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Creative wellness workshops for African communities in Cardiff with SSAP

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We curated the first 4 workshops of jamii 2, creative wellbeing workshops for African communities in Cardiff, delivered in partnership with SSAP funded by National Lottery Community Fund Wales

Through the workshops we explored mindfulness and meditation, poetry and writing, natural wellness remedies, and used arts and crafts to celebrate heritage. The workshops were hosted in Cardiff and were attended by over 50 participants, including young children, teens, creatives, families and elders.

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‘Jamii’ means community; our sense of togetherness and the mutual support and strength we draw from each other

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Mindfulness

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Led by Adjua on 15 Dec 2024 at Unity Room, this workshop invited attendees to participate in vocal group meditation and harmonies. 

Starting with an intro into the history and the psycho-psychological benefits of meditation, moving on to a breathing exercise, participants were encouraged to find their voice and access deeper vocal frequencies in harmony, as Adjua played bass loops. Ending the workshop with conversations and music sharing, everyone left feeling grounded and more relaxed.

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“This was such a lovely safe space, I really felt like I could trust my voice and tap into that energy”- said Nimat

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Belonging

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Led by Emmanuel Sugo and hosted at Unity Studio on 18 Jan 2025, this workshop invited writers, lyricists, musicians & poets to explore connections between mental health, identity, and belonging. Using poetry as a tool to express emotions and forge connections.

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During the workshop, participants took part in a series of creative writing challenges. Each prompting an exploration of home through creative wordplay. Including word associations, speed poetry writing, song writing, and storytelling exploring what home means to them, how places and people inform their sense of belonging.

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“I loved it! It got me thinking about home and writing in new ways” – Said singer Lily 

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Awaken

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Hosted by Tenesia and Danny from Earth To Earth Organics at Grange Pavilion on 19 Jan. Participants were guided in creating two natural remedies that promote whole-body wellness: a nourishing body butter with infused oils and a wellness tea blend. 

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Splitting the workshop into two stations, bodybutter and the tea blend. Danny led the bodybutter station, where participants worked with raw shea butter, whipping it until it was light and fluffy, then mixed it with their own combination of lavender, calendula, and rosemary oil infusions.

For the tea blend station, Tenesia explored various types of dried herbs and leaves explaining each of their health benefits, before participants were able to create their own tea blends, which included sorrel, soursop leaves, moringa, and chamomile.

At the end of the workshops each participant filled out an individual affirmations card and left with a box of their newly created remedies.

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“I’m so excited to show my friends my bodybutter that I made, it smells so good!” – Said Chyna aged 7

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Ludo

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Hosted by Albert Vale (The Real Ting) also in Grange Pavilion on 19 Jan, this family workshop had participants split into groups of 4-5 to design their own Ludo board expressing their family’s unique cultural heritage and flag, which included Jamaica, Yemen, Nigeria, St Kits and others.

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“I really enjoyed the workshop. And it means so much to me as I hope this ludi board will be in my family for generations.” – Said Aisha

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More workshops are planned for Jamii 2 in 2025 – Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to hear about them 

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Of Us features in 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech installation curated by Nataal

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154 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech presented special project We, Maji an immersive digital installation by Nataal. The installation featured a presentation of Jukebox Collective’s short film Of Us Directed by Liara Barussi, accompanied by soundscape Omi by Felix Taylor and Melo-zed. Launching the first international screening of the film. Presented at DaDa Marrakech between January 30 – February 2, 2025, alongside a programming of events, exhibitions and gatherings across the city celebrating contemporary African art. 

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This year for its 6th edition, 1-54 Marrakech hosted a dedicated programming of specially curated content, events, and partnerships. Featuring more than 30 galleries from 15 countries within the African continent, showcasing curated pieces by emerging and established artists from across the continent at DaDa and la Mamounia.

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Highlights from the fair included Tate acquiring Blank stare (2021), an oil painting by Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo, whose work mostly consists of portraits of Black figures, often against brightly coloured backgrounds and using his signature finger-painting style. 

