22.9.2023, 8pm
Akua Naru
Known for her electrifying performances, Akua Naru (born in New Haven, Connecticut, USA) has performed on the stages of more than fifty countries on five continents, presenting her poetic messages in the fight against racism, discrimination and gender-based violence.
The African American artist burst onto the scene with her powerful liberation politics in 2011 with the release of her debut album »The Journey Aflame«. Her powerful, poetic lyricism and talent for storytelling, as well as her ability to integrate historical narratives into her music, have drawn the attention of scholars and activists around the world. A true wordsmith whose music, deeply nuanced, poetic and wise, places the experiences of Black women at the center of her work.
Up to date, she has released three more albums: »Live & Aflame Sessions« (2012), »The Miner's Canary« (2015) and »The Blackest Joy« (2018). In the spring of 2024, she will release her new LP, »all about love: new visions« which–inspired by Bell Hook's classic book »All About Love«–focuses on the unifying power of love in times of social unrest and uncertainty. She has collaborated with Tony Allen, Eric Benét, Angelique Kidjo, Tuneyards, Questlove, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Christian Scott, Rah Digga, Mulatu Astatke, Bernard Purdie, Cody ChesnuTT and many others. Her artistry is a testament to the legacy of soul music and the self-determined, pioneering tradition of Black women artists upon which she builds.
Akua Naru is »Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow« at the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research and has devoted herself to the research on rap music at Harvard University. She is also an archivist / »Race & Media Fellow« at the Center for the Study of Race & Ethnicity in America at Brown University. She is the founder of theKEEPERS Collective, an initiative of women artists, activists, and scholars that give rise to the voices of women and girls in global hip-hop culture.
At M.Bassy, the multidisciplinary artist and musician will give insight into her creative and activist work through a spoken word performance.
22.9.2023, 8 pm (The event is fully booked)
Entrance: 15,- EUR
Please reserve via: reservation@m-bassy.org
The event will be held in English.
The event is part of the program series »African and Afrodiasporic Literature as Performance«, supported by the Ministry for Culture and Media, Hamburg.
