Wanda's Picks

We have Mahen Bonetti, director, African Film Festival, Inc. on the air this morning to talk about the African Film Festival tour at the Pacific Film Archive at UC Berkeley, Jan. 23-Feb. 5, 2013. The PFA series, curated by Kathy Geritz, offers a wonderful opportunity to audiences to see Africa through African eyes, most of the directors young and for this series, women. The concerns of African filmmakers are often aesthetic and political—the desire to depict the realities of their everyday lives and to interpret their history from their own perspective. A number of the featured documentaries look to the past to examine forces that continue to influence the present. Our Beloved Sudan traces the complex history leading to the partition of Sudan; The Unbroken Spirit focuses on the courageous fight for a multiparty democracy in Kenya; and the arc of Black Africa, White Marble moves from colonial-era to present-day Republic of Congo. All three take the vantage point of one individual in order to bring to life a la

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

We open with the second part of a series of conversations, with returning guest, Ayotunde A. Akindele, Sacramento, CA and his partner and our special guest Claude Maredza, who is joining us from Harare, ZM, to talk about the Chapwati Great Zimbabwe Leisure Resort project, he heads, but more importantly what the continued effect US sanctions is having on Zimbabwean people and these unauthorized sanctions need to be lifted. Visit change.org For info: uni_tees@hotmail.com & maredzac@yahoo.com 2. Steven Anthony Jones, Artistic Director, Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, pops in to talk about LHT newest initiative  and the staged reading of The Jamaican Wash, a revisioning of Philip Kan Gotanda's work with Carl Lumbley and Edris Cooper-Anifososhe, this weekend tonight, 7 p.m. and tomorrow, Sat., Jan. 12, 2 p.m. at The Costume Shop, A.C.T.'s newest performance venue  1117 Market, SF (Civic Center BART, 7th St. exit.  1/2 block walk nr. UN Plaza). Visit lhtsf.org We close with a conversation between two of the San Fra

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

We devote the first hour to a Shout out to the Black Mother. Guests are asked to tell us their mom's name. Question: Is she still alive? What do you love most about her? What lessons are you still living by? What is she most proud of that you have done? Moms you can give a shout out to yourselves too (smile). Count your blessings on the air. You have only a minute or two though, depending on the response (smile). We are then joined by Jennifer Baichwal, director, Payback, based on Margaret Atwood's visionary work, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth. The film opens May 18, 2012 at Landmark's Lumiere in San Francisco and Landmark's Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley. We close with a conversation with Eleanor Jacobs, Lena in Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun, directed by L. Peter Callender, Artistic Director, African American Shakespeare Company in San Francisco at the Burial Clay Theater at the African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton Street, San Francisco. Visit www.african-americanshakes.o

Ayotunde A. Akindele, business man, activist, Pan African speaks about Chapwati Great Zimbabwe Leisure Resort and a petition on Change.org to remove the United States sanctions on Zimbabwe;Bill Doggett, a is respected and experienced Exhibitions Curator and independent archivist based in Oakland. Doggett’s goal is to create a educational outreach resource with his archive of rare ephemera and recordings.Doggett has curated three well received exhibitions in San Francisco: The African American Concert Singer 1900-1963, Porgy and Bess: From Broadway to San Francisco for San Francisco Opera; The Underground Railroad: Songs of Hope and Freedom, The Civil War@150 years and now a historic exhibit commemorating the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1, 1863-Jan.1, 2013--The Journey To Freedom: Emancipation Proclamation@150 Years.The exhibit covers The Transatlantic Slave Trade, Slavery in the US and The Emancipation Proclamation (Jan.-Feb. 2013) at the Bay View Opera House in San Francisco, with a

Our first guest isAundre The Wonder Woman. She is featured tonight at BRAVA THEATRE, in San Francisco along with other funny women (smile). Visit brava.org Brava Theater Center is located at 2781 24th Street, San Francisco.Call (415) 647-2822. She began her comedy career at Steve harvey's Comedy House in Dallas, TX. Steve described the defense attorney as “A new comic with a funny way of saying things." Since that time, she has been named Oakland's Funniest Comic on the Strip, the Funniest Woman in Half Moon Bay. . . In 2008, she received the "Stand-up for Justice" Award from Death Penalty Focus, for her work against the death penalty. Guest: Theresa Shoatz, daughter of Russell "Maroon" Shoatz, who has a new book out on PM Press early 2013. Ms. Shoatz has been a community organizer for over 20 years. Donating her time to the Human Rights Coalition of Philadelphia (HRC FED UP!), Decarcerate Pennsylvania and Scientific Soul Sessions, she has fought tirelessly for her father’s freedom during his two decades in s

