Wanda's Picks Radio, Wed., June 5, 2019

Lavar Munroe with his Gun Dogs at MoAD-SF
Photo: Wanda Sabir

This is a black arts and culture site. We will be exploring the African Diaspora via the writing, performance, both musical and theatrical (film and stage), as well as the visual arts of Africans in the Diaspora and those influenced by these aesthetic forms of expression. I am interested in the political and social ramifications of art on society, specifically movements supported by these artists and their forebearers. It is my claim that the artists are the true revolutionaries, their work honest and filled with raw unedited passion. They are our true heroes. Ashay!

 1. Lavar Munroe, artist from Nassau, Bahamas, joins us to talk about his work in the exhibition: Coffee, Rhum, Sugar and Gold: A Postcolonial Paradox, May 8-Aug. 11, 2019 at the Museum of the African Diaspora in SF. Visit moad-sf.org

Lavar Munroe’s work functions as a reflection of the environment of his upbringing, and draws from memory the crude graffiti on the walls that surrounded his street. Munroe maps a personal journey of survival and trauma in a world of gang violence, drugs, murder, and self-discovery. Though inspired by the past, Munroe’s loud, energetic, and unapologetic visual language confronts contemporary society with the strained and difficult relationship between authority and those who are marginalized and oppressed by systems of power. As well as tapping his own experiences, much of Munroe’s practice comprises research that is informed by critical investigation and theories surrounding mythology and literature. Through his work, Munroe explores several social stereotypes to critique and challenge disparities that cut across gender, race, class, and age.

Lavar Munroe's Red Bone Series at MoAD-SF
Photo: Wanda Sabir

Five of Lavar Munroe’s sculptures from his Gun Dogs series will be on display. Made from cardboard, deconstructed Junkanoo (Bahamian Carnival) costumes, and found toys and objects, Munroe says of these works, “Throughout history, dogs have been used for various reasons ranging from farm work, to slave hunting, to law enforcement and personal protection. The black mind and body have endured extreme trauma in relation to these animals. Gun Dogs also served as the name of a prominent street gang in the Bain and Grants Town area (Nassau, Bahamas) in the late 80s, early 90s. [The dog] identified the menaces and outcasts from society who thrived on the notion of ‘survival by all means.’”

2. San Francisco Black Film Festival XXI, June 13-16 with a special tribute to Jeff Adachi, SF District Attorney, and panel on Prison Reform, June 12. Visit sfbff.org

3. Justin (actor) and Jeffrey Givens (director) join us to talk about their film selection, "Disparity," screening at the Special Tribute on June 12 and again later on in the Festival.

Meet Charlie, he’s white and has been arrested for selling cocaine. Meet Syd he’s black and has  been arrested for crack. Despite being caught with the same drug the disparity in their treatment will open your mind about race and class in the broken u.s justice system.Tag line: Same story, different endings.

4. "Soar Torian Soar" interview with co-directors: Audrey Candy Corn and Peter Menchini. Visit sfindie.org

Music: Meklit and Quinn

Link to show:  http://tobtr.com/s/11368805