ABOUT THE FESTIVAL

The 2024 Pan-African Festival, hosted by the NJPACCI, will be a celebration of Pan-African culture and heritage, featuring entertainment, fun, and community spirit.  The festival will also offer a platform for local businesses to showcase their products and services in innovative ways, outside of the traditional storefronts. The NJPACCI aims to foster business creativity, customer engagement, and community pride through this event, as well as to increase its visibility and outreach.

This year’s festival theme emphasizes health awareness, specifically for marginalized black and brown communities, to address health disparities and inequalities that disproportionately affect these communities. Our purpose is to raise awareness about prevalent health issues, promote preventive measures, and empower individuals to take charge of their own health through education and information about common health conditions. These conditions may include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and certain types of cancer.

In addition to education, we’ll highlight preventive measures and lifestyle modifications, promote healthy eating habits, physical activity, and regular health check-ups which can significantly reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. The event will provide resources, such as workshops, cooking demonstrations, and fitness activities, to encourage individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles and prevent the onset of diseases. We will also emphasize the importance of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and trauma, which often go unnoticed and untreated due to various cultural and societal factors.

Other crucial topics that will be addressed are the barriers found when accessing healthcare services including the lack of health insurance, limited access to healthcare facilities, language barriers, and systemic discrimination. Overall, the purpose is to bring awareness and promote health equity, empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health, and address the unique challenges and disparities faced by these communities.