El Bembé — Places of Power: Villa Africana Colobó Garden
Join us for El Bembé! A gathering of friends to celebrate “Places of Power: Villa Africana Colobó Garden”
This project of Termite TV Collective & Norris Square Neighborhood Project. It is presented by the Philadelphia Latino Arts and Film Festival, Leeway Foundation Media Artist + Activist Residency and Mural Arts Philadelphia.
El Bembé is a celebration of the community-based Augmented and Virtual Reality project, "Places of Power: Villa Africana Colobó Garden." Come and experience AR/VR installations in a community garden celebrating African heritage and the West African diaspora in Puerto Rican culture. Project directors Iris Brown of Grupo Motivos / Norris Square Neighborhood Project and Anula Shetty and Michael Kuetemeyer of Termite TV Collective have been facilitating workshops with long-term residents to share the memories and stories of this Latinx neighborhood in Norris Square. We will also be celebrating the new Grupo Motivos mural by artist Celso Gonzales. There will be musical performances by Youba Cissokho and El Junte.
Born to a Cali storyteller family in Senegal, Youba is a 72nd generation kora player. The kora is a harp made from calabash gourd. El Junte is an Afro Puerto Rican collective composed of an array of community educators and artists who pay homage to their ancestral legacy through the sounds of drums, song and dance.
When and where is El Bembé?
Date: Saturday October 19 from 2-6pm
(Rain Date: Saturday October 26)
Location: Villa Africana Colobó & Las Parcelas Gardens, 2263 Palethorp St.
Is a ticket required for this event?
You can reserve your ticket for El Bembé here! General admission for the event is free, but space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot before it’s too late.
“Places of Power: Villa Africana Colobó Garden” is funded in part by Independence Public Media Foundation, Leeway Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund and Temple University.
