Odunde Odunde! That's the G-Ho sound, every second Sunday in June. It's usually accompanied by the constant beat of hundreds of drums, reminiscent of a Hollywood version of an African village. It's no coincidence: for 31 consecutive years, the South Street-Grays Ferry Avenue corridor has been transformed into that African village, but with a modern American twist in which one would find paintings of Tupac Shakur with Biggie Smalls and 50 Cent being sold next to a framed copy of Jet Magazine from the 70s with George and Weezy on the cover next to, of course, original African art and clothing and food.

Odunde means "happy new year" in the Yoruban language, spoken in Nigeria. The annual one day festival involves a procession to the South Street Bridge, from which an offering of fruits and honey and flowers is made to Oshun, the goddess of the river. En route, African songs are sung, drums are beaten and dances are danced. For more on Odunde, visit its official web site HERE.

These pictures are from this, my sixth festival. Odunde!

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