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Portal to the Afrofuture

*Please note that Portal to the Afrofuture has sold out. Missed registering for this event? Don’t miss Living Freedom, a virtual soundscape by Ruby Smith Díaz from 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM on Feb 3 via Zoom.

Please join us at the Gallery for Portal to the Afrofuture, an evening of music and dance in celebration of Kemi Craig’s Blueprints For the Afrofuture series! 

Revel in an immersive soundscape by Ruby Smith Díaz, interact with live sounds of ‘Liberations’ with DJ Nova Jade, and come together with the artists and communities who laid the Blueprints for the Afrofuture during this year-long program series at the AGGV.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM – Living Freedom by Ruby Smith Díaz (Join Online from 6:30 PM – 7:00 PM HERE)*

This piece is a haunting immersive soundscape blending past present and future of African diaspora peoples. (See more information below)

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM – Liberation by DJ Nova Jade

Come together to move from limitations to liberation, in this collaborative sound expression with DJ Nova Jade

8:30 PM – 9:15 PM – AYAVERSE

9:15 PM – 10:00 PM – Njoki Njoki

Admission by donation (suggested $5-$20) at the door.

RSVP by ‘Reserving Your Spot’ on Eventbrite.

*About ‘Living Freedom’

This piece is a haunting immersive soundscape blending the past, present, and future of African diaspora peoples. The voices you hear in this recording are of children of African descent in the lower mainland and Turtle Island. The melodies that resonate throughout the soundscape are of the kalimba, an instrument Indigenous to the African continent, and of the voice of Ruby Smith Díaz. The soundscape speaks to the realities facing Black children today, and the everlasting legacy of love and protection from our ancestors to help us live freedom.

Special thanks to:

The children, parents, and caregivers at ARC Community School on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil Waututh people (Vancouver), for allowing me to spend the afternoon reading Mariame Kaba’s book Missing Daddy, and discussing the impacts of prisons on our communities. Their voices and their affirmations are the future.

Robyn Maynard for lending her voice to this piece, and for her ongoing contributions towards documenting Black histories in so-called Canada, and the disproportionate impacts of the ‘justice’ system on our communities

Images (L-R): Hidden Variable’s Blueprints for the Afrofuture performance at the AGGV; Photo by k.ho. Courtesy of Ruby Smith Díaz; Photo of DJ Nova Jade by Zenon Kai, courtesy of the artist.