our first fellow yaw asare is already shining at howard
Siblings: Yaw Asare - the Black Ideas Collaborative’s (BIC) inaugural Diaspora Bridge Fund (DBF) fellow - is here! He arrived at Howard University on August 5th and has been making himself known in this new place ever since. Read on for his early reflections on the US and the ways that he is already making his mark:
Reflections from Yaw:
“Yes, I am in Babylon.”
"Greetings all. I pray we are doing well. I am also doing well in Washington D.C still feeling the warm radiation from community. I present to you here some initial reflections from a journal I have been keeping during my time here. This journal is accompanied by some visuals. You can follow the visual journey on instagram: @troddingthrubabylon.”
Recognizing how quickly the most incongruous aspects of the US can become normalized, Yaw is already making a practice of journaling his experiences. A sampling:
“Yes, I am in babylon. A wanderer. A lone one but not really alone. I sit at Sankɔfa Cafe now typing this. The journey here was quite long. But I knocked myself off on the plane with two sleeping pills. I was tired. I was stressed and in need of much rest. I knew if I didn't allow for rest, I would eventually break down. And babylon is not the place for a brother to break down...”
Follow Yaw’s instagram above for alerts about new posts.
Yaw served as a Panelist for Howard University’s Conference Hip-Hop 50: Past Present & Future
On August 11th, less than a week after landing in the US, Yaw had the opportunity to present at Howard University’s hip-hop conference as part of the panel, Black Communities & Black Consciousness. His presentation spoke to hip-hop’s role as a vessel for of Black Consciousness by offering an analysis of two West African rappers whom he is in deep relationship with, Pure Akan and Elom20ce. Yaw offered his analysis via a powerful short film (20min) which you can view in full here.
Black Ideas Collaborative Ignitor, Ericka Ward shared these reflections after viewing: “Hip Hop As A Vessel for Black Consciousness exemplifies why it is so important to invest in each other, in the brilliance we carry as Black people. In our creativity, in our playful use of language, in our spiritual practices and artistic expressions, we carry radical thought, healing strategies and visions of liberation. Through his film, Yaw builds a bridge that connects the audience to the spiritual essence and transformative power being expressed through African voices.”
Twi Classes at DC’s Sankɔfa Cafe Powered by the Black Ideas Collaborative (okay basically Yaw is powering it:)
Starting in the Spring semester of 2024, Yaw has been invited to teach the first credit-bearing Twi language course ever to be offered at Howard University. In the Fall (and hopefully ongoing!), Yaw has partnered with Sankɔfa Cafe - a Shaw neighborhood institution - to bring donation-based Twi classes to the community. Proceeds will continue the virtuous cycle of supporting the Black Ideas Collaborative.