwalk along the water make this park in Bradenton a peaceful place. Pause a little longer to read the historical markers, and you will learn that the area is more than just a pretty place for a picnic. In the early 1800s, when the Spanish controlled Florida, the area was a sanctuary for freedom seekers escaping British and American slavery in Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas. A natural freshwater spring and fertile soil was the birthplace of Angola, a maroon community of formerly enslaved people living in harmony with the Seminole Indians. Sometimes called “Black Seminoles,” the community of about 800 farmed, fished, and lived together peacefully for over a decade. Angola was raided and destroyed in 1821 after American leaders heard about the thriving Black community. To avoid being killed or captured and re-enslaved, freedom seekers fled. According to historical records, 97 individuals from Angola made their way across Florida and onto Andros Island in The Bahamas to start a life of freedom in the village of Red Bays. Today, some of the descendants of the original Angolans still live there, pursuing a simple subsistence lifestyle. Over the centuries, the story of Angola was lost in time and the urbanisation of the area. It was only recently that archaeologists, collaborating with local leaders and area professors, discovered artifacts that brought the story back to life. The Back to Angola Festival, which started in 2018, celebrates this story. This year’s festival takes place on the 19th and 20th of October. FESTIVAL - BORN FROM A DREAM Daphney Towns, a Bradenton resident originally from The Bahamas, had a dream years ago before coming to the United States. In that dream, she saw
the State of Florida sign, and underneath it was an inscription that read: “You will partake of hidden treasures in the sand.” When Towns relocated to Florida in 1992, she went to many beaches looking for hidden treasures, only to find out in 2017 that her dream was all about archaeological artifacts at the Manatee Mineral Spring Park. “A chance visit to the park for a prayer walk led me to historical markers that spoke about Andros Island, my mother’s birthplace,” says Towns. When she learned that the freedom seekers had landed there, Towns knew she had to dig deeper. When the full story became clear, Towns was inspired to organise a festival to keep the history alive. “I was born in Nassau and had fond memories of hearing about our family coming from Florida,” she says. “There were stories of a grandaunt – a beautiful woman who was an Indian. So, I am proud to see the festival birthed by a dream become a reality.” Last year, the Back to Angola Festival was registered with the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, documenting the important cultural and historical significance of this fertile plot of land on Florida’s west coast. JUNKANOO MUSIC AND DANCING Every year, in late October, the sound of drums, whistles, cowbells, and brass instruments fills the air in Bradenton with joy. Junkanoo dancers perform at the Back to Angola Festival in brightly coloured costumes adorned with feathers and sequins. The music is infectious, and attendees cannot help but spontaneously join in dancing to the rhythm. Junkanoo, a Bahamian national parade that takes place on Boxing Day (26 December) and New Year’s Day (1 January), is thought to have originated in West Africa hundreds of years ago and holds an important place in celebrating
Angola Festival Junkanoo Dancer
Angola Festival - Sign
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up and away