What is Black Gotham Experience?
Established in 2010 by artist/historian Kamau Ware, Black Gotham Experience creates media at the intersection of scholarship and aesthetics that illustrates the impact of the African Diaspora missing from collective consciousness as well as the public square. We reimagine the spaces directly impacted by the African Diaspora as human stories explored through interactive walks, talks, events, and art. The heart of these experiences are five core stories that revisit Manhattan in 1623 and move forward through three centuries: Other Side of Wall Street, Sarah’s Fire, Caesar’s Rebellion, Citizen Hope, and State of Mirrors.
Why Black Gotham Experience?
We believe empathy, scholarship, and creativity liberate humanity to see, think, and behave outside of our imagined potential. By telling the stories of Black Gotham Experience, which predates the creation of New York City and expands to countries in Europe, Africa, the West Indies, and South America, we tell a global human story told around the same camp fire. Connecting people of today with forgotten people of the past in a visceral, visual manner satisfies the impulse of exploration, while also helping to create a better tomorrow.
Why now?
People worldwide are at a tipping point, yearning for an inclusive and honest approach to history. Storytelling has the power to heal, enliven, and empower. From New York City to Paris, from Amsterdam to Cape Town, from Accra to London, people are emboldened to discover the history missing from popular narratives – the history that is their birthright.