Spoken Word and Performance Art Benefit for Haiti at UCLA a Success

On February 4, 2010 at UCLA The African Activists Association threw a Spoken Word and Performance Art Benefit Bash for Haiti.  As artists, scholars and Activists in African Studies, the members of AAA decided to bring local community together to celebrate the amazing Caribbean nation of Haiti which was ravished by not one, but two earth quakes on January 12 and January 20  of 2010.    

When asked why it was necessary to have a Performance Art Benefit for Haiti, Cassandra and Deborah, AAA co-chairs stated, “As artists and Activists it is our divine duty to tool our creativity to incite non-violent social change in response to both man-made and natural disasters. This is not a time of mourning. This is a time of celebration, for all that Haiti has been and all that it will become.”

This 4.5 hour show was jam packed with talent including everything from Stand-Up Comedy to Japanese Taiko Drumming.  Mastress of Ceremonies Deborah and Cassandra hosted the event that brought in an audience of around 250 people.  The event raised $1300 to go PSI’s relief efforts in Haiti.  For more information on PSI please see www.psi.org.

 

 Bellow is a recap of our performers:

Kathy Smith – Presentation on Haiti and

Shelly and Dimitri  - Salsa

Bobby Gordon – Poetry

Lovensky Jean Baptiste

Cadance Ackun and co with Modern Jazz piece

Sumara – Bellydance

Deborah Dauda with Grace Haukwa (Nabtry) – Soukous Dance

Swing Brazil = Orixá Dance

Lonni – from Manual Arts High School with a rap

Pamela with a song from Manual Arts High School

Tha Profound Sound – hip hop group

D. Styles – rap

THE STREET POETS - Art, Mario, Brandon, Misael and Antonio

Taiko Drumming – thank you to Seigi

Rez – rap

Danni Williams - poetry

Katherine Dephanger – Poetry

Rayed Khedher – Poetry

Jeanelle Fu – Poetry

Meredith Pierce – Poetry

Naaz Diwan – Poetry

Josué Nobrega – Poetry

Eboni Allen –poetry

Milo Alvarez – poetry

Jacinto – Poetry

Narinda Heng –poetry

Nichelle Pete – poetry

Brenda Lamberty – Comedian

Jessica Lovelace-Chandler – Comedian

Brady Kephart – Comedia

Adam Epplebaum – Comedian

Justin Cross – Comedian

Nasambu – Singer from Kenya

Kaitlin Huwe - song

Lemi Ghariouku - Nigerian Artist special guest http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemi_Ghariokwu

 

 

Thank you to The Guardian and The Daily Bruin, and all who supported us

http://www.dailybruin.com/articles/2010/2/4/artists-come-together-help-haiti/

 

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/arts/article03//indexn3_html?pdate=020210&ptitle=Ghariokwu%20headlines%20charity%20show%20for%20Haiti&cpdate=293008

 

The Afropunk Blog

http://www.afropunk.com/forum/topics/spoken-word-and-performance

 

The African Studies Center

http://international.ucla.edu/africa/