Wanda's Picks

This morning we will be speaking to visual artist William Rhodes, whose exhibit Souls of Water up at th San Francisco Main Library, African American Ctr., 3rd Fl., 100 Larkin Street, through tomorrow, Feb. 6, 2014, 415-557-4277. Rhodes says of his work that it "explores themes of hidden knowledge, iconographic imagery and forms and how they can change meaning in a given cultural context. Explorations into the contrast between these traditional cultures and our modern one have also added depth to the narrative quality to my work." He is a woodworker by trade, an artist by choice. I strive to blend fine craft, sculpture and design with meaning and function. My travels to Africa, Asia, and Central and South America have strongly influenced my work. The people, art and cultures of these societies have inspired me to consider non-traditional approaches to art and sculpture. In every work I choose to start with reclaimed wood as my structural material. I enjoy the process of carving wood into a variety of shapes an

BCFHN presenters: Laura Elaine Ellis is Executive Director of the African& African American Performing Arts Coalition (AAAPAC), a San Francisco based, non-profit organization, founded in 1995 by a collective of artists who were looking to create better performance opportunities for African and African American performing artists as well as produce shows that reflect the aesthetic and cultural representation of the African and African American experience.  Kendra Kimbrough Barnes, Director, holds a BA in Dance, from San Francisco State University and a MA in Arts Administration from Golden Gate University. She graduated with honors and is a recipient of the "Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges" award and as of 2008 the "Who's Who Among American Women".  Guest Choreographer: Gregory Dawson, Dawson Dance SF (2007), has premiered From Bruch to Brahms, Bach Goldberg Variations, Were You There?, and On the Way to the 16th St Bart Station at The Lund Dance Theatre, Valencia for the Cal

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

Tonight we are at La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California for a special live radio play broadcast of the first epidsode in a series of monthly ritual theatre pieces performances by Jovelyn Richards (Mz Pat's House) and Luisah Teish (Voudou Woman). We have a special guest host, poet, actress and healer, Piet Bereal.In the House of the Mothers : An interactive visit with Mz Pat, and the Voudou Q is January 26 @ 7:00 pm. For One Enchanting Night Only!  Mz Pat’s house is occupied by amazing characters with stories of trials and triumphs. The voudou priestess comes to visit Mz.Pat with a bundle of herbs and a pocket full of charms. The audience is invited to interact with these wise women through story-sharing, ritual,movement and song. Live Music, Jazz & Blues. Written and Performed by Jovelyn Richards &  Luisah Teish. Directed by Stephanie Anne Johnson. Visit http://lapena.org/event/in-the-house-of-the-mothers-an-interactive-visit-with-mz-pat-and-the-voudou-q-2/  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

We rebroadcast an episode featuring Martin Luther, musician, composer, soul singer (smile). I am on my way to New York for Baba Amiri Baraka's funeral this weekend. We'll be back to our regular time next week.

We honor Amiri Baraka who made his transition this morning with poetry, music and reflection and a rebroadcast of a show where Baraka spoke about Manning Marable's book Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention. Music: Billy Harper, Max Roach with Abbey Lincoln, Donald Bailey, Val Serrant. Poetry: Gha'il Rhodes Benjamin's "U is King of Word cause can’t nobody CHANGE a word u said" (2009); Rafael Jesús González's "After the Lecture,' for Martin Luther King Jr. (2012).                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

8 a.m. – Opal Palmer Adisa, Author 8-8:30 a.m. – Pedro Gomez, Musical Director 9-9:30 a.m. – Micia Mosely, Comic 9:40-11:00 a.m. – Juliejean Jordan, Mother of Peace Zimbabwe Rebroadcast from Dec. 6, 2013

Lisa Fruchtman, co-director of Sweet Dreams, is an Academy Award winning editor who has worked in both feature film and television. Lisa lives in Berkeley. The film, Sweet Dreams is the story of Ingoma Nshya is Rwanda’s first and only all women’s drumming troupe. Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the troupe offers a place of support, healing and reconciliation. When the group decides to partner with two young American entrepreneurs, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, and open Rwanda’s first ever ice cream shop, these remarkable Rwandan women embark on a journey of independence, peace and possibility. SWEET DREAMS interweaves intimate, heart-wrenching stories with joyous and powerful music to present a moving portrait of a country in transition. Nicole Klaymoon's Embodiment Project presents House of Matter with co-writer d. Sabela Grimes who joins us this morning. It opens at ODC Theatre in San Francisco Dec. 13-15, 2013 www.odcdance.org/events.php

