Afro Futures Festival 2025

Celebrating Diversity and Innovation in Arts:

Afro Futures Festival 2025

Celebrating 10 years of artistic innovation, Certain Blacks is an East London-based arts development organisation known for championing artists from various dimensions of diversity,

From 6th to 9th March 2025, East London’s vibrant arts scene will come alive with Afro Futures, the 7th edition of Certain Blacks’ annual indoor festival. This year’s program reflects on what diverse culture has brought to Britain, collective identity, and the future of diverse voices within an evolving British cultural landscape. Afro Futures marks a milestone for Certain Blacks, aligning with the company’s 10th anniversary.
Afro Futures includes work developed within a changing cultural climate and gathers a boundary-pushing lineup of artists from various backgrounds and disciplines.

The festival contains work from Sean Khan and The Modern Jazz and Folk Ensemble, with special guests Jacqui McShee and Rosie Frater-Taylor, which explores the traditional along with the new in a cross-cultural retake of modern folk music. In The Brownie Club meets The Cocoa Butter Club, two clubs known for their audacious soirées host an evening of cabaret that challenge notions of Black/Brown/Diverse entertainment and education. Best Friends by Crying in the Wilderness Productions balances humour and sensitivity in a poignant play of friendship and assisted death, tackling a highly relevant topic in today’s England.

Award-winning spoken word artist and performer Oneness Sankara presents T21 ALCHEMY, an unfiltered work-in-progress piece that combines poetry, prose and music to look at Black motherhood in later life and becoming a mother to a child with special needs.

Line-up

The Modern Jazz & Folk Ensemble (MJAFE)

Blending jazz and folk, MJAFE bridges black urban culture with white rural traditions. Led by renowned saxophonist MJAFE, the ensemble will showcase fresh compositions, honouring British music traditions while bringing a contemporary edge. More…

Tickets: £15/12

Friday, 7 March -7:30 pm, Rich Mix –The Stage

The Brownie Club and The Cocoa Butter Club

Led by Jessica Lucia Andrade, The Brownie Club presents a late-night cabaret full of drag, song, and sultry entertainment that challenges stereotypes of Asian women, culture and performances. Expect torch songs, dance and an outstanding DJ. More...

Tickets: £12/10.

Saturday, 8 March, 4 pm -Rich Mix

T21 ALCHEMY by Oneness Sankara

A powerful semi-autobiographical one-woman show, T21 ALCHEMY is a scratch performance that tells the story of a British woman of African Caribbean heritage who becomes a mother to a child with Down Syndrome. Through spoken word, music, and prose, the show navigates themes of motherhood, disability stigma, and resilience. Work-in-progress.. More…

Tickets: £6/5

Saturday, 8 March, 7:30 pm, Rich Mix –The Studio

Best Friends by Crying in the Wilderness Productions

Balancing humour with sensitivity, Best Friends is a poignant tale of friendship and the Death With Dignity Act. The story follows two friends spending their last 24 hours together and unearthing long-buried truths that threaten their relationship. Featuring award-winning US and UK artists, this theatrical experience combines a staged reading and live performance to offer an innovative approach that centres the audiences on the developmental artistry of theatre-making. More

Tickets: £10/8

Sunday, 9 March, 7:30 pm, Rich Mix –The Studio

Roshni by Sonia Sabri Company

Roshni, meaning “light” in Persian, is an intricate dance and music performance by the Sonia Sabri Company. Inspired by the experiences of everyday people, the piece combines Kathak dance and global music styles. Through three distinctive pieces: The Call, The Light and The Wave, Roshni explores the highs and lows of life, offering a sensory journey of emotion, strength, and optimism. More…

Tickets: £15/12