AFRIKIN Highlights African Art and African Culture During Haitian Heritage Month With a Keynote by Mutabaruka
AFRIKIN showcases art, fashion, foods, & talks to celebrate the future of the Diaspora on May 19th birthday of Malcolm X in Downtown Miami
MIAMI, April 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AFRIKIN presents AFRIKIN 2018 | Art • Culture • Community, on Saturday, May 19 at the beautiful Zenith Art & Fashion in Downtown Miami. The evening will celebrate the beauty, strength and progress of our people on the bornday of El Hajj Malik El Shabazz – the man also known as Malcolm X – in Haitian Heritage Month, uniting the various corners of the African Diaspora through current arts and culture.
AFRIKIN is a platform that curates the arts and culture of our people across the Diaspora, from the digital to the tangible, highlighting Black Excellence of today and tomorrow in afrofuturism, art, fashion, food, performance, and talks. AFRIKIN 2018 benefits Project OKURASE, an NGO based in Ghana that works to empower people in rural communities in Ghana, West Africa through education, skills training and health care.
AFRIKIN will showcase the works of clothing designers, natural hair and make-up professionals, and jewelry artisans from around the world using the art of fashion to properly reflect the idea that "Black is Beautiful" in a modern way. Emerging and renowned artists from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, South America, and the U.S. will share their work and perspective of Black culture in new, fresh ways.
AFRIKIN recognizes the universal tradition of breaking bread with others, and AFRIKI® 2018 will feature African food — including vegan and vegetarian options — by Awash Ethiopian Restaurant and Lovely Roots Gourmet as the centerpiece for sharing in the culture and building camaraderie amongst so diverse a people under the stars, accompanied by live jazz, tropical rhythms and West African drum and dance performances.
AFRIKIN actively works to frame the image of our people for generations to come. Next year marks the 400th year documented since the first Africans were promptly enslaved upon arriving to this country. While the media bombards our children with imagery of centuries of bondage, AFRIKIN will continue to present the truth of contemporary accomplishments and achievements. Our panel discussion "Crafting Our Narrative" will spur a crucial dialogue with the community on how arts and culture are the key to creating a long-lasting perspective of our people across the world, evidenced by the current success of the film Black Panther.
The discussion will be moderated by distinguished scholar Andrea Queeley, Ph.D. from Florida International University, whose research includes African diaspora, race, social inequality and black popular culture. The panel of diverse thought leaders, scholars, artists and revolutionaries includes cultural critics Jamilah Lemieux and Frank C. Martin, known to address issues of racial disparity and visual artists Doba Afolabi and Delphine Adama Fawundu a soldier in the fight against gentrification. Our keynote speaker Mutabaruka — Jamaican Rastafari dub poet, musician, educator, and talk-show host — will fire up the crowd with his address, one certain to leave the community prepared to act.
The recent March for Our Lives has inspired more youth to speak up and speak out and AFRIKIN provides the platform for their voices to be heard. High School students will share their concerns about gun laws and the impact of the tragedy their friends and peers suffered through. In addition, we recognize the great achievements of local heroes and will present the 2018 AFRIKIN Award of Excellence to Haitian-American Stichiz, rapper and 103.5 The Beat radio personality, for all the work she does in the community.
In keeping Miami recognized as the new hub for African art and African culture and as a home to the world-renowned Art Basel and Wynwood we will be featuring artists from 19 different countries for our exhibit. AFRIKIN 2018 takes place at Zenith Art & Fashion located in the heart of downtown Miami, hugging the Adrienne Arsht Center and Omni Station with easy access to the Metro Mover.
When Alfonso D'Niscio Brooks, founder of AFRIKIN, met Carla Cid de Diego, owner of Zenith Art & Fashion, they realized their partnership was a perfect fit. Carla asserts, "Our philosophy is uniting cultures through the fusion of the arts," a parallel to AFRIKIN's work to "curate the arts and culture of our people, across the African diaspora." Both recognize the need for unity, the understanding that we are all family, one people. This partnership is about uniting cultures for a better world, and AFRIKIN 2018 is one more step forward to that ambitious goal.
AFRIKIN 2018 brings together Art, Culture, Community to push past the status quo and use these tools to create a world of which our children can be proud, a world of great opportunities and stability. Join us in our initiative to advance the ingenuity and promise of our people around the world.
Tickets are available now at https://www.afrikin.org/upcoming-event.
Save the date: May 19, 2018 at 6 p.m. | for further information: afrikin.org, [email protected] or call 305.900.5523
Media Contact:
[email protected]
Alfonso Brooks
(305) 900-5523
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