As part of the ongoing Gather series at the Institute of Contemporary Art, AfroTaino Productions and the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival invite you to join in a celebration of the arrival of the summer season. This event, RESIST/RELEASE, will be a jam-packed evening of art, dance, film, music, and mucho sabor.

Harnessing the energy of the solstice, we come together to reflect on the histories of Afro-Diasporic resistance and survival throughout the Americas. With every song, every movement, and every story of resistance told, we will build new tomorrows by releasing joy.

RESIST/RELEASE will share stories through artistic expressions: Choreographer Leilani Chirino explores the struggle of the divine feminine via Afro-Cuban deity worship & modern dance. Polyrhythmic messages of Puerto Rican pride are sung and chanted by the folkloric group Los Bomberos de la Calle. Omid Fatemi’s short documentary Conversations with Otura Mun focuses on Mun’s journey from everyday African-American culture to a soulful rebirth in the Yoruba faith of Ifa. Bittersweet melodies of banned Afro-Mexican songs are sung and strummed by the jarana guitar-wielding ensemble Son Revoltura. Moko*Motion enhances self-awareness through the art of stilt-walking, embodying the Afro-Caribbean “jumbies” who will serve as the “spiritual guides” of the gathering DJ/producer Rahsaan maintains the energy by seaming the performances together with musical selections central to the theme.

This celebratory gathering is for all audiences, but especially for aficianados of Afro-Caribbean folkloric arts and cultural studies, and for those familiar with the resilience of the Afro-Latino legacies born from the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

This event is free and open to the public; register here.