Latest of Black Atlantic
Afrocidade
from Pelourinho to Petworth
Afrocidade is a musical performance exploring the shared culture and history between Washington DC and Salvador Bahia. Inspired by the work of Dr. Lorenzo Turner (Howard U.), Afrocidade journeys through time, from plantations to the present, uncovering this underexposed link through inspired song and dance.
Clave
the orphan root of american culture
This professional and community development workshop is designed to empower musicians of all backgrounds, skill levels, and ages by highlighting a foundational tool that shapes the vast majority of musical genres today: rhythm. We are dedicated to preserving and amplifying the shared cultural history of the African diaspora while fostering its self-determination in the present and future. Through drumming, dance, and communal musical experiences, we aim to share not only the rich traditions of these art forms but also their profound physical, psychological and therapeutic benefits.
According to Journal of Additions Nursing, “Drumming and other forms of music therapy increase engagement in treatment and can help reduce anxiety, depression, and anger.”
Clave:
The Orphan Root of AmericanCulture
jean-francis Varre
Atrium B, City Mall, 15/12/2020
Sister City Atlantic Memory & Futurism Project
jean-francis Varre
WashingtonDC/Dakar, 2019
Clave:
The Orphan Root of AmericanCulture
jean-francis Varre
Atrium B, City Mall, 15/12/2020
Sahel, like the legendary land that is its namesake, is a band that interprets musical genres influenced by African culture around the world. Performing Zouk, Reggae, Senegalese Mbalax, Samba, Funana, Salsa and more; Sahel’s music is blended colors of culture on the canvas of African rhythms. Created by its multilingual lead vocalist and band leader, Jean-Francis Varre, Sahel is inspired by tradition and dedicated to the progress of music that moves the world.
Relief wall sculpture of Portuguese slave ship at the merchant port of Alfama Lisbon where the first documented African slaves of the Atlantic slave trade were brought.
Black Atlantic is a futurist cultural education and entertainment organization with a primary focus on the history and evolution of the African Diaspora.
Pillars of Black Atlantic
Oral Cultures
the other side of the coin
Oral cultures (African, Native American, Asian/Polynesian), both vocal and instrumental, provide critical missing links and counter arguments to the dominant written narratives of human history.
Ubiquity
of african cultures
African based oral traditions were spread across the colonized world and have evolved to be highly successful at adapting to the modern age and thriving as arguably the dominant culture in western entertainment media. As a result, these traditions are among humanity’s most powerful tools for communication and progressive change.
History
humanizes
By telling the largely undocumented history of Africa and its diaspora, relationships within it as well as with the rest of the world, can be improved by breaking unfounded stereotypes and humanizing all people affected by its history and it's affects across the globe.
