Kunta Kinte

Tourism, a field that has often relied on our fascination with history, is increasingly tapping into a desire to better understand our respective heritages. Witness the success of Ellis Island since that immigration landmark was refurbished in 1990. Likewise, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is opening to immense attention in Washington.With that in mind, what a great idea it was for Maryland economic development and cultural officials to devise an African-American tourism strategy for the state.

UNTIL YESTERDAY, Annapolis had never made the most of its connection to the slave Kunta Kinte, whose descendant, Alex Haley, immortalized him in his genealogical novel, ''Roots.'' The spot at City Dock in the state capital where a chained Kunta Kinte was led off a ship 230 years ago yesterday had been marked only by an easily overlooked plaque.Here is a piece of history -- a place in history -- with the rare power to reach across racial lines and stimulate thought and discussion about one of the most important issues in America.

Chris Haley, great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Kunta Kinte, sat at Annapolis City Dock yesterday afternoon, read aloud from his late uncle's acclaimed book "Roots" and extolled the significance of genealogy and family history in the pursuit of self-awareness.But first, he had to clear one hurdle: explain who Kunta Kinte was to his rambunctious audience of 16 Annapolis Elementary School third-graders who yelled, "He played in a movie" when Haley mentioned his ancestor's name."Well, actually, an actor played his part in a movie," Haley said, smiling.

They shake and shimmy and shake some more -- showing off their moves, calling on their past and giving the audience a piece of the place they call home."

An ambitious agenda for 1994 has prompted officials of the Annapolis-based Kunta Kinte Celebrations Inc. to expand its board of directors to 30 members.The organization, which stages the annual African American Heritage Festival, also elected a new slate of officers at a meeting last week.Departing President Leonard A. Blackshear said organizing the festival and supervising the Kunta Kinte Memorial project "were really straining our resources."Adding board members from a cross section of the community will improve planning of events and allow the organization to expand its mission, he said.

Though it has been nearly three decades since Roots first penetrated America's conscience about slavery, the name Kunta Kinte still resonates among people of African descent and many others. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that Maryland's annual Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival will mark its 16th celebration this year. The festival takes place Aug. 9 and 10 at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds in Crownsville. Billed as a family gala that fetes the heritage, music and cuisine of the African Diaspora, it honors the legacy of Kinte, an enslaved Gambian brought to Annapolis in 1767 aboard the Lord Ligonier.

As about a dozen boys and girls painted spongy material that is to serve as the brown walls of an African hut at this weekend's Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival, Renee Spears offered guidance. "Use your painting skills and strokes," Spears told those participating in the Chesapeake Children's Museum camp session, of which she is program director. "Be very creative. In Africa, we would use berries and mud. We're going to create huts and put these up at the Kunta Kinte Festival." Within moments, green handprints and footprints livened up the sponge.

Although the drizzling rain fell throughout most of the day in Crownsville, the dreary weather did not dampen the spirits of hundreds who gathered yesterday for the annual Kunta Kinte Heritage Festival. The first day of the two-day festival drew thousands of people who danced and sang along with gospel music and rhythm and blues and dined on hot dogs, cheese steaks and barbecue sandwiches. The annual festival is held to celebrate black culture and to pay tribute to Kunta Kinte, the slave who was the central figure in the book and film Roots.