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In the Black Fantastic is an exhibition of 11 contemporary artists from the African diaspora, who draw on science fiction, myth and Afrofuturism to question our knowledge of the world.

Encompassing painting, photography, video, sculpture and mixed-media installations, the exhibition creates immersive aesthetic experiences that bring the viewer into a new environment somewhere between the real world and a multiplicity of imagined ones.

In the Black Fantastic is curated by Ekow Eshun and features the artists Nick Cave, Sedrick Chisom, Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Lina Iris Viktor and Kara Walker.

Click on the link below to watch an intro of Ekow Eshun's curated virtual tour of the exhibition.

Nearly 10 years after the first festival "Graff Effect" initiated by Laurenson Djihouessi in 2013, came the "heritage wall - le mur du patrimoine" which, since 2021, displays graffitis of about forty graffiti artists from Africa and the West, aiming to tell the story of the Kingdom of Dahomey, modern Benin under the theme: "Benin, heritage and potentials".This artistic marvel, of almost one kilometer long and of total area of more than 2000 m2, is the longest graffiti wall in Africa, and the 3rd worldwide after Dubai and Brazil. The wall is located in the heart of Cotonou and is one of Benin's new cultural attractions, as are the 26 royal statues of King Ghezo, restored by the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, now on display in the Cotonou Presidential Palace.These treasures had been looted in 1892 by French colonial troops in the palace of Abomey, capital of the Kingdom of Dahomey (see below 3 statues from the collection).

This exhibition explores the history of transatlantic slavery through its connections with the Bank of England and the wider City of London. It is taking place at Bank of England Museum, Bartholomew Lane, EC2R 8AH.

For over 300 years, the slave trade tore more than 12 million African people from their homes and families. In this exhibition, we reflect on how the wealth created through transatlantic slavery shaped the development of Britain.

The exhibition is open Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm, with late openings until 8pm every third Thursday of the month. There are also free luncthime tour led by curators. Tours take place at 12pm and last approximately 20 minutes. They are free and no booking is necessary, the next upcoming date being Thursday 25th August at 12pm.

Please arrive 10mns early to avoid queues as you enter the museum.

The exhibition will be on until 28 April 2023. Entry is free and there is no need to book ahead.

See Vlog Link below for a filmed experience of the exhibition and a visitor's perspective.

Aline Sitoé Diatta (c1920 – 1944) was an anti-colonial resistance figure and community leader in the Casamance region, in actual Senegal. Married to Thomas Diatta, a dockworker at the Port of Senegal, she was one of the women in Francophone Africa who led anti-colonial campaigns during the period of the Second World War following a divine vision in 1941, which called upon her to struggle against the French colonial forces. When the French seized half of the region’s rice harvest to support the war effort, Aline Sitoé Diatta began her campaign alongside other market women. She encouraged the population to civil disobedience, to stop paying taxes, and to reject calls to replace rice cultivation with the growing monoculture of arachide (peanuts). Aline Sitoé Diatta also called for reinstatement of better working conditions and rights to religious worship. She was perceived as having supernatural powers, in particular the ability to bring rain to the parched land. The French forces made several attempts on her life. She was arrested on 8 May 1943 and deported to Gambia and then Mali, where she died a year later in prison, out of harsh treatments and malnourishment.

Aline Sitoé Diatta remains a national heroine figure in Senegal. Since the 1980s, her story has been recuperated in different ways and for different purposes, in connection with the separatist movement in the Casamance region (Toliver-Diallo). The main ferry from Casamance to the capital Dakar is named after her, as well as the women’s university halls of residence at the Université Cheikh Anta Diop.

Fresh from a successful release of the film in cinemas and on TV in West Africa, this screening of African Apocalypse, on Saturday 16th July at Arnolfini, Bristol, will be the UK premiere of the 2022 version in Hausa (with English subtitles) produced by the filmmakers in partnership with Arewa 24 Television in Kano, Nigeria. It will be followed by a short break then a panel discussion chaired by PARC board member Peninah Achieng-Kindberg with director Rob Lemkin and film participants Amina Weira and Ibro Abdou (streamed from Niger) joined by film maker and writer Imruh Bakari and Luke Wentworth from #GladColstonsGone Solidarity Group, Founder CEO of TOPPLE Consultancy.

This event is co-hosted by Migration Mobilities Bristol, Perivoli Africa Research Centre and Film and Television (University of Bristol) with Afrika Eye. 

All income from ticket sales will go to the Sanctuary Scholars Legal Fund to help pay for legal costs for University of Bristol Sanctuary Scholars.

Click on the link below to book your ticket now.

We were delighted to meet Marvin, an accomplished artist who incidentally grew a passion for Zouk music, a hugely popular Caribbean sound from Guadeloupe and Martinique, for close to two decades now and made it his own. Over his 16 years career span, he had the opportunity to tour the world and collaborate with many international artists such as Priscilla, Phylissia Ross from Haiti and Yasmine from Portugal. If you have ever listened or danced to Zouk music, then you are familiar with Marvin's music. That's how popular he is.

