2nd annual Gullah Art Festival puts Gullah Geechee culture on display

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) – It was a day of traditional storytelling, music, food and games in Brunswick County all centered around the rich history in the area.

Brunswick County NAACP put on their second annual Gullah Arts Festival.

Attendees were introduced to the Gullah Geechee culture which is one of the oldest surviving African cultures in the US.

There were traditional sweet grass baskets, art and jewelry on display, as well as activities for the both adults and kids alike.

Vice Chair of the NAACP Gullah Geechee Committee Lashekia Burch is sixth generation Gullah, who was taught the art of basket weaving and is teaching her daughter who she said is catching on pretty fast.

Burch said festivals like this are important to give the community an opportunity to embrace and learn the area’s history.

“It’s educational, it lets you know where you’re from, where your background is from,” she said.  “You learn about what’s going on today, from what happened in history, it’s just joyful.”

The “Gullah” culture evolved as a blend of languages, customs and traditions from West African enslaved people brought to the region between 1525 and 1866.

Multiple generations of their descendants still living in what is called the Gullah Geechee Corridor often gather to share their history and culture, which Brunswick NAACP President Carl Parker hopes will be taught in area schools.

“We hope we can put it into the school system and begin to teach younger folks and older folks, [and] high school students the different types of art,” he said. “And those architectural folks that cleared their way through the Greenway, those folks knew how to make themselves self-sufficient.”

To learn more about upcoming events click here, and for more about the Gullah Geechee culture click here.