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Special projects were also programmed, including Nataal’s We, Maji, an immersive digital installation bringing its latest digital issue to life. Curated by Marie Gomis-Trezise, the installation featured works by Togo Yeye for Vlisco; Anil Padia, showcasing archive Yoshita1967; Bubu Ogisi & Shitanda for IAMISIGO; Silvana Trevale, Tansi Makele, Vincent Frédéric-Colombo and Morgane H. Gomez presented ‘Camadas de Nós’  (Layers of Us), a short film and photo series for C.R.E.O.L.E.; and Libyan alt rapper Khakikid by Paula Trojner; Tied together in a meditation on water and the movements, myths and memories that draw people to shore.

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“It’s been an incredible journey curating an experience that celebrates water as a central force connecting stories across Kenya, Rio, Dublin, Togo and beyond” said curator Marie Gomis-Trezise

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The installation also featured a presentation of Jukebox Collective’s short film Of Us Directed by Liara Barussi, accompanied by soundscape Omi by Felix Taylor and Melo-zed. Launching the first international screening of the film as it makes its way to Wales and Belgium later on in the month.

“Seeing Wales and our talent reflected within the contemporary African art space was a really significant moment,” says Film & Movement Director Liara Barussi

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Visit our instagram page for more highlights from our time in 154 Marrakech

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St Davids Day 2025 campaign re-imagining traditional Welsh costume

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Launching on 24th Feb in celebration of St Davids Day (1st March 2025), Jukebox Collective and Bleak Fabulous take over Cardiff in an outdoor and digital campaign reimagining traditional Welsh costume, envisioned through the creative lens of Jukebox Academy.

 

The collaborative project led by Creative Director Charlotte James and Photographer Clémentine Schneidermann explores Welsh heritage, inspired by the iconic Welsh hat, using the national iconography as a starting point to reflect on Wales’ cultural roots and its identity today. Shot around Butetown and Cardiff Bay, home to one of the UK’s oldest Black communities, the project celebrates a modern-day Wales that connects tradition with diverse cultural identities. 

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Beginning in 2021 through a series of creative workshops with the students from Jukebox Academy, a programme supporting the next generation of Welsh creative talent. The students, ages 7 to 16 took part in workshops on costume design, styling, photography, illustration, and art direction. These sessions encouraged an exploration of Welsh pride and identity, where students gained new creative skills like moodboarding, styling, and customisation, leveraging their heritage as a guide for expression.

 

Working with Welsh costume designer Ffian Jones, the students engaged in a hat creation workshop, modernising the traditional item by imbuing it with their unique creative and cultural influences. They also incorporated other elements of Welsh national dress into their costumes, such as the red woollen cloak, paisley shawl, and Pais a Betgwn.

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For this St Davids Day, limited edition t-shirts, postcards, and the editorial zine celebrating the imagery from the project will be available to purchase online and in our pop-up at St Fagans National Museum on 1st March, with all sale proceeds reinvested into Jukebox Academy.

Visit online shop 

 

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Of Us debuts live performance at Bozar Brussels

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Bozar invites Jukebox Collective this 27th Feb 2025 to take part in multidisciplinary Nocturne event ‘Bozar All Over the P(a)lace’. Featuring a screening of short film Of Us and a live performance to soundtrack Omi, film and movement directed by Liara Barussi.

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Bozar All Over the P(a)lace is a monthly multidisciplinary event that promotes dialogue between different artistic disciplines in the architecture of Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels. Open to all, these evenings are an invitation to discover and connect. Hosting concerts, lectures, film screenings, performances and DJ sets around the major exhibitions currently on show in the arts house. The event will also mark the opening of the 8th edition of Afropolitan Festival, a yearly festival centred around Black artistic experiences and creations. 

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Themed around Black Joy, this Bozar All Over the P(a)lace brings together multidisciplinary creative collectives from across Europe and beyond, showcasing performances, music, and films. Among them, Brussels-based Afrocentric collective Som·m·e Of Us presenting a dance performance in response to the When We See Us exhibition by Zeitz MOCAA currently showing at Bozar; Multidisciplinary black-led Swiss collective OKRA introducing film Everyday Blackness, Directed by Akwasi Glenn, & DJ Ka-Raba; and Irish poet and performer FELISPEAKS taking visitors on a poetic journey through the exhibition.

