Programs From Harlem to Sudan - A Global Dialogue on Preserving Cultural Heritage and Identity

From Harlem to Sudan: A Global Dialogue on Preserving Cultural Heritage and Identity

Join us on Thursday November 6th at 6:30PM as The Africa Center presents From Harlem to Sudan: A Global Dialogue on Preserving Cultural Heritage and Identity. As communities worldwide grapple with the ongoing erasure and transformation of their cultural landscapes, this program highlights the global struggle to preserve cultural heritage, from Harlem’s role in the Black cultural renaissance to the destruction of heritage in Sudan due to conflict. It will explore stories of cultural loss, displacement, and preservation efforts across the diaspora. This discussion will be moderated by Joyous Pierce accompanied by Claudette Brady, Omnia Saed and Marta Moreno Vega.

Panelists:

Joyous Pierce ​​(she/her) is a multi-disciplinary curator/space shaper, artist, and researcher whose practice re-envisions ceremonies of creation and collaboration through intrinsic relationality and care. Her work as an arts and cultural producer engages creative and cultural spaces as liberatory sites for transformation, reflection, connection, expansion, and joy. Joyous holds a Bachelor’s degree from Muhlenberg College in International Relations with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies in Sub-Saharan Africa, and a Master of Science in International Relations and the Politics of Africa from SOAS, University of London. Some areas of interest include contemporary afro-indigenous migration, seabed mapping & ecosystems in the marine water column, immersive technology, and having way too many tabs open at any given moment. She has collaborated with artists internationally and with institutions such as the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum, the Guggenheim, the African Artists Foundation, the Apollo, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Barnard, Burning Man, and Google. She was a fellow in Cycle IV of the Innovative Cultural Advocacy Fellowship with the Caribbean Cultural African Diaspora Institute (Harlem) and Curatorial Fellow at Nafasi Artspace (Dar es Salaam) and is the current Curatorial Fellow at New York Artist Residency and Studio Foundation.

Claudette Brady is Executive Director of Save Harlem Now! She is a community activist who successfully spearheaded the efforts to designate the Bedford Stuyvesant/Expanded Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in Brooklyn. Claudette served as an Advisory Board Member of the NYC Historic Districts Council, and a member of the Brooklyn Community Board 3 Land Use and Landmarks Committee. Claudette believes that the designation of historic districts in Harlem is not just about architecture but the preservation of African American and Afro-Caribbean cultural legacies. Claudette attended Hofstra University and Fashion Institute of Technology

Omnia Saed  is a Washington, DC-based writer and journalist exploring the intersection of people, place, and memory, with a focus on how history and identity shape our understanding of the world. Her work has been featured in publications such as The Guardian, Vox, Atmos, MSNBC, Hyperallergic, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Marta Moreno Vega was born and raised in East Harlem, New York, the daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants, and graduated from New York University. A passionate advocate of Afro-Caribbean religions, she has organized conferences uniting scholars and traditional leaders from Africa, Europe, and the Americas to promote native religions. Dr. Vega is the founder of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute and Amigos del Museo del Barrio. She has curated major visual arts exhibitions, including Santería and Vodun in the Americas, and organized three international conferences on Orisha tradition and culture.