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The 18th ACANA Festival in Philadelphia celebrated the city’s connection to African culture, both in the people that live here and through the continent’s cultural connections across generations.

Cherry Street Pier saw thousands of people take in cultural cornerstones, such as African music, cuisine and fashion from nearly every portion of the continent.

ACANA, which stands for the African Cultural Alliance of North America, was founded in 1999 and offers social, health and legal services for the African immigrant and refugee community in Philadelphia.

CEO Voffee Jabateh said the event has grown over the years, not just in scope but in representation at the annual festival.

“When we first came here almost 18 years ago… we just thought that it was bringing artists together to have a nice time,” Jabateh said. “As we moved deeper and deeper into other years of the production of the African fest, we realized that this was about exhibiting continental African culture and music.”

Rose Dousuah, owner of Roshe Design, has been designing clothing and jewelry inspired by her Liberian roots since childhood.

“When I was little growing up, I used to go to the tailor shop and pick up the little fabrics on the floor and put them together and make outfits for my doll babies,” Dousuah said.

For roughly a decade, she’s been steadily building her brand after graduating from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. These days, she’s based across the river in New Jersey, but she makes sure to set up shop at the festival each year.

“It helps us small businesses show off our craft and connect with the community here in Philadelphia,” Dousuah said.

In addition to the festival’s celebration of the African diaspora, Jabateh emphasized the importance of Africatown’s development in Southwest Philadelphia.

“The concept of it has been around forever,” Jabateh said. “But for a major American city to designate almost 20% of its land space to be called Africatown is a landmark achievement.”

Sunday’s festival kicked off this year’s PECO Multicultural Series, a set of eight events that provide Philadelphians opportunities to connect with other walks of life present throughout the city. The Festival of India on Aug. 15 will coincide with India’s Independence Day.

The Freedom Now Fest also took place Sunday in West Philadelphia, celebrating the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Freedom Now” rally in 1965.