Ayotunde A. Akindele, business man, activist, Pan African speaks about Chapwati Great Zimbabwe Leisure Resort; Bill Doggett, a is respected and experienced Exhibitions Curator and independent archivist based in Oakland is  inspired by the life work of the legendary archivist and curator, Arthur Schomburg, whose collection established New York’s Schomburg Center Doggett’s goal is to create a educational outreach resource with his archive of rare ephemera and recordings.Doggett has curated three well received exhibitions in San Francisco: The African American Concert Singer 1900-1963,Porgy and Bess: From Broadway to San Francisco for San Francisco Opera; The Underground Railroad: Songs of Hope and Freedom, The Civil War@150 years and now a historic exhibit commemorating the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation Jan. 1, 1863-Jan.1, 2013--The Journey To Freedom: Emancipation Proclamation@150 Years.The exhibit covers The Transatlantic Slave Trade, Slavery in the US and The Emancipation Proclamation (Jan

We open the show with Ann Chinn, Executive Director of Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers (MPP), an organization that began this year to Commemorate the nearly 2 million Africans who perished in the Middle Passage of the transatlantic human trade; Research and identify all ports of entry for Africans during the 350 years of the transatlantic human trade and then Sponsor remembrance ceremonies at each of more than 175 middle passage ports in 50 nations of North, Central, and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe; Plan final ceremonies on the east and west coasts of Africa by 2020; Baba Achebe Hoskins, member, The Brotherhood of Elders Council speaks about Kujichagulia or Self-Determination, Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, at the Malonga Center, 1428 Alice Street, Oakland. He is a 2011 City of Oakland Humanitarian Award Winner, a father, cultural worker and playwright. Baba Achebe currently facilitates a Transformative Manhood Group which is made up of fifteen elders who conduct a weekly, multi-ethnic inter

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

I interview Taiwo & Kehinde Kujichagulia-Seitu, about Taiwo's work: Go Tell It!An original musical drama woven around Negro Spirituals.This musical journey with Harriet Tubman & family along the Underground Railroad shows us how Spirituals helped guide the way! The play is up this Fri. Dec. 21& Sat. 22 at 7pm. at Kids N’Dance, 3840 MacArthur Blvd. (at 38 Ave). Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Purchase tickets online at: gotellit.eventbrite.com brownpapertickets.com/event/294057  To find out more about the show, visit: gotellit2012.wix.com/gotellit  The musical is narrated by Griot Phavia Kujichagulia and features a cast of singers, dancers, drummers and actors numbering about 40! The choir includes: Marilyn Reynolds, Brenda Savage, Andrea Turner, Thomas McKennie, Alex & Harriet Bagwell, and Pat Jameson-Amwele from Vukani Mawethu Choir, along with Taiwo & Kehinde Kujichagulia-Seitu, Nyeta Byrd, Six and Dan. We close with an archived interview with Georgia Horton, whom,is current

Today we speak to several artists about the New Beginning heralded by the end of the Mayan calendar, Dec. 21, 2012. First we speak to Dance Brigade founder, Krissy Keefer, musician/educator, Carolyn Brandy and poet/activist, MamaCoatl about "Voluspa: A Ghost Dance for 2012" A two-night ritual dance performance that pays tribute to past and present struggles and works towards renewal. Featuring work by Dance Brigade, Grrrl Brigade, NAKA Dance Theater, Danza Xitlalli, John Jota Leaños and others. Each evening ends with a healing circle, December 19-20, 2012; Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm at Dance Mission Theater, 3316 24th Street, San Francisco CA 94110, (415) 826-4441; www.dancemission.com We then speak to Ahkeel Mestayer, who is 17 years old and a Senior at School of the Arts High School in San Francisco where he studies Percussion. Ahkeel has been playing music with Loco Bloco since he was in 1st grade.  Currently Ahkeel is a member of Loco Bloco's Youth Apprentice Program, a performer in our Performing

