Wanda's Picks Radio Show

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!   Guests: Wanda Ravenell, founder, Omnira Institute, formerly known as NouvO’risha Institute, began in 2003 as a school for sacred knowledge for children of practitioners of spiritual traditions derived from West Africa by way of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. The organization’s choir, Awon Ohun Omnira (Voices of Freedom) participates in annual Juneteenth and Black History Month celebrations. Omnira Institute is located in Oakland, California and was founded by Wanda Ravernell who is a journalist and independent performing arts professional. The institute’s annual cycle of programming, called ‘Roots of Faith, Roots of Freedom’ began in 2009. It is a series of observances that honor the history of slavery and emancipation, that promote healing for Oakland’s African American community.