[Africa Center Upcoming Shows]
Join us along with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Africa Services Committee, and African Communities Together for a forum to discuss the expanded travel ban, build community power, and hold community space tomorrow.
Photo: Africa Center
Africa Center’s upcoming shows will feature themes related to immigration and migration by artists like Tsedaye Makonnen.
These shows are important at a time when non-white immigrants are being targeted and scapegoated by political policies.
NO BAN: A Community Call to Action will be held on Thursday, February 20th, 2020 7.30 – 9.00PM. Join Africa Center along with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Africa Services Committee, and African Communities Together for a forum to discuss the expanded travel ban, build community power, and hold community space tomorrow.
DARK SPIRALS: “Connecting through Movement(s)” will be held on Saturday, February 22nd, 2020 at The Africa Center from 10.00 AM to 3.00 PM. “Connecting through Movement(s)”, is a day-long durational performance with Tsedaye Makonnen where we will travel through our portal across the globe meditating on relationships of Black Diasporic movements. A prayer – ode – seance – invitation – from here to the Middle East – Africa – Europe – South America. As apart of our “Black Renaissance” programming – a month-long celebration of global Black on the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance at The Africa Center & “Dark Spirals: FESTAC ’77” a gathering on FESTAC ‘77 (Festival of Arts and Culture – Lagos, Nigeria in 1977) – a series dedicated to untangling the context of one the largest Pan-African celebrations on the continent. Powered by Shared_Studios.
Tsedaye Makonnen’s studio and research-based practice explores the blurring between and transience of borders and identities, often using her body as the conduit and the material. Further creating new visual language that portrays our geographic and ancestral connectivity across manufactured borders and circumstances. As of late, her work is an abstracted participatory intervention drawing from universal designs from the Horn of Africa and found throughout the Diaspora that is both an intimate memorialization and protective sanctuary for Black lives.
North African Movement: Chaâbi of Morocco Monday, February 24th, 2020 6:30 – 8:00 PM. Join Africa Center for the last of a series of exhilarating Moroccan dance workshops exploring the movements of Chaâbi—the “people’s” music of Morocco. Chaâbi is an African dance style that reflects the voice and energy of community—it is high energy, celebratory, and pushes one to release without inhibitions. Commonly associated with the symbolism of “horses” in its movement, Chaâbi also connects people to dance with strength, discipline, and force. The class will be led by performing and teaching artist, Esraa Warda.
For more info log on to www.theafricacenter.org
