Synesthesia: Release and Rediscover
Join us for a sensory creative workshop guided by a sonic meditation, inspired by the ngoni (West African harp) and yä branna ketab የብራና ክታብ (ancient Ethiopian talismans).
The ngoni from the Mande cultures of West Africa, (with deep roots in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso etc.) is an instrument and ritual that generates the power of connecting us to the spiritual realm, our ancestry, and nature through storytelling. Tuned to a pentatonic scale, the lute is often used alongside donso (hunters) and jeli (griots) to preserve oral traditions, provide wisdom, and harmonize the soul.
Ethiopian talismans (ancient magic healing scrolls) are traditional amulets that include images and words that offer protection, healing, and ward off unwanted spirits. Originally stated to have been created around the 1st- 8th centuries CE, the healing scrolls are made of animal skin after a sacrifice is made in honor of the person seeking healing/protection. Practiced across different faiths and religions in Ethiopia, the scrolls are adorned with drawings of eyes, angels, and patterns, layered with prayers, and sealed by magical protective powers.
Combining the essence of these sacred practices, we will be indulging in the exploration of the shadow self, by fostering emotional liberation and vulnerability through different art mediums.
The workshop will consist of a sound mediation using DJ decks to facilitate the participants through writing, collage, and painting.
Mahlet Traore (they/them) is an experimental, anti-disciplinary Ethiopian-Malian artist whose
installations function as living repositories of ancestral knowledge. Often deconstructing themes
of migration, resistance, memory, and spirituality, Mahlet’s practice operates as supernatural
intimate portals, providing an oasis for individual and collective, rest, rage, grief, nostalgia, and
celebration.
Mahlet understands their family’s lineage, survival, and ancestry is a core foundation in their
practice, and through a Trans and queer perspective, that translates into the mediums they use
that tells stories of love, dread, and glory. In their process of marrying multiple mediums tethered
by indigenous practices, Mahlet exposes the shadow of humanity, allowing light to be shed
towards radical healing and transformation, with an interpersonal understanding of total
liberation.
Baby Pink is a multi-disciplinary artist and writer. Whether it be fashion, music, or writing, all of
their work centers body liberation and fighting against fascism through existing as their authentic
queer fat self. Being a Trans nonbinary person raised in Harlem and having roots in Missouri and
Houston, Baby Pink has always strived to create Black intersectional communities and safe
spaces; highlighting that queerness, Blackness and body liberation have always been interlinked.
YAMMI (she/they) is a multi-hyphenated pisces sun, scorpio moon, and scorpio rising. As a
DMV native and the child of both African & Caribbean parents, YAMMI has always been
inspired by the diversity of music across the diaspora and aims to take you on a musical journey
that reflects that. From neosoul to jungle to amapiano, YAMMI has no limit when it comes to
curating a vibe, and needs you to shake that ass for the culture.
As a queer Kenyan immigrant, my work navigates the in-between — between cultures,
acceptance and rejection, visibility and erasure. Through photography, collage, and mixed
media, I explore queerness and different immigrant identities within the African diaspora,
centering themes of intimacy, resilience, gender politics, labor, and transformation. My work
challenges the persistent erasure of immigrant identities by celebrating softness as a source of
power and tenderness as a form of resistance.
Tile ni Kalo Bet, created by artists Mahlet Traore and Navah Little, is a traveling African Trans and Queer creative wellness refuge, production house, and experimental artscape that resists institutional norms. Tile ni Kalo Bet’s mission is to create experiences that value and celebrate African LGBTQ+ artists of all genres throughout the diaspora and hold space for the complex and layered emotions of Black communities. From art exhibitions and raves to wellness workshops, we aspire to continue advocating for the liberation of all people through cathartic communal experiences and creative projects. We hope to extend this collective to aid, mentor, and create healing artistic opportunities for people of all ages from Ethiopia to Mali, and around the world.
