Our Philosophy

The goal is to create an urban performing artist community advocating, teaching, demonstrating collective work and responsibility promoting, health, self-determination and discipline through creative edutainment artistic experiences and exploration. This community represents all of the performing arts and serves as an alternative means of intervention when traditional forms don’t work. We unite creative warriors against apathy and parasites on the communities in which we live.

Founded in 1986, Urban Warriors were challenged to reach youth that traditional program were not impacting, SDUW used the arts for prevention, intervention and ongoing support for addressing the self destruction some of our infected youth and community members were embracing. San Diego Urban Warriors’ used gang diversion funds to creative development events that required the youth, family and community be involved. Founder Dajahn Blevins taught health education and performing arts to so called at-risk youth as a means of social development, cultural enrichment and self-empowerment. The students and their families presented to sold-out houses at the San Diego Repertory Theatre at the end of the program, and the feedback from the community was so strong, Edu-tainment was born. In 1993 the Urban Warriors annual celebration Kuumba Fest moved to the Lyceum Theatre and was Co-produced by the Rep and its African American Advisory Council, taking the community park celebration to state of the arts professional theater the Lyceum with the San Diego Repertory Theater. The 4th district celebrating positive lifestyle changes through the arts at Kuumba Fest, the county’s longest-running celebration of African-derived culture and commerce.

Kuumba (Swahili for “creativity”) Fest brings together community leaders, local performers and celebrities for an annual audience that averages 5,000. From gospel to hip-hop and theater to dance, San Diego’s Kuumba Fest present a wide showcase of arts that celebrate Black American culture in all its variety. Kuumba Fest will offer a three-day festival that includes educational workshops, hip-hop dance and speech competitions, performances of plays, In the Park Live (San Diego’s own Kevin Flournoy does his new artist showcase Live in the park), and as always, a day of rejuvenation gospel concert finale. An African Market Place featuring arts and crafts for sale by local vendors will also be presented back in the park where it all began except now the area is officially San Diego’s Black Art & Culture District