The term 'MAAFA' (pronounced MA-AH’-FA) is a Kiswahili word that gives definition to the catastrophic event experienced by millions of  African people during the Transatlantic  Slave  Trade o r Middle passage journey from freedom in Africa to bondage in the New World. ‘MAAFA’ also means great disaster, the great suffering, the great catastrophe.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters have coined their word, Holocaust that is theirs. Now we are blessed to coin our word that talks about our experience and that word is ‘MAAFA’. It is our contention that in order for the African-American family to engage in a liberation process, it must face the trauma and consequences of its bondage in America.

The journey began in 1994, Dr. Johnny Ray Youngblood, Senior Pastor of the St. Paul Community Baptist Church in Brooklyn, New York, provided the leadership and inspiration that gave birth to the first annual commemoration of the ‘MAAFA’, sponsored by an African-American congregation. The commemorative efforts on the part of the church begins as a combination of spiritual ritual, transformative theatre and educational workshops that help African-Americans to revisit this horror experienced by their ancestors.  The production has also been performed in Chicago through the leadership of world-renowned teacher and preacher, Dr. Jeremiah Wright.

2004 marked the 10^th anniversary of the commemoration of the ‘MAAFA’ and know that Dr. Youngblood, also a world-renowned leader, has passed the legacy and the torch to Dr. Anthony L. Bennett and the People of The Mount Aery Baptist Church. Audiences near and far can experience the ‘MAAFA’ in Connecticut. Dr. Youngblood coined the phrase and reminds us, “The Way Out is Back Through.”

The ‘MAAFA’ Production is historical drama at its best. It brings to the American public, a story that places the history of a nation in its truest perspective, and offers an opportunity for all people to understand the nature of the oppression visited on generations of African-Americans in this country.

Everyone who experiences the MAAFA will be educated by our history, moved by the music and dramatic reflections and reminded of the hope! The ‘MAAFA Influence Production’ is a local production, with nationwide appeal to be proud of, with local residents displaying a professional presentation. The ‘MAAFA’ is an EXPERIENCE — 'NOT' a play. The ‘MAAFA’ is a professional psychodrama taking a look at the 'Pain of the Past' and how that pain directly affects our communities, even today.

On November 4th, and 5th, 2011 Mount Aery Baptist Church and the Mount Aery Development Corporation present MAAFA Influence 2011 "Healing the Land ... Faith, Family, Finances" 2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and prayer, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from, forgive their sins and heal their land.

This year's MAAFA Influence is written and directed by Mount Aery's own Rev. Ina Alisa Anderson, (a long time resident of Bridgeport) and the entire cast is Mount Aery disciples from the greater Bridgeport Community and throughout Connecticut.

This production, as expected, was no less than excellent! To this end, we thank all Community / Business leaders and residents throughout our city, state and even the country that joined us in prayer, fasting and a strengthened relationship with God which enabled us to provide the community with another unforgettable experience.

Through our very first ‘MAAFA Production,’ hundreds of lives have been transformed. We have seen an increase in church participation and a better understanding of life’s challenges. The ‘MAAFA Production’ is a means of rebuilding a people, through education and a healing journey.  We will continue to provide ongoing sessions to discuss the transformation taking place in hundreds of lives. And we will also examine ways in which our ‘MAAFA’ experience continues to affect the cast, crew and those who are open while witnessing our production.