Black Atlantic 2021

Friday, March 19 thru Saturday, April 3, 2021

Over the past two seasons, Duke Performances has brought some of the most musically fabled regions of the world to Durham with Black Atlantic, a weeklong spring festival in downtown Durham celebrating the music of Africa and the African diaspora through the Americas.

Black Atlantic virtually in Spring 2021 in search of further cultural connections, with artists hailing from Colombia, Guinea, Cuba, Trinidad, Kenya, Congo, and the United States. In addition to the evening performances, the festival will feature a public conversation with Natu Camara, visits by participating musicians to Duke classes, and free demonstrations throughout the week.

Guinean singer-songwriter Natu Camara and Colombian-born harpist Edmar Castañeda will join forces for a double feature virtual show on March 20, the first in Duke Performances’ annual Black Atlantic festival that explores the culture and music of the African diaspora through the Americas.

During her residency, Camara will sit down with Deonte Harris, ethnomusicologist and professor in Duke’s International Comparative Studies program, for a free virtual conversation. They will discuss her work and career, as well as her activism in support of the education of girls and women throughout West Africa. Natu Camara and Edmar Castañeda’s performance films will be part of our virtual field trip series for Durham Public Schools.