2023 | We Stood On Business

“Afro Urban Society (AUS) is going HOME and I can't help but wonder how the lives of the visionary artists taking this voyage will be transformed...how the trajectory of their artmaking will be expanded, and (quite selfishly) how Oakland first, and then the world, will be enriched by the bountiful harvest they will bring back and share with our community. I have witnessed how this amazing artist collective,  has intentionally carved out sacred space for Artists of African descent to create, collaborate, break down walls and reimagine worlds…”.
- Muisi Kongo Malonga, Fua Dia Kongo

The Numbers

167,655.62 The amount in $USD paid to Black/African Creatives

260    The number of creatives served

30    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

  • Wakabout Express, our travel cultural exchange project for people of African Descent took 6 California-based creatives to Nigeria (#510ToDa234) for 6 weeks. The project employed and showcased over 260 artists of African descent, and raised $60,000+ to make it happen.

  • Afro Culture Kids program offered 9 weeks of  free/donation-based Pan-African arts, dance, music & cultural activities to over 160 African, African American, and African immigrant youth in Oakland, and San Francisco Bayview communities.  The project engaged over 15 artist artists/creatives from the SF Bay Area, Haiti, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Nigeria. 

  • We jumped our in-person global programming on the continent with pilot youth and adult programs and events in Lagos, Nigeria.

The details

  • 35+ Partners

  • 10 Programs

  • 44 Cities

35+ Partners & Collaborators 

Including: Ayodele Nzinga, BAM House, BAMBD Fest, Berkeley Repertory Theater, World Arts West, Okachamma Dance Troupe, Ethnic Ties,  The Blackout Market, VeeTeeno Foundation, Amara - Tabor Smith/IDA at Stanford University, BoomShake Music, Silicon Valley African Film Festival, Dimensions Dance Theater, Feline Finesse, Dance Mission Theater, Black Cultural Zone, Dance/USA, Zellerbach Foundation, San Francisco Foundation, Fleishacker Foundation, The East Bay Community Foundation East Bay Fund for Artists, Bill Graham Foundation, Kenneth Rainin Foundation, New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, Oakland Literacy Coalition, ACTA- Living Cultures, "The Creative Work Fund, a program of the Walter and Elise Haas Fund supported by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation", Priority Africa Network, California Arts Council, Akonadi Foundation, City of Oakland, Dancers' Group, Alliance for California Traditional Arts

Gave notice to

10 Projects/Programs

Afro Urban Dance, Afro Culture Kids, Artist Development/Coaching, Community Engagement, Gbedu Town Radio, One3snapshot, Onye Ozi, Sufferhead Academy, Wakabout Express, Youth Programs

That put on

  • 3 Dance Workshops

  • 3 Artist Professional Development Projects

  • 12 Classes

  • 9 Collaborations & Projects Seeded,

  • 7 Events/Performances, presenting & or collaborating with artists including Feline Finesse, Laurie Fleurentine, Salani Mukanaya, Isse & Lo, Toba, Okachamma Dance Troupe, and Fua Dia Kongo to name a few.

10 Free Events 

5 Afro Culture Kids Camp Community Fridays , Berkeley Rep in Dialogue, Black Theater Night Pre-show Mixer at Berkeley Rep, Kabukabu & Vibe Artist Mixer, Feline Finesse Youth Summer Intensive Performance, Theatre in Video: Mixtape of the Dead & Gone #1- Egwu Ahamefula and Nigeria Trip Report-back & Q & A with Gbedu Town Radio #510ToDa234

Where the projects reside?

50+ Countries

We reached a 150K Global Audience including in countries United States, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Brazil, Jamaica, Angola, United Kingdom, France, Ghana, South Africa, Canada, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, India, Ireland, Romania, Philippines, Bangladesh, Tunisia, Morocco, Trinidad,  Yemen, Lebanon and Zimbabwe. 

44+ cities

like Accra, Harare, Abidjan, Soweto, Jozi, Brazzaville, Nairobi, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Jos, Dar Es Salaam, Mombasa, Kafili, Victoria Falls, Yaounde, Freetown, Mogadishu, Asmara, Addis Ababa, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Berkeley, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Bogota, Detroit, Granville, Bahia, Houston, Richmond, Chicago, Los Angeles, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Paris, Kingston, and London

What They Said

“Omg just watched the video of you all singing Nkosi sikeleli and started tearing up. Just all the visuals of young people singing it during anti apartheid marches, all the films Steve Biko, Sarafina that featured it so heavily…I was instantly transported. Y’all are doing such deep lineage work for our children. I am so so grateful” 

- Kemi Role (Afro Culture Kids Camp Parent)

“My kiddo is excited for camp - she loves the cooking & as a shy kid is nervous about the dancing parts but the teachers are so sweet & supportive- she feels proud after the showcase. I love that she does not come back asking for “silky or smooth” hair (this has been a thing for her in other spaces ) & sings herself to sleep with (the) songs.

- Shayna Cureton (Afro Culture Kids Camp Parent)

“...My experience teaching at the Afro Urban Kids Camp was a breath of fresh air. The children were incredibly eager to learn and actively participated in the program. It was a delight to witness their passionate engagement, especially when it came to learning the mbira and music from my own culture. It was my first time experiencing such a high level of engagement with a class of African children, and the energy in the room was filled with brotherly and sisterly love. Teaching at the camp also improved my abilities as a teaching artist and gave me valuable insights on how to better engage children in the regular school setting. I highly recommend this program as a way to invest in our young people and instill a sense of Afrocentric discipline, belonging, and pride.” 

- Sekuru Mukanya (Afro Culture Kids Camp Facilitator)

“It’s important for young ladies to be able to connect to their roots at a young age. Being able to take to the traditions, being able to learn about what has come before them because everybody has their ancestral lineage that traces back to Africa. So to be able to have that as a young woman of color. I think it is very essential “ 

- Lilla Pitman (Feline Finesse, Youth Programs)

We are keeping the energy in 2024. Join us.