Founded in February 1992, the African Association of Arizona (AFASA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. It was founded purposely to promote greater awareness and understanding of African conditions through educational and cultural activities. AFASA is non-partisan and does not belong to any organized political party, organized religion, or separatist movement. The association is open to all Africans and friends of Africa who subscribe to its vision and mission.

The association is actively involved in developing an infrastructure for networking, strengthening our families, and increasing the awareness and appreciation of our rich cultural heritage.

African Festivals
Effective 1998, the African Association of Arizona (AFASA) organized African Festivals annually in Phoenix, except in 2005, when the Executive decided to devote the year to revamping the association by comprehensively amending the constitution, and in 2011 when the executive to devote the year to exploring more dependable sources of income/funds. Attendance at its annual African Festival has grown steadily between 1,000 and 5,000.

Conferences on Africa
In 1993, AFASA teamed up with Thunderbird School of Global Management to organize an international conference on “Africa Unity and Diversity.” In 1997, AFASA organized another international conference on Africa.
AFASA has also organized an assortment of fun-filled activities, among them picnics, pot-lucks, summer banquets, fall banquets, a trip to Kingman, Arizona, and a trip to Africa.