Afrosiciliana

Afrosiciliana, a bridge between Sicily and Africa

Afrosiciliana is a multicultural festival that brings the historic center of Monreale, in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, to life every year in late May. Promoted by the Coordination of African Consulates in Sicily in collaboration with the Municipality of Monreale, the festival was created to showcase the numerous African communities residing in Sicily and to strengthen cultural, social, and economic ties between the island and the African continent.

The heart of the festival: Piazza Guglielmo II

The event is centered in the picturesque Piazza Guglielmo II, located directly in front of Monreale's UNESCO-listed Arab-Norman Cathedral. Here, themed stalls are set up representing participating countries, featuring handicrafts, traditional products, and promotional materials. Numerous African nations participate in the initiative, including Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Eswatini, Ghana, Libya, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Zambia.

A rich and varied program

The festival spans three intense days, alternating between official institutional moments and public events:

• Craft and gastronomic stalls from the represented African countries
• Show cooking featuring authentic cuisines from the African continent
• Concerts and dances, both traditional and contemporary
• B2B roundtables and workshops dedicated to tourism and economic cooperation
• The Afrosiciliana Cup, a youth soccer tournament combining sports and integration
• An ecumenical and interreligious prayer for peace among peoples

A celebration of community and dialogue

Afrosiciliana is more than just a showcase of music, flavors, and crafts: it is a meeting point for communities living in Sicily and a permanent laboratory for Mediterranean cooperation. The choice of Monreale—a city that symbolizes the coexistence of different cultures thanks to its Arab-Norman heritage—makes the event even more significant. Through exhibitions, performances, discussions, and gastronomy, the festival offers residents and visitors an authentic immersion into African cultures in the heart of Sicily.