About Abissa
Abissa is the pre-eminent festival in the N’zima calendar of Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa. It is a time of brutal honesty, renewal and forgiveness. It is a celebration of the ancient N’zima culture, history, royalty, and religion. It is also a time when the entire community comes together and lets loose, releasing the proverbial steam from the pressure cooker of life and politics in the modern age.
The week-long Abissa festival is powered by drummers, whose infectious beats drive its many dances and rituals. During Abissa, the beat of the cosmic drum releases the N’zima from their customary restraints and allows them to speak candidly to their leaders and to one another. Airing truths during Abissa allows the truth-tellers to forgive and those who have strayed from the proper path to be forgiven. It is a time of collective catharsis that leads to renewal and a spiritual re-birth of the entire community. Abissa is magical and has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
Come join us as we take part in our own Abissa, celebrating African culture all over the continent through rhythmic beats, rich voices, vibrtantly colored traditional and non traditional clothing, and story telling!
A Look Back
