The mayor of Kumasi, a commercial center in northern Ghana, visited Atlanta to drum up support for an upcoming black arts festival in his city.
During a brief visit, Samuel Sarpong announced the Kumasi International Black Arts and Cultural Festival, which will be held in November.
Mr. Sarpong sought advice and support from Atlanta’s National Black Arts Festival, which holds year-round educational programs and hosts a festival each July featuring an international marketplace showcasing artists from African countries.
Ghanaians have long participated in the Atlanta festival, said Fulton County Chairman John Eaves, who hosted a reception for Mr. Sarpong at the Fulton County Government Center on April 7.
“We are proud of this collaboration and support Mayor Sarpong in this effort,” Mr. Eaves said in a news release.
Mr. Sarpong used National Black Arts Festival office space for meetings during his trip to Atlanta, according to the organization’s website.
Leatrice Ellzy, director of artistic programming, has been asked to sit on the Kumasi festival’s advisory board.
Mr. Sarpong’s trip followed a recent visit to Atlanta by Alfred Vanderpuije, mayor of Accra, Ghana’s capital, who praised a nonstop Delta Air Lines Inc. flight from Atlanta for helping his country attract foreign investment.
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