AFROPUNK has announced a free virtual festival, set to take place Oct. 23-25. The livestreamed event will celebrate Black musicians, artists, activists, business-owners and more with its packed digital offering.
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"As people rally across the world for Black liberation, we are using technology this year to bring together the largest virtual gathering of the worldwide Black creative community in one, curated online space for the first time in our 15-year history. This festival pays homage to the reality that the upheavals we've gone through over the course of the year are far from novel; they have been central to the Black experience across space and time, which is recognized in this year's theme, 'PLANET AFROPUNK: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE IS BLACK,'" the announcement states.
"Our approach to activism and fighting oppression has always been to celebrate Black music, art and culture–and ultimately Black joy because these are all radical. Being Black on planet earth is like science fiction and with the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and so many others, we have seen the pain and trauma of the past resurrected, and all while suffering through a global pandemic. But, as Black people, our unity and creativity are our greatest weapon against oppression and adversity."
The event will offer seven virtual spaces—centered around music, speakers/interviews, food, art, hair, activism and Black-owned businesses, respectively. The latter, dubbed Spinthrift Market, is an "opportunity to circulate the Black dollar" and is currently accepting vendor applications.
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Ideaville will offer a safe space for Black voices with keynote speeches, a Black Queer Town Hall, a Community Soap Box and more, while Activism Row will facilitate discussions on systemic racism in schools and the criminal justice system, while encouraging voting. Art & Times will showcase an immersive virtual art gallery featuring South African artists.
"With this year's festival taking place just ten days before the U.S. 2020 presidential election, the intent of these conversations will be to bring momentum to community engagement, find collective solutions to long-standing issues affecting the Black community and to, most of all, encourage the AFROPUNK community to vote."
The lineup will be announced later and feature major artists from around the globe.
In 2019, AFROPUNK festivals were held in Brooklyn (the inaugural location, first held in 2005), Atlanta, Paris, London and Johannesburg.
