African Voices has launched "Harvest," a new podcast series debuting this Black History Month that spotlights conversations with established and emerging artists shaping contemporary culture. The limited series features notable filmmakers, writers, museum curators, and creative visionaries across three initial episodes. The inaugural season opens with Samantha Knowles, an award-winning filmmaker and recent recipient of the Reel Sisters Trailblazer Award 2025. Knowles is currently receiving widespread acclaim for her powerful new film Katrina: Come Hell and High Water, which examines one of America's most devastating natural disasters and its lasting impact. She also directed Harlem Ice (Disney+), a 2026 Emmy-nominated documentary series.
Episode two features Amy Andrieux, Executive Director of the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), who shares insights from her latest exhibition featuring artist Esteban Whiteside. The show, titled "Beyond Rage," tackles social and political issues through a style reminiscent of Basquiat, exploring themes of racism, social justice, and community dialogue. Andrieux discusses MoCADA's evolution since its 1999 founding and the museum's ongoing mission to support Black artists and communities. Gregory Gates, founder of Eucalyptus Entertainment, rounds out the initial episodes by discussing his journey from spoken word contestant at the Apollo Theater to establishing a national poetry slam at the legendary Harlem venue.
Gates has collaborated with music icons including Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Stevie Wonder, and has produced major concerts, television shows, and films at prestigious venues including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Barclays Center, and the Prudential Center. "I chose to name the podcast Harvest because it symbolizes the process of most cultural work; a sometimes long and evolving process that in the end yields beauty and abundance," says Carolyn Butts, Founder of African Voices. Butts established African Voices 34 years ago with a vision to amplify diverse creative voices and celebrate cultural contributions across the African diaspora.
The podcast series represents African Voices' continued commitment to fostering cultural understanding through art, literature and film. The organization has earned national respect among the literary community for publishing excellent fiction, poetry and artwork, with Spelman College archiving their art collection for future generations. Harvest will air on Spotify and the African Voices YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@africanvoicesmagazine. This launch during Black History Month provides a timely platform for examining how cultural work evolves over time and contributes to broader societal conversations about identity, history, and artistic expression.
The series' importance lies in its direct access to influential cultural figures who are actively shaping contemporary narratives through various artistic mediums. By featuring conversations with filmmakers like Knowles exploring historical trauma, museum directors like Andrieux facilitating difficult dialogues about social justice, and producers like Gates bridging entertainment and cultural preservation, the podcast creates a multifaceted exploration of Black artistic contributions. These discussions matter because they document the creative processes behind significant cultural work while highlighting how artistic expression serves as both reflection and catalyst for social change.
African Voices' three-decade history of amplifying diverse voices adds credibility to this new venture, ensuring the conversations extend beyond surface-level interviews to substantive explorations of artistic practice and cultural impact. The timing during Black History Month emphasizes how contemporary artistic contributions continue historical traditions of creative expression while addressing current social realities. The podcast's availability on major platforms like Spotify and YouTube makes these important cultural conversations accessible to broad audiences, potentially influencing how people understand the role of art in society and the ongoing contributions of Black artists across disciplines.
