Developed by a team of digital black creatives the Black Out Series presents 30 minute Facebook live interviews that were broadcasted at noon every Sunday across thirteen weeks in 2020, They explored what it means to be a black kiwi artist and presented an opportunity for our creatives to respond to the challenges presented by Covid-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement here in Aotearoa.
FEATURING 13 BLACK CREATIVES FROM AOTEAROA
Alvie Mckree
Creative practice:
Live Performance || Qoya Teacher || Playwright
Heritage: Ngapuhi, Ngati Kahu-ki-Whangaroa, Caribbean islands of St Vincent and Barbados
Creative practice:
Singer || Songwriter
Heritage: Sudan
Mez Swami
Mez Swami
Janina ASIEDU
Creative practice: Interdisciplinary Artist|| Performance || Music || Nyame Dua Practitioner
Heritage: Ghana
Janina ASIEDU
Creative practice:
Actor || Singer || Musician
Heritage: African American
QUENTIN WARREN
Jax hamilton
Creative practice:
Chef || TV personality || Author
Heritage: Britain (Cockney), Jamaica
Creative practice:
Spoken Word || Singer || Songwriter
Heritage: Nigeria
Bohemian Thanni
Sonya Talor
Creative practice:
Poet || ARTivist ||Educator
Heritage: African American
Sahara Magura
Creative practice:
Creative Entrepreneur || Activist
Heritage: Samoa, Tonga, Tokelau; Zimbabwe
Domingo Candelario
Creative practice:
Singer ||Songwriter
Heritage: Cuba
Creative practice:
Hip hop instructor || BLM supporter
Heritage: African American
Ricky Bonacks
Sharl Fynn-Wagner
Creative practice:
Healer || Educator || ARTivist
Heritage: South Africa
Asya Mohamed Abeid
Creative practice:
Fashion Designer || Creative Entrepreneur
Heritage: Portugal, Iran, Mombasa, Kenya, Yemen
Creative practice:
Singer ||Songwriter
Heritage: Kenya
Jess B
A Black Creatives Aotearoa project supported by
TESTIMONIALS
“The Black Out series is real talk, survival stories filled with the joy and pain of Black lives lived in Aotearoa. I am humbled by the stories that have been shared, it’s a warm and generous space revealing the scope of practice and life experiences of this creative community.”
Rosanna Raymond
Founder SaVAge Klub
“It’s awesome to hear from Black artists and practitioners in our own creative neighbourhood. The breadth of whakaaro and personalities is refreshing. It’s like meeting new friends over a cuppa where the kōrero can swing from arts practice to global issues and back to personal perspective. It’s from the heart and in the moment, and at this moment there is no better time than to listen to the voices of Black artists in Aotearoa.”
Dolina Wehipeihana
Kaiarahi Māori at Performing Arts Network of NZ (PANNZ)