Our Stories Workshop: Diaspora, Storytelling, and Music by Naledi Masilo

NALEDI is a South African born, New York based vocalist, composer and teaching artist. Naledi’s artistic practice is rooted in an exploration of the jazz tradition, storytelling and influences of my African heritage. She has been said to submerge audiences in spirited and deeply rooted encounters, and speaks and sings in over 7 languages and use dance and spoken word as a means of sonic communication.

Looking at the current socio-cultural landscape and the need for expanded thinking and immersion of global cultures, Naledi is deeply invested in understanding how the study and platforming of full-bodied African storytelling can create pathways for community-centered mindset, greater shared identities, and a more equitable society. 

African art, ritual and history have long been seen as a key to understanding the human condition over centuries. Not only incorporating, but centering this factor in modern arts curriculum and practice, allows the art to exist honestly, and the key sediments of the practices to not only surface within it, but be incorporated socio-culturally. Juxtaposing her experiences in post-apartheid, rural/urban South Africa, and urban United States Naledi will be exploring this topic through generational reflection, audio-visual reference and performance. She will be sharing key aspects of her upbringing, key lessons through learning and unlearning “Jazz” and its influence on blackness and community; as well as highlighting how the idea of “performance” cannot exist without true storytelling.