Tomorrow evening here in NYC, The CCCADI will host a screening of the film Children Of God, a movie dealing with sexuality and homophobia in Bahamas. A Question & Answer session with director Kareem Mortimer will follow.

Check out details on tomorrow’s event below…

Join CCCADI for a special screening of Children of God and a Q & A with Caribbean Filmmaker Kareem Mortimer.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011
7:10 p.m.
Quad Cinema
34 West 13th Street
New York, New York

For more info on the film, check out the trailer and synopsis below…

Against this backdrop of scaremongering and hate, the film introduces Jonny (Johnny Ferro), a creatively-blocked art student struggling with an obsessive-compulsive disorder that sees him cringe away from any human touch; Romeo (Stephen Tyrone Williams) a young man struggling with his obligations towards his family and his band; and the devoutly religious Lena Mackey (Margaret Laurena Kemp) an anti-gay activist whose hypocritical preacher husband has just given her a sexually-transmitted disease. On the Bahamian island of Eleuthera, these three people’s paths collide, with life-changing results.

Those looking for an event to bring in 2011 correctly need look no further than The GOOD Party, going on tonight at CCCADI. Click on the flier above for more info, or read below….

The GOOD Party
Good People | Good Music | Good Times

Where: The Gallery at CCCADI
408 W. 58th Street (btwn 9th and 10th) | Manhattan
Columbus Circle: A, B, C, D, or 1

Time: 10pm until

DJ LUMUMBA bka REVOLUTION, DJ CHELA,
DJ TARA, DJ SHINOBI SHAW

10PM til’ • 21+
Photography by Akintola Hanif
FOOD & DRINKS!

Purchase Tickets in Advance!
All proceeds benefit 35 years of the
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute

Tickets: $20 | $5 Drinks | FOOD

Host Committee:

Dee Phunk, Denise Greene, Desiree Gordon, Joshua Bee Alafia, Joaquin Noguera, Julia Grob, kahlil almustafa, Leilani Montes, Loren Hankin, Lumumba Bandele, Monifa Bandele, Malika Harris, Michael Cordero, Nyoka Acevedo, Olaronke Akinmowo, Rolando Brown, Shantrelle P. Lewis, Shesheena Bray, Stephen Wilder, Tracee Worley, Vanessa Urbina

Click here to purchase your tickets: New Year’s Eve Party: The GOOD Party!.

Great family event going down today at the Caribbean Cultural Center. Click on the flier for more info or check out the details below…

There’s something at Center Saturday for the entire Family!!

Admission: $5 Adults, Free for Kids

1 p.m. Storyteller, Cleopatra, presents a vibrant and interactive performance of folklore from the Haitian countryside at 1pm. The whole family can join in on the songs and rhymes that are part of the stories.

2:30 p.m. Full Body Stories by WoomenMoves
They say the body has its own language. What happens when you bring alive your thoughts, stories and memories into full body expression.? Explore your Voice, Breath, and Body Moves, tap into your creative intent and Express yourself! Get in line with your body talk in this 90 minute creative workshop with facilitator Marlies Yearby, world renowned artist and Life Enhancement Coach. Google her and smile.

Authentic Self-Bizarre
Captured images from past workshops can be bought on pillows, journals, and cards or get a WoomenMoves tee shirt as a reminder to celebrate yourself. Products available in the Authentic Self Bizarre to follow the Full Body Stories workshop. Come together to explore our stories locked inside our bodies. The sharing comes through the community reflecting each others voices movement.

4:30 p.m. OPEN GALLERY
Use this opportunity to view the Wearing Spirit exhibition.

LIMITED SEATING!

To RSVP – email education@cccadi.org or call 212.307.7420 ext. 3010

For more info on the event, log CCCADI.org or check out the facebook invite for the event.

I definitely have to give credit where it’s due. CCCADI continues to put together some great events. Tonight, they’re set to launch their truly unique art exhibition for Women’s History Month. Check out the details below…

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) is pleased to present “Wearing Spirit: Aesthetically Personifying the Feminine in African Sacred Traditions” a multi-media exhibition of paintings, sculpture, photography, textile art, video and installations honoring the power of the Feminine present in African Sacred Traditions.

While African Sacred Traditions exist within a context of gender duality of masculine/feminine, this exhibition specifically explores the complex fabric of female personalities in indigenous African spirituality. Work in the exhibition captures the essence and power of the female deities, priestesses, and prophets that have served as instruments of balance and grounding within indigenous African spiritual systems and their derivatives.

Artists attempt to answer such questions as: Who are the gatekeepers of the spirit and physical realms? Who are the most prominent female divinities? What are the roles of female priestesses and prophets in a contemporary context? How is feminine energy shaping the future of these traditions?

This show is an awe-inspiring reflection of the universal essence that is cosmically feminine. It also highlights the traditional West African systems of Akan, Vodun and Yoruba and their Diasporan counteparts along with other rituals and rites-of-passage ceremonies.

In 2010, people are still being persecuted for their devotion to these indigineous belief systems. Most recently, there are reports of Haitian earthquake survivors being denied food and assistance as well as having their temples and altars desecrated and destroyed by evangelical Christians, simply for their practice of Vodun. Additionally, there needs to be a resurgence of earth-based practices during times of environmental disintegration. These traditions must be preserved and celebrated and this exhibition further educates the general masses to the cosmic energy that is Feminine and Sacred.

Opening Reception:
March 11 6 – 8:30 p.m.

On View:
March 12 through May 21, 2010

For more info on the event, click here.