Rebroadcast of 13 Dec. 2012 show: Dominic D’Andrea is the founder and producing artistic director of the One-Minute Play Festival (OMPF), where he has led close to 30 national festivals in partnerships with many theatres throughout the country. He was a 2012 NewYorkTheatre.com person of the year. Elizabeth Gjelten's previous full-length plays include What the Birds Carry (at The Pear Avenue Theater) and Dance Lessons (at the Working Women Festival and Venue 9). She received her MFA in playwriting from San Francisco State University, taught writing for performance at New College, and continues to teach as an artist/mentor to graduate students and incarcerated youth. An award-winning dancer, international choreographer, and accomplished playwright, Robert Henry Johnson has enjoyed the support of the San Francisco Bay Area black arts community since he was very young.He is the recipient of the 2001 Bay Area Critics Circle Award for his choreography in Thick House's production of The Seven written by Will Power,

Dominic D’Andrea is the founder and producing artistic director of the One-Minute Play Festival (OMPF), where he has led close to 30 national festivals in partnerships with many theatres throughout the country. He was a 2012 NewYorkTheatre.com person of the year. Elizabeth Gjelten's previous full-length plays include What the Birds Carry (at The Pear Avenue Theater) and Dance Lessons (at the Working Women Festival and Venue 9). She received her MFA in playwriting from San Francisco State University, taught writing for performance at New College, and continues to teach as an artist/mentor to graduate students and incarcerated youth. An award-winning dancer, international choreographer, and accomplished playwright, Robert Henry Johnson has enjoyed the support of the San Francisco Bay Area black arts community since he was very young.He is the recipient of the 2001 Bay Area Critics Circle Award for his choreography in Thick House's production of The Seven written by Will Power, the 1998 Union Bank's Citizen of t

Today the plan was to speak to Byron Hurt about his latest film: SOUL FOOD JUNKIES, airing on PBS Independent Lens, Jan. 14, 2013. We'll have to reschedule for another date, so stay tuned. The conversation then shifts to Litha-Aliah “Aliah” Tomlinson, new intern director for the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir (OIYC) and Terrence Kelly, director of Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, for a discussion about MUSIC FOR THE SOUL.  Just recently OIGC featured OIYC at its annual concert, and this weekend is the Youth Choir's Holiday Concert, Sun., Dec. 16, 7 p.m. at Imani Community Church. Visit http://www.oigc.org/ Aliah has sung alto in OIYC and Imani Community Church choir, under the direction of Terrance Kelly, since 2009. Aliah loves to sing and began doing so at an early age – whether singing with her great-aunt, reciting Oakland Freedom School chants, or singing with her church’s children’s choir, directed by her mother. She and her sisters share the gift of song each month at Bellaken Gardens Nursing Center, wh

Today we speak live with Alan Kimara Dixon about his latest release "intro to modern," released a month ago to date: Nov. 7-Dec. 7. It features: Bobby Bradford: cornet, Bennie Maupin: bass clarinet and alto flute and Alan Kimara Dixon: composer / guitars, basses, keyboards and drums. Visit http://introtomodern.com/album/intro-to-modern Kimara says it is his hope that his art moves his audience to "transcend circumstance or culture and broaden perspectives" http://www.alankimaradixon.com We then listen to two recorded interviews. The first is with publishers: Sandra Redmond, her big brother, Willie F. Redmond or "June," and Deirdra Wilson, together: San'Dei'Jun Publishing, "an independent publishing house based in California that provides "space for creativity to spring forth from grass-roots of our communities and fertilize our collective soil of mind and heart." http://www.sandeijun.com/about/   Music: From intro to modern "tech rehearsal" and "appreciation." We also play KebMo's "Imagine" and Chinakare's "T

We have an extended conversation with activist and writer, Robert Hillary King, Ph.D. His book From the Bottom of the Heap: The Autobiography of Black Panther Robert Hillary King Expanded and Updated, with a new forward by Mumia Abu Jamal. Visit www.Angola3.org We close with a special interview with Buika on Connecting the Dots, broadcast 15 Nov. 2012 on KPOO.org 89.5 FM, produced by Safi wa Nairobi. Music from Luther Vandross: The Classic Christmas Album: "My Favorite Things;" "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Live, Teddy & Chaka Khan duet).  

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the writing, visual and performing arts of African people in the Diaspora. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work filled with raw unfettered passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay! Remember to tune in on Wednesdays from 6 AM PST to 7 or 8 AM and on Fridays from 8 AM to 10 AM. We also host special broadcasts from time to time.

We interview Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick about AIDS in the Black Communityand the film ENDGAME: AIDS in the Black Community. Watch ENDGAME at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/endgame-aids-in-black-america/ For San Francisco Bay Area Events visit http://www.aidsmemorial.org/events/19th-annual-world-aids-day-observance and http://www.sanfranciscosentinel.com/?p=169132