Griot Party Experience
Griot Party Experience is an evening of authentic and inspiring storytelling to heal the soul. Long time KBCS contributor, Logic Amen directs this event which features griots such as IamChamel, Monique Franklin, Deaunte Damper, Halisi, Na’eem Shareef, Mecca Amen and many others.
Griot Party Experience is January 13th, 8 pm at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute (104 17th Ave South, Seattle, Washington 98144)
Listen in on KBCS’s series of interviews with some of the griots from this event (more will be added as they’re produced):
Na’eem Shareef is a former Seattle Chapter, Black Panther Party member. Shareef describes his experiences of serving in the community as a teen Party member.
Halisi, mom of seven children, is a spoken word artist and coach. She describes how she navigates motherhood and her passions. Halisi also shares tips on self care as a mother working in what she calls ‘the new earth’
Local music artist and rapper, IamChamel reflects on the journey into freestyling, and how rhyming has the power to build and heal and also to hurt within the community.
Mecca Amen describes what it was like for him when his relationship with his father transformed from one of battling authority, to one of respect.
Joy Sparks is the founder of Hella Black Books aka the Black Book Fairy. Sparks speaks with Griot Party Experience Director and KBCS Producer, Logic Amen about her background and why she started her business of selling Black centered books.
Producers: Yuko Kodama, Logic Amen and Widder Sessions
Photos: Logic Amen
Beats: Logic Amen
The Book They Can’t Erase – The Jeli, Keeper of Stories
Arsalan Ibrahim’s life was turned upside-down one day with the purchase of a West African music CD. This marked the start of a long journey into deep connection with his ancestry and lineage of storytelling. Today, Ibrahim is a Jeli of the Mande tradition, using the kora as the vehicle to pass on stories and support the bridge of knowledge between Africa and North America.
Special thanks to Logic Amen and the Griot Party Experience for this story.
The Griot Party
The Griot Party is an event that encourages community healing for all black and brown people whose lives and lineage have been impacted by the transatlantic slave trade. Listen to Logic Amen, Griot Party Producer, Artist and Educator, speak to what the Griot has symbolized, and the space that the Griot Party events offer for the healing of black men.
Aaina Festival – Stories of South Asian Women
Yoni Ki Baat is a growing collection of stories told by South Asian women inspired by Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues.
In the South Asian community it is often taboo to discuss topics of sexuality and sexual abuse. But South Asian arts organization, Tasveer, hopes this weekend’s Aaina Festival will change that.
The festival provides a space to talk about these issues, as well as issues of South Asian identity as collective and as individuals. The festival takes place May 10-12th at the Seattle Asian Art Museum in Volunteer Park, 1400 East Prospect Street in Seattle.
Sonya Green and her guests explore how the Aaina Festival honors and celebrates the life of South Asian women.
Listen to the interview: KBCS_M&I_20130509_Aaina Festival and YKB
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Guests:
Tasveer and Aaina founder, Rita Meher.
Aaina Festival Director , Rituja Korde
Yoni Ki Baat performer, Ashika Chand
