Aotearoa Festival of Black Arts
2025
22 Nov — 20 Dec
Aotearoa Festival of Black Arts 2025 22 Nov — 20 Dec
This November and December, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland comes alive with the first-ever Aotearoa Festival of Black Arts (AFoBA)
— a month-long celebration of Afro-Kiwi creativity and excellence through theatre, movement, music, visual arts, and film.
Our People
Our People
Led by a collective of artists and producers, The Aotearoa Festival of Black Arts (AFoBA) exists to centre Black joy, connection, and excellence through partnerships, community engagement, and pathways for Black creatives across four streams: Visibility, Capability Building, Outreach, and Ambassadorship.
The festival honours Afro-diasporic artistry while strengthening relationships with Tangata Whenua and wider communities, creating a lasting legacy of representation, empowerment, and belonging in Aotearoa.
“Black Joy is not a luxury. It is a practice of imagination, love and abundance. Through every beat, brushstroke, and breath we are building a new canon of belonging that honours our ancestors, uplifts our present, and dreams our futures into the here and now.”
Dione Joseph
Festival Director
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Dione Joseph
Festival Director
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Ahi Karunaharan
Programme Manager
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Nathan Mudge
Marketing Lead (Toi Factory)
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Anna Barker
Marketing Coordinator (Toi Factory)
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Aroha Awarau
Publicist
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Alyxander Frontin
Social Media Assistant
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Olivia Hall
Producer, Po’ Boys and Oysters
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Sananda Chatterjee
Producer, FutureTense
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Shalane Williams
Producer, FutureTense
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Wendy Douglas
Producer & Facilitator, NYEGE
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Graham Vincent
Producer, Obsidian&Seen
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Jane Benney
Producer & Creative Director, JingleBeatz!
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Caleb McAndrew
Multimedia Designer
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Shabnam Shiwan
Branding (Osborne Shiwan)
