Syracuse to Host First-Ever Festival of Orature Celebrating the Region's Young Voices

On July 18, 2026, the Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo Foundation brings Central New York's inaugural Festival of Orature to Clinton Square, a free, full-day event celebrating humanity's oldest communication and featuring a youth competition for ages 6-18.

SYRACUSE, N.Y., Jun 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, July 18, 2026, the Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo Foundation will transform Clinton Square into the stage for Central New York's first-ever Festival of Orature. The Day of Orature is a free, full-day public festival celebrating the spoken word traditions of indigenous people and multiple global cultures. From 12:00 PM to 7:30 PM, the heart of downtown Syracuse will be alive with story, song, poetry, proverb, and the voices of young people competing for cash prizes before a distinguished panel of judges.

The event is both a community celebration and a historic first: never before has Central New York hosted a public festival dedicated entirely to Orature — humanity's oldest form of communication, long predating the written word, carried across generations through storytelling, chant, proverb, call-and-response, and oral performance. Open to ages 6-18 and free of charge, The Day of Orature is designed to be a true family oriented civic gathering: accessible, joyful, culturally rich, and rooted in the belief that every voice deserves a stage.

YOUTH ORATURE SHOWCASE & COMPETITION 

Cash prizes across categories and age tiers, plus the Foundation Award for Outstanding Orature

Five Categories: Spoken Word Poetry | Oral Storytelling | Song-Based Narrative | Proverb & Wisdom Traditions | Call-and-Response

At the centerpiece of the festival is an open-call competition for youth performers across the Syracuse metropolitan area and CNY region. Audition submissions are open now through June 21, 2026 at midnight, with late submissions accepted at the Foundation's discretion. Finalists will perform live on the main stage before distinguished jurors drawn from academia, the literary arts, and the creative community. Category winners receive cash prizes; all finalists are formally recognized at the closing ceremony.

The Day of Orature honors the third anniversary of the passing of the late Professor Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo (1942–2023) — poet, playwright, scholar, and Syracuse University Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and one-time Chair of the Department of African American Studies — whose life's work insisted that oral tradition is not a relic of the past but a living, liberatory force. The event serves as the formal incubation of the Foundation's future Prize for Orature —positioning Syracuse as the birthplace of a program with global ambitions.

"The Day of Orature is a public declaration of a living tradition that has always existed. We are bringing it into the open square where it belongs, offering young people a competitive stage and real recognition, and inviting all of Syracuse to witness what happens when storytelling becomes an act of celebration."
— Livingstone M. M. Mukasa, Interim Director, Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo Foundation
 

For philanthropists, civic leaders, and community partners, The Day of Orature presents a rare convergence: youth development, cultural equity and heritage, and downtown civic activation — all in one free, high-visibility public event endorsed by Mayor Sharon Owens of the City of Syracuse. Sponsorship opportunities are available at Foundational Sponsor ($10,000+), Community Champion ($5,000–$9,999), Supporting Sponsor ($1,000–$4,999) tiers, and Friend of Orature ($500-$2,499). The Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo Foundation is 501(c)(3) public charity. Tax ID (EIN) 99-3653269. All contributions are tax-deductible.

AUDITION SUBMISSIONS OPEN NOW  •  DEADLINE: JUNE 21, 2026 AT MIDNIGHT
Late submissions accepted at the Foundation's discretion

SOURCE Mĩcere Gĩthae Mũgo Foundation