African-heritage people from around the world and allies have been part of the Black Consciousness Festival, led by a team based in Trinidad and Tobago, since November the 1st.
The discussions have been on how people of African descent can mutually interact and share ideas on issues that can foster development in the continent.
These and other experiences and knowledge have formed features of the ongoing inaugural Black Consciousness Festival: Pride. Power. Practice. The online festival, which centres around “20 conversations for 2020” and cultural activities is planned to come to a close on the 30th of November, 2020.
According to a statement by the festival team, “The festival has its roots in the commemoration of Black Consciousness Day (O Dia da
Consciência Negra), which is celebrated annually in Brazil on November 20 since 2003. The Brazilian Studies Section of the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at the UWI, St Augustine, began hosting events for students a few years ago to honour the day.”
It added that, “2020 has been a special year, leading to the culmination of many social, cultural, and political events worldwide, underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. This perfect storm created the conditions for the emergence of this online festival,” the event’s web site says. Participants from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Brazil, the USA, Guyana, Haiti, Nigeria, Panama, Cuba, the UK and Zimbabwe are among those scheduled to be part of the month-long celebration and introspection.”
The conversations have been interesting with the inclusion of New Management – Paramin Blue Devils; members of the world-famous Brazilian Afro-Blocos Olodum and Ilê Aiye; calypso icon David Michael Rudder; award-winning multimedia journalist Dash Harris Machado; author, activist and scholar Merle Hodge; Pan-Africanist organizer Khafra Kambon; and US celebrity food entrepreneur Shannon Allen.
Activities include workshops in African Talking drum, Dance of the Orixas, African movement, traditional foods, art market and networking nights for service providers and entrepreneurs.
You want to know those in the forefront of this creatively awesome festival? They are Director Erica Ashton, youth activist Nadella Oya (Creative Strategy and Programming Director), Heather Mac Intosh-Simon, (Partnership and Sponsorship Director), and Sean Samad (Content and Communications Director).
The festival is streaming across all major platforms online; theblackconsciousnessfestival.com info@theblackconsciousnessfestival.com
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