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Amongst the programming, Jukebox Collective debuts live performance Of Us, directed & choreographed by Liara Barussi starring talent from Jukebox Academy. Set to soundscape ‘Omi’ by Felix Taylor & Melo-Zed, the piece connects movement, migration and water symbolism to honor the legacy of Wales. Translating stories rooted in everyday life and the emotions and histories we inherit, sharing Of Us as a celebration of African heritage, preserved traditions and the collective memory carried by the ocean and beyond.

Jukebox Collective’s participation is supported by Wales Arts International.

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Find more information on Bozar All Over the P(a)lace – Nocturne February here

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Launching new kids beginners street dance class at Llanrumney Hub on 7 February 2025

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Launching our latest street dance class for kids starting Friday 7 Feb 2025 in Llanrumney

Kids Beginners
Fridays at 4:30-5:30 PM
Llanrumney Hub CF3 5NQ
Open to ages 7-12
No prior experience needed
£5 per class, discounts available

Sign ups open now

Check out our other community classes here

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Of Us featured in 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech in installation curated by Nataal

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Short film Of Us to be featured in an immersive digital installation curated by Nataal at this years 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair Marrakech between January 30 – February 2, 2025, at la Mamounia and DaDa in Morocco. Alongside a programming of events, exhibitions and gatherings across the city celebrating contemporary African art.

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Founded in 2013, 1-54 is the first and only international fair dedicated to contemporary African art. Hosting three editions per year, in London, New York and Marrakech, it is a leading global platform for contemporary art from Africa and the diaspora.

This year for its 6th edition of 1-54 Marrakech, it will host a dedicated programming of specially curated content, events, and partnerships. With over 20 selected international and local galleries including Britain’s Tate and Space Un from Tokyo, showcasing curated pieces by emerging and established artists from across the continent at DaDa and la Mamounia. Visitors will also have the opportunity to attend artists talks, panel discussions and Special Projects. 

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As a part of the special projects programmed, Nataal will present We, Maji, an immersive digital installation bringing its latest digital issue to life. Guest edited by Sunny Dolat, the issue hails talents shaping the future of Kenyan creativity alongside their peers around the world. Tied together in a mediation on water and the movements, myths and memories that draw people to shore.

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The installation will feature a presentation of Jukebox Collective’s short film Of Us directed by Liara Barussi, accompanied by soundscape Omi by Felix Taylor and Melo-zed. Other stories from the issue will also be presented, including archive Yoshita 1967 by Anil Padia; Venezuelan artist Silvana Trevale; and Vlisco collaboration with Togo Yeye.

Explore 1-54 Art Fair Marrakech Here

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Of Us featured in Nataal latest digital issue We, Maji

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Nataal features Jukebox Collective’s short film Of Us in latest digital issue WE, MAJI. The issue hails talents shaping Kenyan creativity alongside global peers. With stories tied together in a meditation on water and the movements, myths and memories that draw people to shore.

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We, Maji, presents snapshots of a new generation of Kenyan creatives as they relentlessly flow through mediums and formats in pursuit of innovation. From the image-making collective 199x’s collaboration with designer Anil Padia offering a nuanced exploration of softened masculinities, to musical artist Nyokabi Kariuki’s, siren-like vocals and compositions, redefining auditory storytelling, to Joshua Obaga’s poetic exploration of flavours and narratives told through his artisanal ice cream. Readers are welcomed into the thriving ecosystem of cultural re-imagination taking place in Kenya and how it connects globally.

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Featured in We, Maji is an in depth look into Jukebox Collective’s short film Of Us, directed by Liara Barussi. The piece highlights the film’s use of dance to retrace the history of Afro-Caribbean communities in Tiger Bay, South Wales. Reflecting on water as a sacred element of daily life and community vitality in African and Caribbean traditions, the feature showcases how Barussi uses storytelling, sound and memory, to honour the ancestral legacies that followed in the wake of the forced movements of Africans across the Atlantic Ocean.

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“We’re based in Butetown, originally known as Tiger Bay and is one of the areas with the oldest multicultural communities in the UK so it’s symbolic being there.” says Film & Movement Director Liara Barussi

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Originally commissioned by Dr Aleema Gray for the British Library’s ‘Beyond the Bassline’ exhibition. Producer Lauren Patterson reflects on how the film correlates with Jukebox’s core mission of nurturing diverse future talent.


