
Freedom Category
What mermaids wish you knew: Nijla Mumin discusses fantasy and folklore in Deluge
In the spirit of magical realist films like “Eve’s Bayou,” Nijla Mumin’s “Deluge” blends coming of age drama and fantasy to explore traumatic memories. In a post BP oil spill New Orleans, 15-year old Tiana witnesses the mass drowning of her friends. After struggling with the decision not to jump in, she must decide if […]
The door that opens you: Why Whippa Wiley brings you magic, fear and fancy
On a sunny day in September, at a rooftop party in Brooklyn, we are all swaying slower now. We are watching intently – with all of us, and not just our eyes. Whippa, Fluent and Kateri join Jidenna, the Master of Ceremony, in raising crowd participation. In the background, Nana is playing the Kendrick Lamar […]
How words can heal you: Alex Elle on writing and finding herself
For some, writing comes naturally. Not just any writing, good writing. The writing others read and are moved by. The writing that acts like a mirror for people’s complicated hearts, complicated lives, offering both solace and illumination. These craftsmen and women are always asked about the source of their genius: How did you get to […]
Marawa on Happiness and Hula-Hooping
There are some who find their niche in the vast world of art and creating and run with it. Far. They take the prosaic, something there, we all know, heard about, or even used, and they turn it into art or performance, a spectacle that draws people in. This is what Marawa did and does. […]
Reggae Reincarnated: 20 Alternatives to the Classic Bob Marley Poster
Art can lead so many interconnected and parallel lives. I once heard someone say there is no difference between the sounds musicians make with their instruments and the movements dancers make with their bodies. The dance is just the music in another form, dance is music incarnate and both give life to each other. No […]
Art As Re-possession: Ayanah Moor on “The Spaces in Between”
Art can re-posses. The fact is, there is a time to stand out and do your own thing, especially when the decision makers aren’t including your perspectives and experiences in their media, film and creative outlets. But, there’s also a time to re-write and re-interpret the stories that mis-represent or ignore you, put some stank […]
Minna Salami on Women’s Liberation | 30 Days Unchained: Day 22
30 days unchained/#30 Unchained | Day 22 1/31/2013 | Inspiration: Minna Salami We are all multifaceted; a result of ever-changing forces that make us who we are. A champion of female and African empowerment, Minna Salami started the MsAfropolitan blog to spur a conversation around the cosmopolitan African, whose identity, like everybody else’s, cannot be […]
Freedom Fighter: Zaki Ibrahim | 30 Days Unchained : Day 14
30 Days Unchained/#30unchained | Day 14 – 1/23/13 | Inspiration: Zaki Ibrahim Canadian-born, South African singer/songwriter Zaki Ibrahim is a star in her own right. Zaki has created a distinct symphony of sound that is both fresh and addictive. Ibrahim’s haunting vocals and charisma, blend with R&B, hip hop and electronica on her latest album Every […]
Beautifully Absurd: Nina Chanel Abney | 30 Days Unchained : Day 13
30 Days Unchained/#30unchained | Day 13 – 1/22/13 | Inspiration: Nina Chanel Abney Playfully sinister and visually complex Nina Chanel Abney masters the art of duality in her large-scale paintings. On the one hand, her art is inviting and energetic, with bright colors and cartoon-like figures. However, when you look closer, you realize some of […]
Princess of Afro-Soul Nneka Shines at the New Parish, Oakland [Live Video]
Nigerian-German singer Nneka is hard to define. On Thursday, November 1st, hip hop/soul singer Nneka lyrically seduced the crowd of the New Parish, Oakland, casting a musical spell with her smooth voice, poignant lyrics, and impeccable rhythms. Weaving between many genres, including reggae, hip-hop, modern R&B, vintage soul, Afrobeat, flamenco and Sahara desert blues, Nneka’s […]