African Voices magazine will host an opening exhibition for Brooklyn artist Watson Mere and a launch celebration for its special issue dedicated to the art and activism of Harry Belafonte on July 26, 2025. The event is free and open to the public and will feature contributions from the issue's writers, including Gia Anasi-Shakur. It aims to celebrate Belafonte's significant impact on Hip Hop culture and civil rights activism. Publisher Carolyn A. Butts emphasized the importance of the issue, which is guest-edited by award-winning poet Keisha-Gaye Anderson, in the context of ongoing struggles for cultural preservation and access to essential services.
The event also serves as a fundraiser for African Voices, which recently lost funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. This underscores the magazine's reliance on community support to continue its 33-year legacy of showcasing art and literature by artists of color. Watson Mere's portrait of Belafonte, featured on the magazine's cover, captures the actor and activist's enduring influence and commitment to the Black diaspora. Mere's work, along with African Voices' contributions to the arts, is being archived by Spelman College, ensuring its accessibility for future generations.
The magazine has a history of featuring prominent artists on its covers, including Faith Ringgold and Elizabeth Catlett, further cementing its role in promoting artists of color. For more details on the event and the special issue, visit https://africanvoices.com/african-voices-celebrates-harry-belafonte-with-new-issue/. This initiative highlights the critical need for sustained support to preserve cultural narratives and artistic expressions in communities of color, especially as traditional funding sources become uncertain.
