SUPAFRIK NOLA! A recap of Pop-Up #8 in New Orleans.

Two weeks ago we went down to New Orleans, Louisiana to set up shop for the eight edition of SUPAFRIK. It was an amazing experience worthy of a few thousand words. Instead here’s a hundred or so pictures instead of New Orleanians experiencing SUPAFRIK and us experiencing New Orleans. SUPAFRIK Weekend was a blast and we are already planning to do it again (join the FB page and stay tuned). To the beautiful people of New Orleans and the village that it took to make this happen: Thank you!

Words by Chinedu Ukabam | Photos by Aden Abebe

The beautiful Joan Mitchell Center where we lived, worked and played for the duration of our trip

Thanks to the students from State University New Orlean’s Museum Studies program. They were the best install we could have asked for. Erika Evans, Maya Mathews and Kazim Oyewuwo

We passed through a cool event put on by DOPEciety called “Couches”. It’s like bringing the coolest cutting edge bands into your living room to jam just for you. They transformed the space at PORT beautifully to fit with the theme. A few days later we used this same space to throw our GUMBO dance party.

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SUPAFRIK is coming to NEW ORLEANS! November 12 – 15

We are taking the SUPAFRIK pop-up back on the road again! In less than two weeks we will be touching down in New Orleans for a 4 day food, fashion, art extravaganza! From November 12 – 15, SUPAFRIK will serve as a space and destination event where creative expressions from all over the African continent and communities in the diaspora will meet the rich and multilayered cultural milieux that New Orleans is world famous for.

We are pulling out all the stops for NOLA! The festivities kick off from 7PM on Thursday with an art exhibit titled “Nesting: The Makings of Home” at The Joan Mitchell Foundation (2275 Bayou Rd) featuring  a selection of works by Shoshanna Weinberger (Newark, New Jersey), Shannon Lewis (Berlin, Germany), Heather Hart(Brooklyn, New York), photographer Patrick Melon (New Orleans) and a performance art piece by Rebecca Mwasse(New Orleans via Zimbabwe) drawn from her latest play Looking At a Broad. Complementary catering will be provided by local Afro-fusion pop-up foodies the Black Swan Food Experience. The SUPAFRIK pop-up shop will also be open for the duration of the four days selling a selection of cutting edge fashion from Osei Duro (Made in Ghana), New Orleans based DopeCiety, a new collection from Chinedesign (Toronto) and top sellers from Blkkangaroo. The shop will also a curated selection of art and art objects from Material Life Nola (including coveted limited edition pieces by Kehinde Wiley and Chris Ofili)

Other events in the line-up include a runway and live-mannequin fashion show, a theatrical production, an art panel discussion on creativity, a movie and an African-themed masquerade ball featuring Grammy-nominated Hot 8 Brass Band (Friday). Not to mention a “Gumbo” party featuring a first time historical collaboration between Toronto and New Orleans DJs connecting the dots by mixing musical flavors from NOLA, Africa and the Caribbean.

It is all as exciting as it sounds. Check back often as we reveal more details over the next few days. We don’t want to overwhelm you with too much goodness at one time!

Recap: SUPAFRIK Shhhhhhhh Secret BBQ Party

Moments captured by Taiwo Bah
Words by Chinedu Ukabam

“Yesterday was the hottest day of the Toronto summer so far. Humidity so thick, the city issued a heat warning that sent people scampering to the nearest air conditioned enclosure. It was the type of heat that would make someone want to throw a trash can through the front window of a pizza parlor.

#MasqueradeTO Behind the Scenes Part 1 (Promo shoot)

A behind the scenes look at a photo shoot with two working pieces from Chinedesign’s Masquerade collection debuting at #MasqueradeTO February 15, 2013. This video is the first in a series documenting the creative process leading up to the event. Stay tuned for more and visit chinedesign.com/masquerade for more information. Twitter: #MasqueradeTO

Our Holiday Gift Shop Launches Tomorrow!

If you missed us at one of the pop-ups  in Toronto or Washington DC don’t worry you know that we got you! We’ve been listening to your requests. Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to shop the SUPAFRIK pop-up online! We’ve cherry picked the best sellers from the past four pop-up shops and added a few surprises as well. New merchandise will be added at the start of the day, everyday for the 8 day duration so check back often for a chance to snap them up. When we say qualities are limited, we mean LIMITED. If you are still looking for that unique gift for your friends, family or yourself, wait till you see what we have at the SUPAFRIK Holiday Gift Shop!

Tune in to: SHOP.SUPAFRIK.COM to travel around the world in 8 days from December 13th to the 20th.

p.s. If you haven’t already, find SUPAFRIK on facebook, “like” us and check out the invite for updates: https://www.facebook.com/events/516292165061864/