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The Local, The Global, or Somewhere in Between?
Abstract
Festivals are events often tied to specific locations and the cultural associations that such locations have in public imaginaries. Aspects of such imaginaries are observable through the various forms of expressive culture that festivals celebrate and the manner that such content is (re)presented, promoted, and consumed at such events. This research examines the way that ideas of locality and globality are negotiated, reinvented, and reimagined at Africa Festival in Würzburg, an annual festival that celebrates African music and culture in the Lower Franconian region of Germany. Operating from the conceit that events like Africa Festival are “constructed cultural festivals,” this research looks at the way that these reinventions and reimaginings are reflective of implicit notions of authority, authenticity, power, and alterity, which have been shaped by globalization and colonial legacy. These assemblages are used in the creation of a particular form of heritage, that situates Africa Festival as a specific, localized space for cultural consumption, while simultaneously linking the festival to a larger, imagined global community. Ultimately, this research asks the question whether the curation of exoticized cultures at such constructed events creates productive spaces for intercultural exchange, and advocates that the epistemologies presented at such events be co-created with the represented cultures and communities.
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