The National Black Arts Festival's (NBAF) 10-day summer festival will return to Atlanta July 14-23, 2006, and explores the dance, music, film, theater, visual arts, and literary arts of the African diaspora.

This year's Festival spotlight, South Africa and the American South, brings together the style, culture and artistic achievements of these areas of the world. NBAF continues to grow and be recognized nationally as a leader in the field, most recently receiving substantial funding from the Doris Duke Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Target, and additional funding from the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council.

Highlights of the 2006 NBAF include: The Living Legends Celebration, a premiere event of the Festival, honors pioneers of African descent who have enhanced the artistic community and expanded the definition of American culture.

Living Legends celebrates artists, historians, critics, playwrights and institutions. For this year's Legends Celebration, Grammy Award-nominated composer/musician/poet Hannibal Lokumbe continues his series of compositions documenting the lives of Civil Rights icons with the world premiere of "A Great and Shining Light."

This work, commissioned by the National Black Arts Festival, is a musical commentary on the life of Andrew Young which follows the critically acclaimed "Dear Mrs. Parks," performed with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Hannibal's "God, Mississippi and a Man Called Evers" performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, which are compositions dedicated to the lives of Rosa Parks and Medgar Evers, respectively.

Dance Executive Artistic Director/ Choreographer Abdel R. Salaam, and Executive Managing Director Olabamidele Husbands, cofounded the Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company in 1981. Along

with founding company member, Dyane Harvey, Forces of Nature has produced ballets, conducted dance classes and presented concerts and educational programs in New York City, the United States, and throughout the world for more than 23 years.

The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a festival within the Festival, featuring films from across the Diaspora the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, South America, Latin America, Europe, the South Pacific and Canada. The Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a magnificent opportunity to move beyond the cineplex and experience the images, issues, imagination, intensity and artistry of people of African descent through this cinematic showcase. A full lineup of films can be found at http://www.nbaf.org.

Jazz great and Cuban-born clarinet and saxophone player Paquito D'Rivera will perform as part of the 2006 NBAF. Most recently D'Rivera received the National Medal of Arts Award in 2005. He has six Grammys and was the first artist to win Latin Grammy Awards in both Classical and Latin Jazz categories.

In theater, the 2006 NBAF presents Amajuba: Like Doves We Rise. A compelling theatrical snapshot of life in apartheid South Africa and the triumphant spirit of freedom, this performance interweaves song, music and testimony from those who were there. Amajuba provides a truthful, intimate portrayal of growing up in South Africa and overcoming adversity.

The South African exhibits in the 2006 Festival include Beautiful Things, Body Maps, From Apartheid to Democracy: The Freedom Struggle in South Africa and the American South and Fabricated Harmony are the result of a multiyear collaboration between South Africa and several American host cities. Tickets are on sale now for select feature events.

For complete details about National Black Arts Festival programming and ticketing information, please visit http://www.nbaf.org.