“With Of Us, our students had that learning experience and then got to see themselves represented in an exhibition, held at an iconic space that they wouldn’t usually enter. It was great that they were involved from the beginning.” says Producer Lauren Patterson

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The film marks Jukebox Collective’s debut into the gallery and exhibition space says Editor Blessing Borode. Highlighting its digital premier on Nowness, and upcoming screenings and performances in partnership with organisations such as Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Belgium.


“Having a global network that can all work together allows for more visibility for Black Welsh creatives beyond Wales. Of Us was a big moment and an opportunity to really show what we can create.”  adds Strategic Director Lauren Patterson

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Nataal launches the digital issue We, Maji in a special installation at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in DaDa Marrakech between 30 Jan – 3 Feb 2025. Featuring a projection of the film alongside other stories from the issue. With soundscapes featuring Omi by Felix Taylor and Melo-zed and songs from Kenyan artist Nyokabi Kariũki.

Explore We, Maji

Photos credit: Togo Yeye, Axle Jozeph, Jukebox Collective

 

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Of Us x Omi screening and discussion at Chapter Arts Centre on 8 Feb 2025

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Hosting the first screening of Of Us in Wales in partnership with Chapter Arts Centre

Experience the film in person, and join us for a discussion led by Halina Kaszycka-Williams from the British Library, in conversation with Film & Movement Director Liara Barussi, ‘Omi’ composers Melo-Zed and Felix Taylor and leading cast member Gui Pinto.

8 Feb 2025 @ 3:45 pm
Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

Free tickets can be secured here

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International screenings of Of Us x Omi in 2025

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Announcing upcoming international screenings for short film Of Us, directed by Liara Barussi. Experience the short film in person, with special performances & discussions featuring soundscape ‘Omi’ by composers Melo-Zed and Felix Taylor.

 

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1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair

Digital exhibition curated by Nataal

La Mamounia and DaDa, Marrakech

30 Jan 2025 – 3 Feb 2025

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Of Us x Omi: Film Screening | Discussion

Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff

8 Feb 2025

Free tickets here

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Bozar (Bozar All Over the P(a)lace)

Live performance & Film screening

Bozar Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels

27 Feb 2025

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Of Us was originally commissioned by Dr Aleema Gray, and soundscape Omi was originally commissioned by  Tayo Rapoport and Alex Rita (Touching Bass), for the British Library’s Beyond the Bassline: 500 Years of Black British Music

Find out more about how the film was made in director Liara Barussi’s interview with the British Library

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Taking a moment to reflect back on 2024. A special year for us in many ways as we continued to develop creative talent, collaborate with our community, and share our work nationally.

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This year we connected with over a thousand students through our community dance and music classes across South Wales, the SHEP programme and our partnerships with Ballet Cymru.

In our multi-disciplinary Academy programme students performed in Reggae & Riddim and Act for Gwyl Parc, took part in multidisciplinary workshops every week, went on trips across the nation, competed in over six dance battles, starred in exhibitions, and grew as creatives.

Our music Academy artists wrote and released their own music, and had their first major gig performing across three venues in one of the UK’s biggest international music showcase festivals, Focus Wales 2024.

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Through the Reggae & Riddim festival we connected new generations with their Caribbean roots, partnering with Urban Circle and Jamaican creatives to create a dancehall performance on the main stage featuring Jukebox Academy, alongside Gyption, Lady Leshurr and Tarrus Riley.

Through our short film Of Us, directed by Liara Barussi with soundscape Omi by  Touching Bass, and commissioned by the British Library & showcased at Beyond the Bassline Exhibition in London; We explored our ancestral roots and the thread between body, memory and the ocean, honouring the legacy of the one of the oldest Black communities in the UK, based here in our city. The film is now featured on Nowness, and screening internationally in 2025.



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Finishing the year with a student curated exhibition and zine launch, wrapping up our three year partnership with Bleak Fabulous, exploring contemporary Welsh identity through the lens of young people in Cardiff. And launch of our creative workshops for the African community in South Wales through our partnership with SSAP for Jamii 2.

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Thank you to all our partners and collaborators:

Butetown Community Centre, The Real Ting, Grange Pavilion, SSAP,  Ballet Cymru, National Welsh Dance, Urban Circle, Wales Museum, Wales Arts International, the British Library, Arts Council Wales, and our incredible network of Welsh creatives.

 

More to come in 2025! Wales to the world

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