2020 | How It Went Down
“We have historically been denied to gather in spaces and it is always important for us to have a space, and organizations or companies to support.”
- Michael James, Co-Founder (Oakland Technology & Education Center)
"Afro Urban Society is a platform of soul searching for the upliftment of Blackness and culture irrespective of your talent as an Artist. It is a platform that encourages diverse cultures to work in harmony, learn and teach the community the beauty of diverse cultures of Black people from different continents."
-Nkan Eledua, Onye Ozi Artist Fellow ‘20
The Numbers
197,418 The amount in $USD paid to Black/African Creatives
249 The number of creatives served
102 The number of new creative projects/artworks seeded/presented
137 The number of free/low-cost events/classes/workshops sessions offered
9.9M The number of organic audience engaged across digital & IRL platforms
HIGHLIGHTS
Developing and implementing our 2020 Festival Bakanal de Afrique Artist Fellowship and Festival- Mi Soon Come, a 5 month-long virtual multi-disciplinary and multi-event project, employing and showcasing over 100 artists of various African descent and raising over $70,000 to support it.
Dreaming and realizing our Lighting Fellowship program for women and non-binary folks of African descent to train and apprentice in Lighting Design and Technology to increase employment and creative opportunities for Black people in the arts industry.
Serving and collaborating with over 200 Black artists/creatives and cultural workers in 2020 through 11 projects and over 63 workshops/events
Our 16-person performing Ensemble Gbedu Town Radio staging and presenting a new commissioned piece ‘Let Me Come & Be Going’ for Bakanal de Afrique
Creating and maintaining an informative and cultural space in the social media sphere to a local and global audience of over 8.9M
The details
22+ Partners & Collaborators
Dimensions Dance Theater, Dance Mission Theater, Stephanie Ann Johnson, Fox Courts Housing, EastSide Arts Alliance, Black Cultural Zone, University of Dope, ODK Dance, Priority Africa Network, The Flight Deck, California Arts Council, Akonadi Foundation, City of Oakland, Jaguda.com, Cole + Jade, Black Box Oakland, Brundo Spices, Center for Cultural Innovation, Dancers' Group, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Umoja African Festival, Yoga Love, and more
Put gas into
11 Projects/Programs
Onye Ozi, Afro Urban Dance Experience, Lit From The Black! Design & Tech Fellowship, Gbedu Town Radio, BdA Artist Fellowship, Bakanal de Afrique Festival, Afro Quarantine Fest, Sufferhead Academy, Black Box Oakland, Community Engagement, Artist Development
That moved 42 Dance Workshops, 3 Artist Professional Development Projects, 63 Classes, 25 Collaborations & Projects with artists including Ejay, Sayrah, Kanukai Chigamba, Shemica Johnson, Philip Agyapong, Tango Leadaz, LydRock, and Stephanie Johnson to name a few; and
18 Free Events
Onye Ozi - How We Find Ourselves Online showcase & discussion, Social Media for Marketing & PR for Black Artists, Bay Area Black Designers Roundtable (Online), Mi Soon Come: The Performance Experience, Bakanal de Afrique Festival Opening Party, Bakanal de Afrique: Artist Talks, Hip Hop Game Night Show, Bakanal de Afrique Closing Party & Artist Mixer, SUYA Social, Zimbabwean Live Music W. RatieD, Nola Cooking Class: Jambalaya W. Krystle/Ophelia's Kitchen, Naija Cooking Class: Efo & Yam Pottage W. Ozoz/Kitchen Butterfly
That traveled as far as
50+ Countries
Including: United States of America, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, France, Italy, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ghana, Spain, Germany, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Romania, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Netherlands, Algeria, Chile, Zambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Belgium, Australia, Portugal, Tunisia, Botswana, Colombia, Uganda, Senegal, Cameroon, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Jamaica, Guinea, India, Guyana, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Madagascar, Namibia, Angola, and Gabon
word on the street
Onye Ozi fellowship was the exact medicine I needed during difficult times. I looked forward to being in the same room with others like me. As an Igbo person, it feels empowering to have an entire program ‘named’ in my language. This space flipped the expectations of ‘Igbo’ upside down, giving me the hope needed to push forward in the diaspora as a queer Igbo person. I learned that centering ‘being African /Blackness/indigeneity as a starting point for me to locate the self in the context of art pushed my edges and stimulated healthy growth. I learned that an African centered space is the only art space I can fully immerse myself in moving forward."
- Uzo Nwankpa, Onye Ozi Artist Fellow ‘20
“I haven't had much good exposure to my roots because Amerikkka is terrible for it's role of hiding that from us. So I feel honored for getting some of those seeds for me to nurture. I also just appreciated being around many Black artists who I was able to learn from & be reminded that so much Black excellence are & have been creating art & community.
- Brandon Brown, Gbedu Town Radio Member
“This fellowship came at a time where I was considering to give up, but being around like-minded folks gave me the boost I needed to continue and the regular schedule of the fellowship itself restored my ability to [create] consistently even during a pandemic.”
-T.M, BdA Artist Fellow ‘21
“I am so incredibly grateful to experience the Bakanal de Afrique Fellowship! It felt so meaningful to connect with the larger African Artist community; To recognize, connect and uplift one another not only during the Covid19 epidemic but as we continue to organize and address the problems of white supremacy, oppression, violence, discrimination and inequality (and more) that our communities continue to deal with in the 21st century. It amazes me to learn how [we] are navigating these dense issues of todays world and still choose to be hopeful, innovative, expressive, creative and joyful! Art is medicine and community gathering is healing! It will always serve as a blueprint on how to remain open and focused on working towards liberating our individual and collective joy, the importance of forward thinking/afro-futurism (being a visionary is a skill of its own!) and how important it is that our communities come together - no matter how geographically far- to showcase our talents and improvise collaborative ways to enrich/enhance our daily lives until we reach our goal.”
-Keena, BdA Artist Fellow ‘21
“Black led spaces are important for black healing and survival. They teach us to be with each other and away from white supremacy. They are also a way of addressing our issues in our communities.