KEY WEST, Florida Keys — Black History Month is to be commemorated in Key West beside an oceanfront site believed to be the only African refugee cemetery in the United States. Presented by Key West’s Bahama Conch Community Land Trust, the observance is scheduled Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 and 16, with educational, art and musical programs.

Events are to kick off at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 with an exhibit showcasing the work of artist Geraldo Steven Pinedo at Fort West Martello, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Higgs Beach at Atlantic Boulevard and White Street. Titled “The Past-Slavery-The Present-Culture,” the exhibit includes original paintings of symbols, chains and shackles, images of slavery from around the world and authentic documents relating to slavery. The exhibit also is open to the public the following day from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

At 11:30 a.m. Feb. 16, a celebration is scheduled at the 1860 African Burial Ground at Higgs Beach near the fort. Experts believe the burial ground contains graves of Africans who died in 1860. They had been freed by the U.S. Navy from three American-owned slave ships captured near the Cuban coast and brought to Key West for sanctuary.

More than 1,400 African men, women and children were transported to Key West, housed and cared for after being rescued from the slave vessels. Most eventually were returned to Africa, but 295 died in Key West, probably from illnesses resulting from the brutal conditions aboard the slave ships. They were buried in unmarked graves along the island’s southern shore.

Two years later, construction began on the Martello tower that encompassed part of the cemetery site, and the story was virtually forgotten until historical research and ground-penetrating radar analysis revealed the presence of graves several years ago. A memorial honoring the buried Africans is being constructed at the site.

At the Feb. 16 event, Nigerian-born artist Johnson Odibi is to discuss the memorial’s design and history, with additional comments by members of the committee spearheading the memorial project.

Interpretive dance is to play a significant role in the events at the African Burial Ground.

Spoken-word artist and professional dancer Djah- Djah is to perform a tribute in dance, accompanied by local drummers, in memory of the African children buried at the site.

Spoken-word renditions by local performers and musical selections by a “surprise” new band are to round out the tribute, slated to begin at 2 p.m.

The two-day celebration is to culminate in a free reggae concert set for 7-11:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Truman Waterfront. Performers are to include Jamaican reggae master I-WILL and the reggae roots band Movement. While the music feeds the spirit, food vendors are to offer taste treats and libations.

For more information, call Norma Jean Sawyer or Wheeler Winstead of the Bahama Conch Community Land Trust at (305) 294-0884.

For lodging information in Key West, contact the Key West Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-LAST-KEY (800-527-8539) or explore this Web site.