However, it's with great humility and simplicity that he converses in the lobby of his hotel in Farringdon on Sunday 2nd July whilst talking to two Caribbean bloggers asking him a wide range of questions on Zouk music. His manager is equally as humble. That night, Marvin will be performing at a Zouk Love event in a nearby venue called The Piano Works amongst the London Caribbean community. It's a huge night for the London Caribbean community since it is the first time in over 10 years that Marvin will perform in London and he is eager to reconnect with his fanbase and public over here.

Marvin has got a very interesting background. It was really interesting for us to discover that he actually is of mixed heritage, his dad being Ivorian and his mother from Brittany, France; which means that unlike most Zouk artists, he is not of Caribbean descent. Yet, from the day Marvin toured for the very first time in the French West Indies in 2006, he was warmly welcome and his music appreciated by all. His first album was called "Corps et Âme" which means Body and Soul. Followed 4 albums and hits, one of the most recent being 'Je serais là', in 2018 with Yasmine. Click below to watch the clip.

However, for the last couple of years, Marvin took some time out during the lockdown, spending time with his loved ones and recharging for what is to come. In 2022, Marvin resumed touring and is back in the studio working on some fresh sounds and diverse collaborations. From the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Sea across to the Atlantic and the Channel for those of us in the UK, Marvin tirelessly shares his passion of music, gives love and receive it from his fanbase all over the world.

So without further ado, make sure to check Marvin's music on all different platforms.

Afro Culture will participate in the 3rd global annual economic boycott condemning the dehumanisation of Black people worldwide. In 2022, #blackoutday2022 denounce:

- the racist treatment experienced by African Nationals leaving Ukraine warzone and the EU refusal to grant African students temporary protection to enable them to continue their studies, access welfare and accommodation across the EU.

- the ongoing torture and murders committed by the Moroccan police with the approval of the Spanish government (by extension the EU) against hundreds of African migrants at Melilla border

See link below of experiences encountered by an African National fleeing Ukraine.

https://africansupporters.tv/africans-in-ukraine-strip-search-in-frankfurt-germany

Zouk Love London is back with a Special KOMPA Edition, on Friday 17th of June 2022 from 10PM to 3AM at the Adulis Lounge, 44 Brixton Road, London SW9 6BT.

Join the KOMPA Class before the party from 8.30pm to 10pm with the now well known Joyce-Lee for those who would like to learn how to dance it !  

On the Deck for you:

DJ SKETY from PARIS is ready to give you an avalanche of KOMPA & GOUYAD to celebrate KOMPA. This Haitian native DJ will make this night memorable. The traditional DJ GATRESS will also be bringing to you a touch of Zouk, Zouk love, Retro Zouk and more. Last but not least, DJ REDSTAR from the UK will play the best of Dancehall, Afrobeats, Kuduro & Soucous

For more info and to book your tickets, click the link below:

You can also join Tuesday classes. Next one will be tomorrow. Click below for more info.

20-year old Ossama Masut Khalid, commonly known as Okkama, is striking an entrance into the Rwandan music industry. Based in Rwanda, Ossama was born to a Rwandan Mother and Arabian father, and grew up with a huge passion for music.

“In music is where my passion and career are. I felt it growing up, and then I started doing it,” reveals Ossama. His music gets him through his darkest days; he utilizes it as a form of healing for himself and believes that he can use it to heal others. He adds “Music is my comfort zone and my safe space. It cools down my stress and gives me peace”.

As a former Music student at Ecole d’Art de Nyundo, Ossama said that he learned a lot of skills that are playing a huge role in his music career. Although still new to the music industry, he can perform a wide range of song genres as a professional musician. Check out his latest Afrobeats release 'No' which is now available from all music platforms.

“I don’t have one specific music genre. I do RnB, Afrobeat, trap, funk and blues,” said Ossama.

His previous two songs were Toto, which he released while he was still a student, and ‘Iyallah,’ a hit in Rwanda and Africa. He is also working on his a debut album. 

“I always come back to my life story when writing a song or other people’s experiences because each person has a unique story, and as a musician, I tell it to the audience,” he also explains, when asked about his inspiration in writing music.

While Ossama is earning a large number of fans in his home country, he aspires to be an international music artist, which he says he will achieve by working hard and creating his own distinctive music, as well as putting advice he receives to good use, not to forget his abilities.

Source : Okkama explores his unique experience in the music industry | The New Times | Rwanda

The Black History Activity Books Launch & Expo will take place on Saturday 1st October 2022 at The New Bingley Hall, Hockley, Birmingham, B18 5PP. With over 200 exhibitors, special guest speakers, fashion show, edutainment and live performances, The Black History Activity Books Launch & Expo is one of the biggest of its kind in Europe. It's a mega opportunity to celebrate Black excellence with like minded people.

Get your free tickets now by clicking the link below.

For sponsors and vendors info, email info@blackhistoryactivitybooks.com or contact 07896494056.