Everyone is invited to come experience and celebrate our West African roots and culture at the 6th annual Ghan-Again Austin Music Festival, featuring entertainment by West Side musicians, dancers, artists, shops with unique crafts, and fine food from local vendors. The festival will take place on Saturday, September 12th, from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, at Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St., Chicago, Illinois 60644.
The festival is named “Ghan-Again,” in honor of CAYTA (Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures), the non-profit arm of Gone Again Travel & Tours. This is the only Black-owned brick and mortar travel agency in Chicago, located in the Austin neighborhood and founded by long time Austin resident Crystal Dyer.
This year’s festival will feature performances by Victoria Boatman, Windy Indy, Monique the Singer, Iddrisu Alhassan, RICO Michael Jackson, Marie Alexander, the Fernando Jones Band, and the Austin Town Hall Youth Dancers.
The festival will also welcome two distinguished guests: State Representative and Congressional candidate La Shawn K. Ford, and Mion Suhudoo Naa Habiba Seidu, Chief of the Northern Region of Ghana.
Gone Again Travel & Tours proudly sponsor Ghan-Again Festival, with Choose Chicago and the Chicago Park District. CAYTA, a nonprofit promoting local youth travel, takes young people to Ghana in early June yearly. Chicago Avenue travel agent Crystal Dyer, who traces part of her lineage to the West African country, organized the nonprofit to give youth alternative visions and live changing opportunities after her grandson was killed in street violence in 2011.
This festival is a key part of our annual fundraising efforts to provide these transformative experiences for young people — CAYTA has already taken 17 youth on international trips and engaged over 400 youth in programs that improve school attendance, grades, civic responsibility, and social-emotional skills.
CAYTA’s mission is to tackle the epidemic of violence in our community by using our expertise in world travel to expand and enrich the minds and self-esteem of our at-risk youth. For more information about the event, visit www.catchtheworld.org
