Billed by organizers as "one of the most important [events] in Black Harvard's history," a weekend celebrating black artistry--and attempting to unify the local black community--begins today.

Boston's first-annual Black Arts Festival--an amalgamation of song, drama and guest speakers--kicks off tonight in Lowell Lecture Hall with a special performance of "Songs We Can't Sing," the original musical written and directed by Derrick N. Ashong '97-'98.

The celebration will ultimately involve about 400 student performers, and will feature such luminaries as Professor of Afro-American Studies Cornel West '74, record producer and musician Delfeayo Marsalis, and poet-activist Sonia Sanchez.

"It's just incredible that Sonia Sanchez is coming, and that we can utilize our own Faculty like [Professor of Afro-American Studies and of Philosophy] K. Anthony Appiah," said April Garrett, W.E.B. DuBois institute fellows coordinator. "That's what I'm most excited about--fostering a connection between students and faculty--an event that students are interested in, and faculty can get intellectually excited about too."

Festival organizers hope to expose the larger College community to new ways of examining race, culture and art.

"In recognizing black arts, we look at how black people identify themselves; usually we see how others identify black people," Ashong said.

And while Garrett noted that black student organizations can be insular, she said the festival will afford black students a chance to pool their diverse traditions and cherish their collective heritage.

While the Harvard Foundation-sponsored Cultural Rhythms arts celebration is a forum for the broader spectrum of diverse artistry, the Festival allows blacks to "rally around their own cultural nuances," Garrett said.

There is a need for "Afro-Diasporic groups to come together and see how Caribbeans are connected to Africans, and how Africans are connected to African-Americans," she said. "It's really a tapestry--[the traditions] are woven into each other."

Festival coordinator Philip A. Goff said he is proud of the number of groups involved.

"There's not one Afro-Diasporan organization that hasn't contributed something," he said.

Harvard's black arts community is particularly strong this year, according to Ashong.

"We have a critical mass of artistic talent on campus--unapologetic talent from people who want to go into the profession. The time is right for this to happen," Ashong said.

The weekend's events include Ashong's musical tonight, followed by a "juke joint" dessert reception in Loker Commons.

Tomorrow's festivities begin at the Institute of Politics with a guest panel of artists and scholars--including Appiah, Marsalis, Sanchez, Conrad Muhammad, Lucious Outlaw, Kay George Roberts, Alonzo Adams and Saleem Washington.