Chicago Samba, a seven-piece band, plays the most authentic Brazilian dance music in the Midwest including Samba, Bossa Nova, Olodum, Forro, Choro, Pagode and Batucada. Energetic and creative, the music of Chicago Samba transports you to the tropics, where you`ll find it difficult to resist dancing. Learn to samba with dance lessons from Edilson Lima…did we mention that the classes are free?

Film Screenings
Noon
A Time to Be Remembered: A Juneteenth Story
In January 1863 Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It was not until June 19, 1865, that Union General Granger brought the news of freedom to the last of America’s southern slaves in Texas. Juneteenth is the oldest African-American celebration in the United States and a state holiday in Texas. Focusing on events and trends taking place between the repeal of the Missouri Compromise(1854) and the U.S. Supreme Court Dred Scott Decision (1857), A Time to Be Remembered: A Juneteenth Story gives a glimpse of the Underground Railroad offering passage to Canada and the North, the impact of abolitionists and secessionists on the Civil War, and the emergent self-aware African-American population awarded equal civil rights by the 13th Amendment of the Constitution.

1:00pm
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
In the late 1930s, an estimated 100,000 former slaves were still alive in the United States. Between 1936 and 1938, during the Great Depression, more than 2,000 interviews with former slaves were conducted for the Work Projects Administration (WPA) via its Federal Writers’ Project. Transcripts from these interviews were written in the vernacular of the time, forming a unique firsthand record of slave life. Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives presents dramatic selections from those transcripts by noted African American actors and actresses including: Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Robert Guillaume, Samuel L. Jackson, and several others. In addition to their in-character readings, the actors occasionally add personal anecdotes and editorial comments, providing a contemporary view on historical experiences.

The music of Refugee All Stars "takes all the problems and all the suffering of the people and makes a song of it...this film bursts off the screen with the brilliance and intensity that the band does onstage." - Austin Chronicle.

This Christmas, I had the pleasure of spending time in Dakar, Senegal and Bamako, Mali with my mother on a music and culture tour of our own making. My jali or griot brothers, Yaya Kambaye and Balla Kouyate, connected us with their families in the respective cities and we experienced true African hospitality and culture.

Thanks so much to our sister Rauhda Daba Ndiaye, the Kambaye, Diabate, and Kouyate families of Dakar and Bamako, and the residents of Gediawaye, a suburb of Dakar and home to the Kambaye and Diabate families. May God keep and bless you all until we are able to meet again!

To see my photos, email me at ChicagoEvents@afropop.org and I will send you the website link. If you ever need information about Dakar and Bamako or information on Kabilo Percussion, a group that offers African drum and dance courses for tourists in Gediawaye and Dakar, Senegal, please contact me at 773-743-7288 or ChicagoEvents@afropop.org ! You can also reach Kabilo Percussion directly at kabilopercution@hotmail.com!

Wow-Wow!

The 4th Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival is made possible by the support of the following institutions: ArtMattan Productions, Facets Cinematheque, the South African Consulate General of Chicago; the Gouvernement du Quebec Delegation Generale of Chicago and HBO.

Africa Speaks: Though the museum has never had enough space to display more than a few artifacts from its vast African collection at any given time, this completely renovated exhibit will feature an expanded sampling of the DuSable’s African art and artifacts.

After work salsa dance party. Complimentary admission from 5 - 6pm, $5 after 6pm. Complimentary buffet from 5 to 7. Free Salsa lesson with Manny Lopez from 6:30 to 7:30pm. 23 and over. Get on the guest list courtesy of Alex and Alberto by visiting SalsaChicago.com.

The Buzz is where Chicagoans go to dance -- not necessarily make the scene, lounge, or nosh, but hit the dance floor with a vengeance. The club isn't huge or gaudily decorated, but it's a perfect backdrop for the packed dance floor, which is always the center of the action. Themed evenings like Latin Wednesdays draw the salsa-loving crowds and a 4 AM closing time (5 AM on Saturdays) keeps them there late. Come on the weekends for disco and top 40 hits; other nights of the week include swing dancing. Adding to the Buzz's appeal is a menu of appetizers.

Chicago Samba, a seven-piece band, plays the most authentic Brazilian dance music in the Midwest including Samba, Bossa Nova, Olodum, Forro, Choro, Pagode and Batucada. Energetic and creative, the music of Chicago Samba transports you to the tropics, where you`ll find it difficult to resist dancing. Learn to samba with dance lessons from Edilson Lima…did we mention that the classes are free?

Wednesday night is Ladies’ Night at the Wild Hare in Wrigleyville. From its earliest beginnings, The Wild Hare has been known as a mecca for top reggae artists and great live reggae music from lesser known, but equally good homegrown talent. The Wild Hare plays live music seven days a week and features nightly drink specials. College students get ½ off with ID on Friday nights (some exceptions) and Thursdays are non-smoking.

Wednesday night features live, danceable music. For a hidden corner spot, this place heaves with scene on hump day.

African dance is alive and well in Chicago with many different traditions being taught all over the metropolitan area. These are just a sampling of what is available—we know that there is more out there! Please drop us a line at ChicagoEvents@Afropop.org to let us know about more dance and percussion classes available to the public.

Muntu Dance Theatre is the largest African dance company in the United States and is in the midst of a $15 million campaign to build a performing arts center on the corner of 47th and Greenwood. The new Muntu Center will feature a 400-seat theatre for national and international performances, administrative offices, with class space and rehearsal studios. The facility is scheduled to open in 2007.

You can win two free tickets to this hot night of African culture and music by visiting our Free Stuff feature! Tickets for the concert only, not the gala reception following the event.

AfriCaribe was created in 2000 by Evaristo “Tito” Rodriguez in an effort create an organization in Chicago that would have the unique intent of celebrating the African influence in Puerto Rico and other countries of the Caribbean. His vision came to fruition in the form of an umbrella organization that provides educational and cultural programming through four main programs.

Visit AfriCaribe for details on its work and upcoming performances in the Chicago area.