Sao Paulo celebrated Black Awareness Day with a great number of events that promoted the African culture. The United States Consulate brought the American singer and poet Toni Blackman to perform and give lectures in the city, in partnership with the Sao Paulo Municipal Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality.
At the State Secretariat of Culture’s auditorium and at the Afro BrasilMuseum, Toni spoke women’s role in hip-hop culture and about her recent project, “Rhyme like a Girl,” which helps young female artists establish themselves in the hip-hop market. At the Afro Brasil Museum, the artist also conducted a workshop on hip hop and poetic improvisation with kids from the Consulate-supported SESC social inclusion projects Basketball and Football Stars, and from the São Paulo state-supported Fábricas de Cultura. The event ended with a pocket show performed by Toni and local hip hop artists Z’africa Brasil.
While in Sao Paulo, Toni had the opportunity to stop by local media outlet UOL to perform for their online audiences of over 50 million viewers per month. Toni’s agenda in the city ended with a free show with DJ Simmone Lasdenas during the Black November celebration organized by city hall at the Vale do Anhangabaú, an open space in downtown Sao Paulo. Toni Blackman was chosen by the Department of State as a “Hip-Hop Ambassador” to work with cultural projects developed by United States diplomatic missions. She has performed, conducted workshops, and lectured on music and the hip-hop culture around the world and has shared the stage with artists as Sarah MacLachlan, Sherryl Crow, Erykah Badu and Mos Def among others.
Watch Toni Blackman’s interview and her pocket show on UOL.
