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the beaten path, but not really; it's just a reflection of a higher level of consciousness. Our hope is that people will realize that what they're experiencing is valid. Everyone perceives things differently. I've learned over the years that sometimes there are cases when people might get offended because they don't have – or don't want to have – the ability to embrace and to appreciate something new. So, again, we're going to do what we do to help remove the fear of the unknown. So how do you go about determining which performers to book for Afro Roots? JE: I just kind of let the Universe decide. I work with other curators in co-presenting. Miami-Dade College's Live Arts is a co-presenting partner, and the Rhythm Foundation is a co-producer for our North Beach Bandshell shows. And then, down in Key West, we have the Studio of Key West and the Green Parrot. We also work with several co-presenters in Islamorada: the Morada Way Arts and Culture District. ICE (Islamorada Community Entertainment), and the Florida Keys Brewing Company. Up in Palm Beach County, we do the Road to Afro Roots, the kick-off to the main festival, at Guabanas. They're our community partner up there. And next year we're expanding to Doral, where we're going to partner up with Doral Yard, a venue whose name is taken from midtown Miami's now-defunct Wynwood Yard. Where do you envision Afro Roots being in, say, 20 years? JE: Our long-term goal is to take it outside of the state. One of our goals is to take it to the four-corner states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah because there's much more of an appreciation there. Today, one of the biggest obstacles to success in South Florida is that there's not enough appreciation of music that has a global orientation. I wouldn't necessarily call it World Music because it's music, first and foremost! It's called World Music because they, the merchandisers, have to have a category to put the music in. So, in a place like Colorado or New Mexico, it's possible to do things where the outcome would be more impactful than in Miami, which is a multicultural microcosm of the world; yet, ironically, there's a lack of appreciation, of embracing….For example, when we brought Salif Keita (a well-known artist from Mali) to the Bandshell about two years ago, only about 500 to 600 people turned out for the concert. That's because there's a relatively small immigrant African community in the area, a community where people would know who he is and who understand his trajectory and his value. To shift gears, so to speak, I believe that Afro Roots Recordings, which you launched in the mid-2000s or so, was an outgrowth of the festival. Am I correct? JE: Well, yes. Actually, though, the recording venture is kind of like an archival project through which we're able to showcase a lot of the artists that are performing at the festival. Basically, it's intended to help both us and the artists because we can raise money by selling their CDs at the festival's main event and at our satellite shows and then sharing the proceeds with the artists – even if they're not around. One of the first artists we recorded was Ibrahima Dioubate, a xylophone player, from Guinea, who lived in Miami for a while. I have an album of his that I never released because he moved, and we never kept in contact. I've got some really cool treasures there, man! That was a project that was, like, really hard to make happen, but, finally, we made it happen, and it was great! I've also recorded Morikeba Kouyate, a kora player from Senegal; and I'm working on a release by Sanba Zao, a percussionist/vocalist from Haiti. I'm really looking forward to finishing this project, which is going to be something else! Of your accomplishments to date, is there any one that you could say you're most proud of? JE: Well, that we've been able to sustain the event. Here we are 21 years later, and it's still evolving. Then there's the fact that Afro Roots is a traveling festival; that, to me, is really cool! I hear you! With that, I want to thank you for taking the time to share your vision for the event. Eddie Osborne is a South Florida-based freelance writer. His work has appeared in a number of local and national publications, including Island Origins, Encore American & Worldwide News, Essence, Showcase, Sepia, Hip, & Writer's Market '85. Communit y Ar ts & Culture: www.communityartsandculture.org. Photo credits: the late Luis Olazabal and Edwin Cardona: www.edwinantonio.com