The 15th annual Afropunk Festival will return with a new wave of dynamic musical performances and events to Fort Greene's Commodore Barry Park on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25.
Organizers just revealed the 2019 lineup which will be headlined by Jill Scott, FKA twigs, Kamasi Washington, along with Santigold, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Lianne La Havas, Masego and many more.
Since its founding, the goal of Afropunk Festival has been to connect people who shared a musical mindset of freedom and unfiltered creative expression. Born out of the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, the festival has since spread across the U.S., to U.K., France and South Africa.
While music performances have long been the main focus of the festival, in recent years it has also earned a reputation for natural hairstyles, fashion flair, celebrity sighting and activism.
As in previous years, Afropunk has set a theme to capture the festival's spirit: WE SEE YOU, organizers announced, is this year's theme.
"There is power in acknowledgment, a recognition and acceptance that begins with seeing.
Not at a glance, but with a meaningful gaze, a focus that carries the strength required to build a shared global future and a brave new world. Our courage is already immortal. Absorbing the soulfulness of your existence is an act that's as natural as breathing, yet one too often distorted by perverse colonial visions. Our presence is their terror.
Of course, your beauty, individuality and wonder were never truly hidden. The world has simply chosen to go willfully blind. Knowledge and experience do not compensate for the need to perceive more clearly, engage more locally, listen more closely.
Seeing is believing. Seeing is understanding. Seeing is supporting. We, the people, see you. We see you."
Other performers at this year's festival include:
- Danny Brown
- GoldLink
- J.I.D.
- Toro y Moi
- Death Grips
- Nao
- Samurai Shotgun
- Tierra Whack
- IAMDDB
- Leikeli47
- Rico Nasty
- Earthgang
- Kari Faux
- Soulection
- Mike Q
And many more!
For more information visit the Afropunk website. Also, stay tuned for more additions to the lineup as the festival nears.
