FREEDOM DREAMS: a transnational musical dialogue
Featuring special intimate performances by Ana Tijoux + Shadia Mansour + Maya Jupiter + Ceci Bastida
with DJ Francesca Harding and DJ Beca G of Sessions LA
Presented by AF3IRM
Sunday, May 28, 8pm
Zebulon LA, 2478 Fletcher Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90039
$25 presale / Event is 18+
Ticket info coming soon – join our email list to get ticket info first!
For more info: [email protected]
“Progressive social movements do not simply produce statistics and narratives of oppression; rather, the best ones do what great poetry always does: transport us to another place, compel us to relive horrors and, more importantly, enable us to imagine a new society.”
-Robin D.G. Kelley
Join AF3IRM Los Angeles as we continue and elevate our work of re-imagination, theory-building. We believe that WOC have not only the capacity, but the DUTY to be the architects of the liberation we fighting so fiercely to attain.
In the current political moment, poetry and imagination help us produce language and consciousness to articulate a collective vision of liberation– freedom dreams. Who better than artists and cultural producers to engage with and create spaces for dialogue as we embark in this process? Cultural workers have the ability to delicately and overtly create soundscapes that can introduce us to untapped moods, feelings and visions. Artists have always infused movements with hope and creativity, encouraging us to dream beyond the conditions in which we are forced to live.
We are humbled to have worked with Ana Tijoux and Maya Jupiter in this endeavor. And now this year, we are honored to add Shadia Mansour and Ceci Bastida to further this work.
All proceeds to support transnational feminist organizing.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Ana Tijoux
Ana Tijoux is a Chilean MC based in Santiago. Born to parents exiled from their native Chile by the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, Ana Tijoux returned to Santiago in 1993 and by the late 1990s was well known throughout Latin America as MC of the hip-hip band Makiza. A solo artist since 2006, she has thrilled audiences internationally with her politically hard-hitting lyrics and signature flow, earning the title of “South America’s answer to Lauryn Hill” (New York Times). She has traveled throughout the US—performing at Austin City Limits, SXSW and the 2015 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, among others, while making time for interviews on programs such as Democracy Now!—in support of her latest album, Vengo (2014).
Shadia Mansour
Shadia Mansour, “the first lady of Arabic hip-hop”, is a London-born Palestinian singer and MC. Mansour began singing at Palestinian protest rallies as a child and became known in London’s Palestinian community for performing classical Arab songs of protest at an early age. She has toured with Existence is Resistance, an organization supporting hip-hop shows in Palestine, recorded with artists M-1 of dead prez and Omar Offendum, and is part of the “Arab League” hip-hop collective.
Maya Jupiter
Maya Jupiter is an energetic, passionate emcee and performer. Maya’s artivism (artist/activism) began in her early twenties when she worked with at-risk youth in her hometown of Sydney, Australia. Now living and raising a family in Los Angeles, Maya is an unwavering artivist, releasing songs and music videos that highlight some of today’s toughest topics, such as modern-day slavery, sexual violence and the objectification of women in media.
Ceci Bastida
Born and raised in Tijuana and now living in Los Angeles, Ceci Bastida joined the band Tijuana NO when she was just 15 and became one of the first women to rise in the ranks of contemporary Latin rock. Their song “Pobre de Ti” and their cover of The Clash’s “Spanish Bombs” are now considered rock en español classics. After she left the band, Bastida worked as a junior high school history teacher in Tijuana and then spent eight years as part of the touring band of Julieta Venegas. Bastida embarked on her solo career in 2006 with the ep Front BC, and in 2010 released Veo La Marea (I See the Tide). She is currently collaborating with members of Devotchka and Ozomatli on the music for Dreaming Sin Fronteras, a new musical based on the stories of undocumented youth. Her new solo album, La Edad de la Violencia (The Age of Violence) includes songs inspired by the rise of everyday violence in the US and Mexico—from the drug war to the Sandy Hook shooting and the Boston Marathon bombing—and by Haruki Murakami’s novel Kafka on the Shore.
DJ Francesca Harding
You can currently hear Francesca Harding (formerly Dj Panamami) over the airwaves as co-host, producer and DJ on Los Angeles’ 90.7FM KPFK for Soundwaves Radio. Her Dj mixes have been featured on Jay Z’s blog, Life and Times with her mixtape ‘Ciao Verano’ as well as the El Sonido show on Seattle’s 90.3 FM. She has graced the pages of LA Weekly and Parlour Magazine and most recently won the coveted role of Dj on TNT’s latest show, Agent X. With a broad taste in music and impressive technical skills, it is no surprise that Francesca Harding continues her reign as one of the most sought-after Dj’s in LA and beyond. Most recently, Francesca joined forces with L.A. based Dj-duo, Beat Ventriloquists, to form a production collective called “Wear Patterns”. The trio have thus far released two singles that have garnered worldwide radio play and have graced the pages of LA Weekly, Earmilk, Mass Appeal, Thump, Large Up and Discobelle. “Wear Patterns” is set to drop their self-titled EP in the spring of 2017.
DJ Beca G of Sessions LA
SESSIONS LA is a music writing, production, recording, & DJing program for youth and young adults in Los Angeles. Our mission is to promote youth development, nurture critical thinking, and foster community building through the process of creating music.