PINELLAS COUNTY — The Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project will host the inaugural Tampa Bay Afrofuturism Festival (TBAFF) Nov. 11-13, with free pop-up events happening throughout St. Pete, Largo, and Clearwater.
The unique festival highlights the Afrofuturism cultural movement, exploring the past, present, and future of the BIPOC communities through art, tech, music, and soul!
Day one
Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. – To kick off festival, an exploratory discussion panel, “THE JOURNEY: The Future of Black Tampa Bay,” will feature:
- Celeste Davis, director of Arts, Culture, and Tourism for the City of St. Petersburg
- Carl Lavender, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg
- Judith Scully, law professor, Stetson University
- Katurah Jenkins Hall, GRACE-Greater Reach Alliance of Counselors and Educators
- Antonio Brown, founder of The Black Excellence Summit and the Barbershop Book Club
Catch the discussion at Creative Pinellas, located at 12211 Walsingham Rd., in Largo.
That evening, there will also be two Wakanda-themed social events:
- TBAFF’s 7 p.m. Wakanda Paint & Party at Mr. Bubba’s Event Center, 503 Marshall St., in Clearwater
- Daishiki in the City’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Soiree at AMC Sundial in St. Petersburg | Click here to buy tickets
Day two — On the Deuces
Nov. 12 at 10 a.m. – The Woodson Museum, 2240 9th Ave. S, St. Petersburg, will host the “AfroTech Tampa Bay” panel, featuring:
- Zebbie Atkinson IV, Boundless Consulting and Contracting, LLC
- Basha Ferdinand, Synapse
- Lynn Harrell Johnson, Community Tech House, Inc.
- Rose Lejiste, RL Engineering & Tech Solutions
- Adrian Taylor, Media Engagement Solutions; moderated by Dr. Christopher Warren
Noon to 6 p.m. — The Wakandaland Cultural Bazaar, featuring vendors and events, will happen on the Deuces, 833 22nd St. S, St Petersburg
12:30 p.m. — Imagine Blackness AI digital art presentation by USF professors Dr. McArthur Freeman and Dr. Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman at The Royal Theater, 1011 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg
Musical events at Urban Drinkery, 2184 9th Ave. S, St. Petersburg — performances include
- 2 p.m. — Black Punks
- 4:30 p.m. — Elements of Hip Hop with Black and Brown Productions
- 7 p.m. — Afrofuturist Funk and Costume Party with DJ Donnie Luv
Day three
Nov. 13 at 10:30 a.m. — Black Family Health Day at The Studio at 620, 620 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. Begins with a screening of Debbie Yati Garrett’s award-winning film “SIMI”
11 a.m. — Black Health panel moderated by Dr. LaDonna Butler, with panelists
- Lola B. Morgan, life coach
- Frederick “Rootman” Woods, artist and reiki practitioner
- Travis McCray, health practitioner and author
- Ashaanti Day, PneuNaTion Sanctuary
Afternoon events
- 2 p.m. — Children’s Art Workshops at 2 p.m.
- 3 p.m. — Youth Zine-making with Kitchen Table Literary Arts and Cultured Books
- 4 p.m. — Kids’ STEM Workshop with Shaping the Early Mind
- 6 p.m. — Dance n’ Drum presentation by Artz 4 Life
- 6 p.m. — Adults can head to The Factory, 2622 Fairfield Ave. S, St. Petersburg, with performances by Siobhan Monique and the Negro Ninjas.
Visit www.ancestralfunk.com for tickets. Children’s workshops will require registration. Visit TBAFF.com for more information.
The Tampa Bay Afrofuturism Festival is made possible by the generous support of the Gobioff Foundation, the Social Justice Fund at Pinellas Community Foundation, Benchmark Brokerage Services, and Green Book of Tampa Bay, as well as sponsoring partners, Creative Pinellas, The Woodson Museum, Deuces Live Mainstreet, and The Weekly Challenger newspaper.
Those interested in being a sponsor, email Debbie Garrett at pinellasdap@gmail.com; vendors should sign up at https://linktr.ee/DeucesSidewalkMarket.
About Pinellas Diaspora Arts Project
Formed last June, PDAP is a framework and collective created by and for Black and Brown artists to support, encourage and promote Black and Brown arts and artists in Tampa Bay. Learn more at pinellasdiasporaartsproject.org.
