East side activists and artists were nostalgic during the Poindexter Village History Festival on Saturday. The festival reflected on the history of the 70-year-old property, located on the Near East Side, before its demolition.

Kojo Kamau, an award-winning photographer who grew up near Poindexter, presented a selection of his work at the festival. Kamau worked at Ohio State as a medical photographer for 26 years and said he has been taking pictures for more than 50 years.

“This was actually pretty successful,” Kamau said. “I didn’t expect it to have this good of a turnout.”

His photographs document the area’s history, including shots of the Poindexter Village and surrounding areas from the 1940s and ‘50s and Obama’s 2008 campaign.

His work is displayed at both national and international exhibits, including OSU and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

World-renowned artist Aminah Robinson was born in Columbus in 1940, the same year her family moved to Poindexter Village, where she gained a passion for art.

She and Kamau attended the Columbus Art School, which is now the Columbus College of Art and Design. Robinson’s work is also on display at OSU.

Robinson “showed the connection of the community to Africa, to the things going on in the neighborhood, so she tied all of her heritage into her art — an expression of her development in the Bronzeville neighborhood,” said Willis Brown, president of the Bronzeville Neighborhood Association. The neighborhood of Bronzeville contains Poindexter.

The talent show featured a younger generation of artists who danced, sang and played music. A group of about 10 boys danced to contemporary hip-hop songs, but others played songs from times gone by, including a mellow saxophone jazz tune, an acoustic guitar showcase of nostalgic songs about freedom and an a cappella rendering of multiple traditional folk songs from the ‘40s and ‘50s.

Poindexter Village was the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority’s first public housing development in Ohio. On its inauguration date, Oct. 12, 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt greeted residents of the 400-unit Columbus village.

The festival displayed a plethora of information about other historically significant community members and important dates.

Kamau was unsure where the residents will go when they are relocated sometime between September 2011 and March 2013.

The housing authority approved a city plan to demolish and redevelop five other properties, according to the Columbus City Council website. The housing authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will giveresidents vouchers to rent apartments elsewhere.

Brown expressed his thoughts on the successes of the festival and said bringing the arts of the area together showed the true value of the people.

“Everyone has written this housing development off, saying that it needs to be torn down because of all the crime,” Brown said. “What we showed was, in spite of the crime, we have a living, breathing, vibrant community, which has some pride in its rich heritage.”

Brown said crime is only one reason for the demolition. Comparing the situation to the Louisiana Purchase, he said OSU has an interest in the land, possibly intending to expand its East Side medical facilities.

Executive director of OSU Hospital East Elizabeth Seely and councilwoman Charleta Tavares, chair of the Health and Human Development and Housing committees, were unavailable for comment.

Kamau said he has lived in three neighborhoods in Columbus that have since been torn down.

“I can’t visit the neighborhoods I used to live in,” he said wistfully looking down at his camera.