The Association of Ukrainians in South Australia (AUSA) will be running Kobza Cafe, a boho ethnic-chic Ukrainian cafe selling artisan coffee, traditional Ukrainian soul food and Ukrainian merchandise at WOMADelaide – World Of Music Arts & Dance – an iconic internationally acclaimed Adelaide open-air festival which is expecting crowds of up to 40,000 this weekend 10-13 March 2023.
Following on from their involvement in the festival last year to raise awareness and funds for the AFUO humanitarian charity Ukraine Crisis Appeal, Festival Director, Ian Scobie, approached the AUSA to create something even bigger this year – a fully operational cafe, with proceeds to be donated to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal.
Rosytk Baker, from the AUSA said today “We can’t wait to greet festival goers and encourage them to relax, feast on the soul food, linger with the coffee and take in the atmosphere.
“And it’s all in the name of a good cause – helping ordinary Ukrainians suffering from the humanitarian crisis which has emanated from the unlawful invasion of Ukraine,” he added.
The Kobza Cafe menu will be curated by some of Adelaide’s finest commercial and community chefs, and feature locally roasted coffee by Adelaide’s artisan roastery, Coffee in Common. The cafe will be staffed by displaced Ukrainians and recent past students of the Ukrainian community language school, who have received free barista induction training by Coffee in Common.
The Kobza Cafe will also offer the opportunity to be enticed by Ukrainian souvenirs and merchandise such as T-shirts, tote bags and aprons all designed by Tamara Jakovlev from Adelaide’s bespoke advertising studio Design Girl.
The Kobza Cafe will be decorated by large, specially created flags (designed with the community by Kalyna Micenko and Bob Daly from SpinFX AustrAlia), eye-catching musical chairs, ornate decorative installations, and garlands i.e., vinochky’ – colourful Ukrainian female dancers’ headwear of flowers and ribbons.
The cafe is named after the kobza – a quintessentially Ukrainian lute-like stringed musical instrument played by ‘kobzars’ in village squares from the 16th century.
WOMADelaide has in the past featured artists from the Australian Ukrainian community and international Ukrainian diaspora. This year Ukraine will be represented by the Ukrainian / Canadian band, Balaklava Blues – featuring Mark and Marichka Marczyka who fuse Ukrainian folk traditions with EDM, trap, dub step, punk, balkan, party and more.
