Before beginning my internship with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, I could not have imagined what a chaotic, enlightening, exhausting and truly wonderful event the Folklife Festival would turn out to be.
In a 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival workshop, Kenyan musicians Makadem, Justo and Joseck Asikoye, and Singing Wells project advisor Bill Odidi discussed music as a controversial form of socio-political expression and communication.
The ingredients for this recipe come from 2014 Festival participant Fatma Ali Busaidy, whose traditional Swahili cooking from the east coast of Kenya frequently uses coconut milk, cardamom, and rice.
The mysterious art of bian lian or face-changing originated in Sichuan Opera, and has long been a closely guarded secret of Chinese performers.
Even with a million things to do to ensure that the Folklife Festival goes off without a hitch, the staff of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage still find opportunities to experience exciting things on the National Mall.
During the 2014 Folklife Festival, international tai chi champion Chai Yunlong of the Beijing Sports University performed martial arts demonstrations and led daily sessions for visitors to learn the basics of the Chen style of tai chi.
Through sublime rhymes, poet Pages Matam paid tribute to his Cameroonian mother on Diaspora Day at the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
The Ramogi Dancers, from Homa Bay County, are part of the Luo community in Western Kenya.
The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is an interactive festival where audience members engage directly with visiting artists to learn about their music, crafts, cooking, and more.
Poet G Yamazawa throws down some powerful rhymes on Diaspora Day at the 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.