MOJA Arts Festival 2017 Calendar of Events

moja @ charleston music hall 843-853-2252 I 37 john st

A TRIBUTE TO SAM COOKE STARRING: HAZEL KETCHUM, LINDSAY HOLLER, ALVA ANDERSON, CINDY KEARNEY, MCKENZIE EDDY, VIKKI MATSIS, EXAVIA BAXTER

City of Charleston South Carolina Dear MOJA Festival Guests: Welcome to the 2011 MOJA Arts Festival, Charleston’s annual celebration of AfricanAmerican and Caribbean Arts and Culture, produced by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.

This year’s festival highlights include: An Evening of Jazz Under the Stars with Najee at Porter-Gaud School Stadium (pg. 10); City Gallery at Waterfront Park exhibition “Special Moments: Works From the Collection of Dr. Harold Rhodes, III” (pg. 27); A Classical Encounter with Eleganza at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park followed by a champagne reception (pg. 11); Mt. Zion Spiritual Singers’ soul stirring Camp Meeting (pg. 11); an enchanting evening of dance by PHILADANCO at the Gaillard Auditorium (pg. 7); Gwen Butler’s jazz cruise on the Charleston Harbor aboard the Spirit of Charleston (pg. 18); and African writer Jacqueline Maduneme’s lecture about her compelling autobiography, Ada’s Daughter (pg. 8). New this year, is a unique partnership between the Preservation Society of Charleston and the MOJA Festival that offers three concerts in historic downtown churches called “Architecture in Concert” (pg. 10). These are just a few of the outstanding programs in this year’s MOJA Festival.

Each year the MOJA Festival is produced by the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs in collaboration with the MOJA Planning Committee, chaired this year by Edna Edwards Williams with Elease Amos-Goodwin serving as the Planning Committee Liaison to the OCA. MOJA’s Advisory Committee assists with advocacy for the festival and is chaired by the Honorable James E. Clyburn. Special thanks go to Charleston City Council for their on-going support of the MOJA Festival and also to the individual donors, foundations, government agencies and corporations who provide funding, grants and in-kind donations to help us make MOJA accessible to everyone in the community.

And finally, Bravo to the members of our hard-working Office of Cultural Affairs team along with all of the City departments that help make it happen: Parks, Recreation, Legal, Finance, Budget, Police, Traffic & Transportation, Information Technology, Human Resources, Public Services, Public Information, Special Facilities and the Mayor’s Office.

We invite you to bring your family and friends to attend this year’s MOJA Festival which connects everyone in a joyous atmosphere celebrating the arts. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. City of Charleston

Ellen Dressler Moryl, Director Office of Cultural Affairs

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City of Charleston John J. Tecklenburg Mayor

May 12, 2016 Most sincerely yours,

John J. Tecklenburg Mayor, City of Charleston

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

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US-17 TO MT. PLEASANT SULLIVANS ISLAND ISLE OF PALMS HAMPTON PARK

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THE CITADEL

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TO WEST ASHLEY

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COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

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SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28

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INSPIRED MINDS INSPIRE THE WORLD.

Through the power of the arts, we are all inspired. Boeing is proud to sponsor the MOJA Arts Festival and its ongoing mission to celebrate diversity through performing arts.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS OF INTEREST HERITAGE AND COMMUNITY - SWAHILI SUNDAY

DATE: Sunday, September 24, 10:00am VENUE: Morris Brown AME Church ADDRESS: 13 Morris Street COORDINATOR: S. Johari Andika

Swahili Sunday is an annual tradition that ceremonially opens the MOJA Arts Festival with African dress, spoken Swahili, and prayer. Worshipers in the Holy City call upon the Holy Spirit and ask the Almighty for another successful Festival season. The theme for this Swahili Sunday is Love. At several points during the service, the Pastor will ask worshipers to use their Swahili program insert to exchange, in Swahili: I love you and I love you too.

LITERARY - WRITERS’ WORKSHOPS

A five day writers’ workshop for pre-selected middle school students facilitated by Savannah J. Frierson, who resides in Charleston, South Carolina. Savannah realized writing was her calling her junior year of high school. She completed her first original work, Reconstructing Jada Channing, as her senior thesis at Harvard University, earning the 2005 Dorothy Hicks Lee Prize for most outstanding thesis concerning African or African-American literature. In 2007, Savannah released her first novel, Being Plumville, which earned Savannah SORMAG Readers’ Choice Awards in 2007 and an Emma Award nomination for Debut Author of the Year at the 2008 Romance Slam Jam Conference.

For more details visit mojafestival.com.

DANCE - EVIDENCE WORKSHOPS

Based in Brooklyn, New York, Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE, A Dance Company focuses on the seamless integration of traditional African dance with contemporary choreography and spoken word. An internationally renowned company, EVIDENCE will bring three days of workshops to Charleston classrooms, stages and public spaces. For a full schedule of workshops and events, visit mojafestival.com. This presentation of EVIDENCE, A Dance Company is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the South Carolina Arts Commission.

MUSIC - OH HAPPY DAY GOSPEL MUSIC EXPERIENCE

DATE: Sunday, October 15, 5:00pm VENUE: Circular Congregational Church ADDRESS: 150 Meeting Street ADMISSION: $20 Adults; $18 Seniors; $12 Students under 18 (additional fees may apply) FOR TICKETS: OhHappyDayCharleston.com or 888-576-1590 The Oh Happy Day Gospel Music Experience presents a heartfelt and energy-filled performance for all ages with traditional songs, hymns, and Negro spirituals covering music from Mahalia Jackson, Paul Robeson, and others. With an informative historical narrative, The Bright Family Singers and ensemble captivate the audience with power-

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3

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Feel Better Fast

www.rsfh.com/expresscare

SCE&G is proud to support the

2017 MOJA Arts Festival.

sceg.com

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moja @ DOCK STREET THEATRE 866-811-4111 I 135 Church St

September 29 & 30, October 1 Fences

Art Forms & Theatre Concepts, Inc.’s premiere staging of August Wilson’s renowned drama

October 4

Poetic Jazz Society

Join Quentin E. Baxter and Marcus Amaker for a night of poetry and jazz

October 8 Ranky Tanky Homecoming

Celebrate the return of the Lowcountry’s newest and hottest touring musical ensemble

moja @ The Gaillard Center 843-242-3099 I 95 Calhoun St

OCTOBER 6 Ellington’s Sacred Concerts Charlton Singleton and Nathan L. Nelson assemble the area’s finest musical talents to mount an ambitious program of selections from Duke Ellington’s landmark Sacred Concerts, featuring Lowcountry Voices & Friends.

And following the Festival ...

OCTOBER 24 Ballet Hispánico In association with the MOJA Arts Festival, The Charleston Gaillard Center presents Ballet Hispánico for an exclusive one-night only engagement.

PHOTO BY PRISCILLA THOMAS