All year long Safeco Insurance sponsors a series of cultural events at the Seattle Center called the Safeco Insurance Festal. Each and every one of them is great fun and I always highly recommend heading down to the Center to check them out. There just happens to be a festal this very weekend, Festival Sundiata.

Festival Sundiata celebrates the diverse traditions of Africa, of Africans, and of African-Americans with art and photography exhibits, hands-on activities for kids, food and retail vendors, dance demonstrations and–my favorite part of this festal–all kinds of music: jazz, rap & hip hop, gospel, R&B and also traditional African folk music. (Gospels fans should make a speical point of stopping in on Saturday the 16th from 3 to 5:30 pm for the gospel music showcase.) Festival Sundiata takes place February 16 - 18 at the Center House, Fisher Pavillion and Seattle Center Pavillion and admission is, as always, free.