Celebration of Resilience: Creativity and Courage! We celebrate the power and beauty of the resilience of artists and activists. -We begin with Gambian Griot Salieu Suso and Balafon player Ebrima Jassey: Salieu Suso and Ebrima Jassey are Gambian musicians and composers born into a family of Jali's, (West African storytellers, historians, and musicians) that extends back nearly 1000 years. Playing the Kora harp and Balafon respectively, Suso and Jassey have played extensively in Africa and Europe before settling in New York City. -Skype conversation with Friba from the Revolutionary Association of Women in Afghanistan (from Kabul) -Charlie Blanc: Charlie's dance follows the psychological trauma of someone remembering an experience of sexual abuse as a child. -Skype conversation with Zimbabwean poet-in-exile Mbizo Chirasha (from an undisclosed location in East Africa) -Subway musician DEE WHO, who makes his total living (with great resilience) from his work underground -Salieu Suso and Ebrima Jassey: Salieu (Kora/Griot) and Ebrima (Balafon) will present a selection of West African music and Griot. Suso was born into a family of farmers and traditional musicians/historians from Gambia, West Africa, that extends back nearly 1000 years. He was trained to play the 21 stringed Kora (West African Harp) at the age of 8, by his father, renowned Kora player of that region, Alhaji Musa Makang Suso. Photo by Elisa Gutierrez Meena Keshwar Kamal founded the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) in 1977 to provide education, shelter, and healthcare to Afghani refugees of the Soviet occupation. In 1987, she was murdered by the reactionary forces against which she struggled. Her legacy lives on through RAWA, still operating in Kabul and around Afghanistan. Tonight, we will speak with one of its leaders from Kabul. Painting by Tom Block Charlie Blanc presents a dance which follows the psychological trauma of someone remembering an experience of sexual abuse as a child. She improvises a large part of the performance so as to convey the rawest emotions surrounding this complex human rights issue, one that is so personal and yet so devastatingly common. Photo by Annie Millman Mbizo Chirasha: Zimbabwean Poet-in-Exile Mbizo Chirasha is is an Arts for Peace and Human Rights Catalyst, the Literary Arts Projects Curator, Poet, Writer, publicist is published in more 200 spaces in print and online. Mbizo was the International Human Rights Art Festival International Fellow in 2019. Photo credit: Courtesy of Mbizo Chirasha. Dee Who: Dee Who is a songwriter, singer and bassist who presents original songs, usually in public spaces like the Subway. Dee was born in New York, grew up in Taiwan, studied drums at Berklee, played in a rock band in Holland, traveled through Ecuador on horseback, worked as a photographer for the NY Times, and directed, shot and edited two feature documentary films. Photo by Mollie Block Tom Block: is a playwright, author of five books, 25+ year exhibiting visual artist and Founding Producer of New York City’s International Human Rights Art Festival (ihraf.org). Photo by Mollie Block Doors at 6:30pm Show at 7pm $20