Step Afrika! begins as a Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa

Step Afrika! began as an International Cultural Festival, created by C. Brian Williams, Thembinkosi Hlathswayo, Moeketsi Koena, and Mbuyiselwa “Jackie” Semela, the founder of the Soweto Dance Theater (pictured below). The Step Afrika! International Cultural Festival provided free workshops to children in Soweto for a full two weeks, raising over $15,000 from individuals across the United States. 

On December 4, 1994,  C. Brian Williams led a delegation of men and women to participate in the first Step Afrika! International Cultural Festival in Johannesburg, South Africa, 10 of which were his chapter brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.-Beta Chapter. The participants in this first trip to South Africa included Eisa Ulen, Valerie Cassell, Brett Allen, Paul Woodruff, Sydney Hall, Sean Gayles, Julian Gaither, Mathew Whatley, Kevin Thompson, and Desmond Dunham, among others. 

Stepping in Soweto

Written by Marilyn Jenkins for The Citizen, published December 23, 1994

“WITH pigeons flying in and out of holes in the ceiling board, and the whoops and whistles of enthusiasm from the young audience loud enough to bring down a few more pieces, the end of year concert of the Soweto Dance Theatre was nothing if not informal.

It started an hour late, and Collen Hlatshwayo had to perform like a one-man cabaret as the MC, trying to keep track of which groups were on hand to dance and which had not arrived. The main guests were the brothers from Alpha Phi Alpha at Howard University in the USA, who showed the varied faces of “stepping”, a dance style which has evolved entirely independent of South: Africa’s gumboot and pantsula, but which bears many similarities to them.

The parallels were startling, from jumps, slaps and spins, to fast-wielded batons which were reminiscent of Xhosa stick dancing. There were elements of drum majorette strutting, break dancing and even Scottish sword dancing with one blindfolded man prone on the ground, snapping his legs open and closed, while another blindfolded man leapt in and out of the scissor openings.

…

The Alpha Phi Alpha brothers were persuaded to join in the Zulu and at the end of the concert they presented Jackie Semela of the SDT with a cheque for R1000 to help further the company’s work. As spokesman Brian Williams pointed out, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity is not only about stepping. It’s about education and service to the community, and the contact now established through their workshops with SDT will be continued in the years to come.”

VIEW THE FULL 1994 ARTICLE HERE