(Columbia, SC) — Music. Poetry. African dance. Plant-based food. Local vendors. Wellness. And a little soul.
That combination will come together September 26 at Allen University as Rebirth of Soul takes over Chappelle Auditorium for an evening organizers hope will feel less like a traditional fundraiser and more like a community experience.
Presented by Rawtopian Bliss and founder SaaShalom “Chef Saa” I.M. Bey, Rebirth of Soul will feature live entertainment, poets, an African dance troupe, Allen University’s Mass Choir, local and celebrity talent, a vendors mall and a VIP experience.
For people looking for something different to do in Columbia, the event is designed to offer several experiences in one evening.
There is entertainment for those who come for the music and performances. There are vendors for people interested in shopping and discovering local businesses. There is a wellness component for those interested in healthier living. And underneath it all is a larger effort to bring people together around food, culture and community.
An Event Built Around the Experience
Rebirth of Soul is being presented as a family-friendly gathering where people can enjoy entertainment while also connecting with businesses, artists, wellness advocates and other members of the community.
The lineup is expected to move across several forms of creative expression.
Allen University’s Mass Choir will be part of the program, along with poets, African dance and other live performances. The event will also include a vendors mall, giving local entrepreneurs and organizations another way to participate in the evening.
That variety is central to the concept.
Rather than asking attendees to choose between a concert, cultural program, wellness event or marketplace, Rebirth of Soul brings elements of each into the same space.
And food is an important part of the experience.
Chef Saa has spent decades promoting natural and holistic living, with plant-based food becoming one of the most recognizable parts of her work.
Her Rawtopian Bliss Gourmet Vegan Deli operated in Columbia from 2015 to 2021, building a following around plant-based meals and a broader philosophy of wellness.
Rebirth of Soul gives that community another opportunity to gather while introducing the Rawtopian Bliss story to people who may be encountering it for the first time.
From Entertainment to Wellness
The event’s focus on wellness extends beyond food.
Chef Saa’s background includes years of teaching plant-based food preparation, holistic health principles and wellness workshops. Through Rebirth of Soul, those ideas become part of a broader conversation about how people approach health and everyday living.
But organizers are not presenting the evening as a lecture.
The wellness message will share the stage with music, culture, art, food and entertainment.
That balance could make the event accessible even to people who have never attended a wellness program or tried a plant-based lifestyle.
Come for the music.
Explore the vendors.
Experience the performances.
Try something different.
And perhaps leave knowing something you did not know before.
A Bigger Goal Behind the Celebration
While Rebirth of Soul is designed to be a celebration, there is also a fundraising mission behind the event.
Chef Saa is working to raise resources for the proposed Rawtopian Bliss Production Kitchen & Training Center.
The center is envisioned as a permanent space where Rawtopian Bliss can increase production of its plant-based foods and wellness products while expanding educational and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Plans for the center include cooking demonstrations, wellness education, plant-based culinary training, workforce development and opportunities for collaboration with local entrepreneurs and businesses.
That means the September event has two stories happening at once.
One happens onstage.
The other is about what organizers hope to build after the lights go down.
Allen University Adds Another Layer to the Story
Holding Rebirth of Soul at Allen University also carries personal meaning for Chef Saa.
Her grandmother graduated from Allen University in 1921, giving the event’s location a family connection that stretches back more than a century.
The historic university now becomes the setting for a new chapter in that story.
Organizers also hope the event can strengthen relationships between Allen University and the broader Columbia community while introducing more people to the campus.
Chappelle Auditorium will serve as the centerpiece of the evening, while the event’s vendors and related activities will expand the experience beyond the stage.
Taking the Event Beyond Columbia
Organizers also plan to extend Rebirth of Soul to audiences who cannot attend in person.
A multi-platform live broadcast may include performances, interviews, vendor and community spotlights, fundraising updates and other event programming distributed through social media and digital platforms.
That gives Rebirth of Soul the potential to become more than a Columbia event.
People outside the city may be able to experience parts of the program, learn about participating businesses and follow the effort to develop the Production Kitchen & Training Center.
For organizers, that expanded reach is part of the bigger vision.
But for those inside Chappelle Auditorium on September 26, the experience will begin much more simply.
With people gathering.
With music playing.
With food being shared.
And with a community spending an evening together.
Event Information
What: Rebirth of Soul
When: September 26, 2026
Where: Chappelle Auditorium at Allen University, Columbia, South Carolina
Presented by: Rawtopian Bliss and SaaShalom “Chef Saa” I.M. Bey
To purchase tickets or learn more about Rebirth of Soul, sponsorship opportunities, and the Production Kitchen & Training Center campaign, visit RebirthofSoul.org.
