Founder Mireille Tushiminina is celebrating the sweet 16 of the African Festival of Boston. She never imagined when co-creating this collective celebration that champions African countries that it would continue into its 16th year.

“We just thought that it was going to be a one-hit wonder. ... It’s amazing,” she said.

This year’s free public event, themed “Together We Rise,” is Aug. 15 beginning at 9 a.m. on the Boston Common. Community members can look forward to food, fun, live music, fashion displays and more.

One of the biggest features of the festival is the musical artists: Khensani, Shaney Poo, The Redeemed Christian Church of God’s The Zion Instrumentalist and Dynamic Sisters and Wuza Wuza.

“There’s a lot of things going on in Massachusetts, in New England, around the world, and for us, the message that we wanted to put out there is that together we’re strong, together we keep on rising, and you know let’s just stick together,” said Tushiminina, explaining her process for selecting this year’s artists. “You know this is our culture. This is the only way we can make it happen.”

She especially wants the festival to show unity, as the artists and participants in the festival represent different countries, among them South Africa, Ghana, Haiti and Cape Verde.

One of the new additions to this year’s festival is that attendees can access the Diaspora Lounge, which is an opportunity for people to feel included in a relaxed atmosphere.

“There’s a lot of people from the Diaspora, [such as] international students. We wanted them to feel included, so [the] Diaspora Lounge where they can come [and] relax. [There will be] people coming from all over. That’s theirs [where they can] come, stay there, and talk,” she said.

Tushiminina said it was important for her to have a multigenerational celebration in the community, from having a 12-year-old on the planning committee to a highly experienced fashion designer in her 50s.

Some of the musical artists shared their excitement about performing and why it is important for them to have festivals like this to share their talent and culture.

“I think it’s important for cultural exchange,” said headliner Khensani Silinda. “We become more aware of the world and of our contribution to society when we are able to know how diverse we are and how many different backgrounds people can come from.”

Tiara Adesoro is one of the members of the Zion Instrumentals, a teenage gospel group that sings both Nigerian and contemporary gospel. She said she is “excited and grateful” for her group to perform.

Tushiminina encourages community members to join, especially those who have not attended the festival in recent years. “Taste the food,” she recommended. “There will be a lot of diversity in the food since there’s not a lot of restaurants out there, especially in the center of Boston.”

ON THE WEB

Learn more at facebook.com/africanfestboston