Yeye Alaragbo Oodua

Yeye Luisah Teish

Jesus Diaz

Iya Nedra Williams

Iya Christina Ochun 

Iya Jessica Johnson, LM, CPM

Maestro Roberto Borrell

Bushmama Africa

KKINGBOO

Courtney Desiree Morris

Escorpión

Celebration De Yemaya & Oshun

Manos Morenas Cultural Center

Celebration de Yemaya & Oshun-- a series of workshops, performances, vendors,  ceremonies, and conversations 9/6-7 & 9/12-13

Thanks for your love and support! Online registration is now closed for Celebration de Yemaya and Oshun (Sept 6–7 & Sept 12–13, 2025). A limited number of walk-up donations may be accepted at the door as capacity allows.

Questions or accessibility needs? Email info@manosmorenas.org.

Manos Morenas Cultural Center presents Celebration de Yemaya and Oshun: a series of celebrations, workshops, and cultural exchange to honor Yemaya and Oshun, fundamental forces of matrilineal power within Yoruba cosmology.We invite the community to come and celebrate with us as we uplift African Diasporic art, religion, and cultural inheritances. The Celebration de Yemaya and Oshun will illuminate the aspects of life these sister orisha represent: female power, maternity and reproductive justice, Black cultural preservation, environmental stewardship, and community healing.Taking place over the course of two weekends, September 6-7 &amp; September 12-13, our programming includes:<ul><li>Live Music and Dance Performances,</li><li>Workshops led by Community Members and Olorisha,</li><li>Cultural Talks and Panel Discussions</li><li>Honoring the Two Waters // Watershed Clean-up! </li><li>Art Exhibition</li><li>Film Screenings</li><li>Open-Air Market</li><li>Orisha and other African Diasporic dance classes</li><li>Traditional Drumming Performances</li></ul>Join us as we weave together the intricacies and traditions of Afro-Diasporic arts and culture. Celebrate the waters that created and sustain us and honor those ancestors who carried these traditions across the world.Full schedule of day-to-day events coming soon! Register to reserve your spot today.If you’re interested in volunteering, vending or performing, please reach out to us at <a href="mailto:info@manosmorenas.org" title="mailto:info@manosmorenas.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">info@manosmorenas.org</a>. At <a href="https://www.centromanosmorenas.org/" title="https://www.centromanosmorenas.org/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Manos Morenas Cultural Center</a>, our mission is to preserve, celebrate, and elevate the rich artistic traditions of the African Diaspora. We exist to create a vibrant space where ancestral memory meets creative expression—honoring the hands, voices, and stories of Black and Afro-descendant communities across the globe.

Saturday 9/6

We open the festival with a vibrant celebration in honor of Yemayá, mother of the seas and source of life. Join us for a day filled with live dance and capoeira performances, community vendors, delicious food, and joyful movement. From the rhythms of traditional drumming to the flow of dance, this is a space for family, community, and celebration.

Doors Open

Live DJ Set

Join us for a güiro (ceremonial drumming) in honor of Elegua, guardian of the crossroads and opener of paths, and divine messenger within the Yoruba and Lucumí traditions. Through song, rhythm, and offerings, we call on Elegua's playful yet powerful spirit to bless our community and open the way forward.

Opening Güiro to Elegua with Jesus Diaz

Roberto will be teaching Afro-Cuban Folkloric Dance with an emphasis on how the music combines with the songs and the steps. There is nothing as exhilarating as dancing in sync with the drums. Roberto, an accomplished percussionist as well as dancer, excels in helping his students to break down the footwork so that they can dance in time to the complex rhythms of the Batas. Perfect for advanced and beginner dancers.

Afro-Cuban Dance Class for Yemaya with Roberto Borrell

Step into the world of Capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian art form born from the resistance, resilience, and creativity of enslaved Africans in Brazil. More than just movement, capoeira is a living cultural expression that weaves together martial arts, dance, music, rhythm, and community. In this workshop, participants will learn foundational movements, explore the rhythms of traditional instruments, and experience the spirit of the roda—the circle where capoeira comes alive. Open to all levels, this class is an invitation to connect with the history, energy, and joy of Afro-Brazilian culture.

Capoeria Roda Demonstration with Escorpión & Company

Sunday 9/7

Join Manos Morenas Cultural Center and Friends of Sausal Creek for a collaborative morning of hands-on watershed stewardship and learning along Sausal Creek in Dimond Park. 

To volunteer, please register here https://forms.gle/7Wgo8TDbhGL2Lhwi8

Volunteer clean-up with Friends of Sausal Creek

Traditional Midwifery Herbal Workshop

Capoeira Class

Midwifery from a Yoruba Perspective Seminar

Lucumi Liturgical Language

Fireside Chat

Friday 9/12

Come learn traditional Yoruba fabric dyeing, a sacred part of the cult of Oshun

Yoruba Fabric Dyeing Workshop

Yeye Alaragbo Oodua (Princess Abike Osunbunmi)- herbalist, healer, diviner, and global teacher of Yoruba traditions. Iya Nedra Williams- Oakland-based mixed media artist, designer, and founder of Conjure Collage Art & Design Studio. Yeye Luisah Teish (Iyanifa Fajembola Fatunmise)- world-renowned Oshun priestess, author of Jambalaya, and spiritual activist. Together, these visionary women will share their artworks, stories, and cultural legacies, celebrating the power of creativity as a vessel for ancestral wisdom, healing and transformation. 

Omi Melli Art Expo & Artist Talk

Cozy outdoor screenings Daughters of the Sea (2022), Sopera de Yemaya, Water Angel (2025), plus others! 

Film Screenings

Saturday 9/13

We close the festival with a joyful day honoring Oshun, orisha of rivers, sweetness, beauty, and love. Oshun embodies fertility, sensuality, creativity, and abundance—reminding us to celebrate joy, connection, and the flow of life.

Join us for a daytime festival filled with dance and drum performances, community vendors, delicious food, and opening rituals in her honor. Together we will uplift Oshun’s energy through movement, music, and community celebration.

Afro-Cuban Dance Class for Oshun with Roberto Borrell

Jesus Diaz Drumming Performance

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Registrations are closed

Celebration De Yemaya & Oshun

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Celebration De Yemaya & Oshun

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