On October 29th WACAI’s Executive Director appeared on Facebook Live with husband Alseny Yansane and son, Papa to ask some interview questions drafted by Emily Hartlerode from the Oregon Folklife Network, WACAI’s partners in creating the Oregon Black Artist Spotlight Series. Even though all three Yansanes have experience performing and improvising in front of audiences, there is something slightly nerve-racking about the phenomena of Facebook Live where you know you have an audience, but cannot connect with them in the same way because they cannot be seen in real time. Also, unlike performing ..read more

LaRhonda Steele (Portland) is a gospel singer and songwriter recognized as one the region’s best rhythm and blues vocalists. She has been dubbed "The First Lady of Portland Blues”—a title of leadership that she lives up to as she shares songs that carry forth directly from her spiritual life-force. For LaRhonda, singing is not just something she does—it’s who she is that she brings to the stage. In an interview with the Oregon Folklife Network, she says that song is the gift that God put in her heart to share: “As an expression, it’s simply who I am…I feel like I just have to do it.” It is co ..read more

Wambui Machua is a traditional Kenyan chef, entrepreneur, and owner of Spice of Africa, a Portland-based African restaurant. When the Oregon Folklife Network had the pleasure of talking with Machua, she told us gathering people around food is her passion because “food brings people together and makes them happy!" She gets to fulfill this passion while practicing and sharing her traditional African culture. Not only does Machua cook because food brings people together, but because she understands that people learn through food. When satiated and enlivened by quali ..read more

To listen to Mic Crenshaw (Portland Oregon) perform is to be drawn deeply into a poetics of Truth in action. For good reason, he is one of the most respected hip-hop artists and MC’s in the Northwest and is prominent on the national and international scene as a performer, educator, and political activist. His work connects artists across geographic and political boundaries, reminding us that we’re all responsible for building a future that works. In his words: “We’re all in this together…It will take all of us” (Earthbound, 2018). The Oregon Folklife Network had the honor of sitting down with ..read more

Norman “The Boogie Cat” Sylvester (Portland) has aptly described himself as being “totally dedicated to the soul healing force of music” and when watching or listening to him, this is self-evident. He crafts an inclusive and communal musical environment where each listener is invited—with sound, emotion, and story—into a space where they can see themselves reflected. His lyrics rise directly from his life’s journey and his older electric styles, chord forms, and vocal expressions are influenced by the origins of American blues. In an interview with Vortex Magazine (full article here) he share ..read more

Thursday, October 15 until the end of November WACAI will be engaging in a small series of interviews, blogs, and social media posts designed to put a spotlight on seven Black cultural artists throughout the state of Oregon to elevate their work and discuss how racism affects their lives. This series is a partnership between West African Cultural Arts Institute and Oregon Folklife Network (OFN), a program of the Museum of Natural and Cultural History. OFN which is housed in the Knight Library on the University of Oregon  campus is a nonprofit organization that makes a ..read more

As the first installment of the Oregon Black Artist Spotlight Series, WACAI’s Executive Director, Andrea DiPalma Yansane had the privilege to interview Baba Wague Diakite on a live stream between Zoom and Facebook Live on Thursday, October 15. The Oregon Black Artist Spotlight Series is a partnership between West African Cultural Arts Institute, Oregon Folklife Network, and the Museum of Natural and Cultural History designed to shine attention on seven Black cultural artists throughout the state of Oregon to elevate their work and discuss how racism affects their lives. Our first fe ..read more

Starting this Thursday, October 15 until the end of November WACAI will be engaging in a small series of interviews, blogs, and social media posts designed to put a spotlight on seven Black cultural artists throughout the state of Oregon to elevate their work and discuss how racism has affected their lives. This series is a partnership between West African Cultural Arts Institute and University of Oregon’s Oregon Folklife Network and Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Oregon Folklife Network (OFN) which is housed in the Knight Library on the UO campus is a nonprofit organization that mak ..read more

This past Saturday, August 8 WACAI participated for the first time in the Willamalane Children’s Celebration. This annual event is traditionally held in person every August at Day Island Park in downtown Springfield, but due to the physical distancing regulations this year’s event was done in a drive through format at Dorris Ranch. Dorris Ranch is a national historic site, a living history farm, and a public park complete with walking trails and natural areas. The park is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a beautiful area of open space combined with tress and othe ..read more

Polaris Dance Theatre held its 10th Annual Galaxy Dance Festival this weekend and in response to the social distancing regulations that are in place, went VIRTUAL! The festival which was aired on Facebook Live was filled with a diverse schedule of dance companies that included genres such as West African, Bollywood, Bharatanatyam and Odissi, Kathak and Afro-Brazilian, Contemporary, and more. The organizations that presented dance pieces hailed from Oregon, Washington, New York, Canada, and beyond! For the first time, participants were able to participate in a Q & A, listen to insight from ..read more