Vocal Roots

Expressions of interest are now open for Africa Month 2026 🥳

We’re calling artists, creatives and organisers to be part of next years programme that celebrates African diaspora cultures, creativity and communities across Tamaki Makaurau.

Applications close Monday 10 November 2026z

Find all the details here: https://linktr.ee/vocalroots_

Throwing it back to Afrokin Youth Fest where a few months ago we came together to celebrate creativity, culture, and community as part of both Africa Month and Aotearoa Music Month 🎶🤎✨

Swipe through some of the powerful moments captured by

Attending Lema Shamamba’s artist talk today at Objectspace was a powerful reminder of how art can speak truth, build understanding, and drive change.

Lema’s work, alongside the voices of the incredible Women of Hope here in Tāmaki Makaurau, brings light to issues that are urgent, human, and too often overlooked. These aren’t just “their” issues, they should be important to all of us.

Thank you Lema for your courage, and thank you to the Women of Hope for your continued fight.

The exhibition is on for one more week at Objectspace. Please go see it.

On Sunday we gathered for an intimate Artists Talk as part of the Pir Routes Exhibitin. A huge thank you to our exhibiting artists for their thoughtfulness, creativity, generosity, and passion. You brought an inspiring richness and vulnerability to the conversation.

From ancestral dreams to braided memory, from gardens of care to visual archives of joy and resistance, each artist offered a unique window into their practice, and the stories behind their work.

To everyone who came and listened, asked questions, and held space thank you for showing up and making the time.

Our biggest takeaway was that creativity is personal, and our roots and routes shape the ways we make, express, heal, connect and play.

The final day to view Our Routes is Friday 23 May from 12pm - 6pm, at the Strand Arcade, 227 Queen St.

📸 .dhm