An African arts and culture festival to be held in Dublin from today is hoping to promote understanding and integration by presenting African food, music, art and fashion to the different communities living in Ireland.

Festafrique will run from tonight until Monday at Temple Bar, Dublin and will feature talent from all over Africa, including artists from Zimbabwe and Ghana, films from Nigeria and South Africa and fashion designers from Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia, among others.

"If you understand a country's culture, than you understand its people and want to know more about them," explained Festafrique organiser Tasia Joshua.

According to Joshua, Festafrique is the biggest pan-African cultural event in Europe.

It is the second year of the festival whose name has been changed from the Festival of African Arts and Culture (Festaac) to Festafrique to incorporate both French-speaking and English-speaking Africa.

An African art exhibition will open the festival at 7pm in the Cultivate Centre, Temple Bar. It will showcase the work of five artists including South Africans John Adams, Nicola Tancrel and Ayanda Ntuli, as well as Bibiana Ashun-Sarpy from Ghana and Tanaka Magoche from Zimbabwe.

Tomorrow the Mansion House will host Ireland's biggest African fashion show featuring work from young Irish designers as well as Africans.

Tickets for the show and Sunday's live concert headlined by South African group Freshly Ground are limited and cost €25 and €30 respectively.

A number of free events are also taking place. Open-air screenings of films Tsotsi and The Widow will be shown in Meeting House Square tonight and tomorrow night.

An African gospel choir will perform from 2pm on Saturday in Temple Bar, and a free African market will be held from midday on Sunday and Monday in Meeting House Square.

For more information call 01 8874536.