Today we speak to Juliejean Jordan about Mother of Peace, an orphanage in Zimbabwe. Visit http://www.motherofpeacezimbabwe.org/ From website: "In 1994, a small group of people were led to establish an orphanage in Zimbabwe for children living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS. From humble beginnings in a house for a few children, the Mother of Peace Community, located in Mutoko, Zimbabwe, now offers a loving, stable and secure home environment for more than 108 children. Here, because there is no other place for them, these children find a home, where they receive education, medical treatment and spiritual enrichment and above all, unconditional love. As of November 2013 MOP is building a primary school, The Divine Child. This has been a very costly project that has been delayed due to inflation and lack of funds. Mother of Peace Bay Area Consortium, c/o YA Flunder Foundation, 1271 Washington Ave, Suite 220, San Leandro, CA 94577." Email:mailto:mopconsortium@gmail.com We close with an interview with Albert Mazibu

8 a.m. – Opal Palmer Adisa, Author 8-8:30 a.m. – Pedro Gomez, Musical Director 9-9:30 a.m. – Micia Mosely, Comic 9:40-11:00 a.m. – Juliejean Jordan, Mother of Peace Zimbabwe

Lisa Fruchtman, co-director of Sweet Dreams, is an Academy Award winning editor who has worked in both feature film and television. Her awards and honors include an Oscar for THE RIGHT STUFF, Academy Award and BAFTA Nominations for Best Editing for THE GODFATHER PART III and APOCALYPSE NOW, an Emmy Nomination and a Cable ACE Award for TRUMAN. Lisa lives in Berkeley.The film, Sweet Dreams is the story of Ingoma Nshya is Rwanda’s first and only all women’s drumming troupe. Made up of women from both sides of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the troupe offers a place of support, healing and reconciliation. When the group decides to partner with two young American entrepreneurs, Jennie Dundas and Alexis Miesen of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, and open Rwanda’s first ever ice cream shop, these remarkable Rwandan women embark on a journey of independence, peace and possibility. SWEET DREAMS interweaves intimate, heart-wrenching stories with joyous and powerful music to present a moving portrait of a country in transi

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

We open with Donald "Duck" Bailey's Gone, followed by a lovely conversation with Nathaniel Stampley as Porgy with  Alicia Hall Moran's Bess in SHN's production of The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess with Suzan-Lori Parks's book adaptation, Diedre L. Murray's musical score adaptation, Ronald K. Brown's choreography with director Diane Paulus. The show is up at San Francisco's Golden Gate Theatre, 1 Market Street, Tuesday-Sunday, through Dec. 8, 2013. For a discount enter the code AfroSolo at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wandas-picks/2013/11/27/wandas-picks-radio-show-nathaniel-stampley-as-porgy

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

Today we look at Family Legacies, first in the life of Margo Hall as she pays tribute, in BeBop Baby: A Musical Memoir at Z Space, Nov. 19-23, 2013, to the life of her beloved step-dad, artist and musical ambassador of Detroit, Teddy Harris, Jr. and her biological dad, Armsby Hall. We conclude with an extended conversation with directors, husband and wife team, Joe Brewster and Michelle Stephenson, whose American Promise, covered 13 years of their lives as they document their son, Idris and his best friend, Seun's educational journey kindergarten to high school in one of this nation's most prestigious private schools. What is America's Promise to its citizens and does its educational system uphold this for these families. Opening just a week ago in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Oakland this Friday, Nov. 22 at the New Parkway, American Promise takes this nation to task as it shows how even among the best schools, it is still not doing its best for its black boys.

Oakland School for the Arts cast and faculty director, join us to talk about A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry's seminal look at a black family moving on up and the impact of this physical relocation on their perspectives and the familial dynamics, 1950s Chicago. The cast is also participating in a community symposium: Healing through Community Change, Families Taking Action at Allen Temple Baptist Church, 8501 International Blvd., Room D 216, 7-9 p.m., Monday, Nov. 18, 2013, donations go to the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation. Other guests include foundation and Till relatives: Airickca Gordon-Taylor, Executive Dir., her mom, Ollie Gordon, Social Justice Coordinator; Wanda Johnson, Oscar Grant's mother; The Bluford Family; Walter Riley, Oakland based Civil Rights Attorney; George Calvis, Community Organizer, Clarence Thomas, Union organizer, Steve Pitts, UC Berkeley Labor organizer. Julia Chigamba joins us to talk about her family's community center in Harare, Zimbabwe and a fundraiser/concert at

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!