Check out a full listing of the artists involved and a video interview with Imo Nse Imeh, Ph.D as he discusses his piece “Mechanisms in Uyai,” after the jump…

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The other day, I let you know about Sunday’s concert with Guadeloupean songtress Magali Léger. Well, I just got word of a sperate event this Friday @ CCCADI. Click the flier above for more info, or see below….

Join the Caribbean Cultural Center as we partner with The Saint Georges International Festival to present Classical Innovators featuring Ensemble du Monde led by Music Director/Conductor Marlon Daniel and special guest soprano soloist, Magali Legér who hails from Francophone Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. We invite you to attend a special wine and cheese reception to meet world renowned musical legends Chapman Rogers, Magali Legér, and Marlon Daniels.

ArtIST World Concert Promotion
In Collaboration with
The Saint Georges International Festival &
The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute

Present
Classical Innovators

Ensemble du Monde
Marlon Daniel Music, Director and Conductor

And special guest soloist
Magali Leger, soprano

Friday, January 8, 2009 @ CCCADI (408 W. 58th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues)

We hope that you’ll join us for a pre-Concert wine and cheese reception and meet and greet with world renowned musical guests Magali Léger, Chapman Roberts and Music Director Marlon Daniel.

For more info, click here: This weekend: Classical Innovators Wine & Cheese Reception and Concert @ CCCADI.

Very cool event going down tonight at CCCADI celebrating some of Marvel Comics’ most famous characters. On top of that, they’ll be running a toy drive for the holidays too. Check out the details below…

This new show celebrates six of Marvel Comics’ popular and iconographic super hero characters: Black Panther, Storm, Luke Cage, The Falcon, Blade and James Rhodes (Iron Man/War Machine). We invite you to join us at the gallery of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) at 408 West 58th Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues. In the spirit of the ideals of heroism, the exhibit will also collect gifts for a toy drive beginning December 18 through December 20. The exhibit will run through February 26, 2010.

Marvelous Color
At the Gallery of the
Caribbean Cultural Center
African Diaspora Institute
General Public Opening: December 18, 2009

Start Time:
6:00pm – 8:00pm

The event is a collaboartion with NYC-based collective Somos Arte. For more details on tonight’s opening, click here: TONIGHT: Marvelous Color Opening @ The Caribbean Cultural Center.

Also, check out another flier after the jump…

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Tonight, the Caribbean Cultural Center in conjunction with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation present a screening of When The Spirits Dance Mambo, the critically acclaimed film co-directed and produced by Bobby Shephard and Dr. Marta Moreno Vega. Check out the details below…

Tracing the role of sacred African thought and practices in the formation of Cuban society, culture and music, the documentary is a tribute to the spiritual energy that traveled form West Africa to Cuba and New York. The film was shot over a three month period in Cuba and New York. “When the Spirits Dance Mambo” documents the roots of the sacred African religion, La Regla de Ocha (known as Santeria). There will be a question and answer with Dr. Marta Moreno Vega directly following the film.

Hansborough Recreation Center
35 W 134th St
New York, NY 10037-2503
(212) 234-9603

Start Time:
7:00pm – 8:30pm

For more info on tonight’s screening, click here: When The Spirits Dance Mambo Screening..

And for a taste of what to expect, see the clip below…

This coming Tuesday, The CCCADI, will be wrapping up the mixed-media art exhibition featuring the works of Alta Berri and Adrian ‘Viajero’ Roman. That means there’s still time for you to catch it before the closing reception.

Check out the details below….

This is your last time to check out the incredible La JUNTA mixed media exhibit featuring the work of young Latino artists Alta Berri and Adrian ‘Viajero’ Roman. The exhibit reflects themes of Afro-Latino heritage, immigration, family, spirituality and cultural pride.

For more info on the event, click here: Tuesday: La JUNTA Closing Reception.

Interesting event going down tomorrow night at CCCADI. Check out the info below…

If you are in the mood for a fun-filled yet educational holiday event, you should join us as we host a holiday Coquito Masters Qualifier. Coquito is a traditional Puerto Rican alcoholic beverage similar to eggnog. The tasting will serve as one of the qualifying events for the Coquito Masters finals which will be held at the Museo del Barrio on Dec. 19th 2009, where winners will compete for Coquito Master title and prizes. The intent of the CMQ is to increase the opportunity for local participation in the Coquito Masters and to promote the preservation of Puerto Rican culinary traditions. Now in its 8th year, the event has become a great way to kick off the holiday season with friends and family.

If you have a great Coquito recipe, contact Debbie Quinones to register!

Schedule of Events:

• 6:00 – 6:45 p.m. Coquito Registration
• 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Tasting
• 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. Scoring and networking

For more info, click here: Coquito Tasting Event @ CCCDAI.

The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, Raices Latin Music Museum & Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts are combining forces this coming weekend for a great event that traces the History of Mambo and New York City back to Cuba, Haiti, Africa and beyond. Check out the details below…

The history of Mambo and New York City: In the World Famous Palladium – Home of the Mambo and in the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, Machito and His Afro Cubans, Tito Rodriguez, Tito Puente, and others established a style, a music, a movement celebrating the beauty of our color, our bodies, our movement, our regality. Mambo, a Bantu word, traveled from Central Africa to Cuba, Haiti, and other locations. Learn the history and dance to the music of fire with Machito’s Chango Ta Veni, Babaluaye of Miguelito Valdes and much more…The Orisha and Mambo Connection!

For more info on the event, click here: ¡Mambo Que Rico Es! @ CCCADI.