AFROPOP
For 15 years, AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange has featured contemporary stories reflecting the spirit, ingenuity and resilience found among people of the African diaspora.
Season 15
Season 15 of AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange features a new film each week throughout the month of April. Across five episodes, viewers will encounter dynamic people whose work in the arts has shaped our world in extraordinary ways. Scroll down to watch episodes on demand from the current season as well as seasons 13 and 14.
Afro Pop Shorts
In celebration of our 15th season of AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, Black Public Media is proud to introduce AfroPoP Digital Shorts, a series of short films (nonfiction and narrative) shedding light on a variety of topics from the Black perspective. The Digital Shorts are available to stream below on demand and on the BPM YouTube channel.
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Watch Full Episodes
Watch shorts & Clips
Watch Full Episodes
Queen Kidjo -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Experience a guided tour of the life and indomitable spirit of international music icon and activist Angélique Kidjo. This film, by Claire Duguet, features archival footage of the globally recognized artist appearing with superstars Miriam Makeba, Celia Cruz, Youssou N’dour, Ziggy Marley, Philip Glass, and Peter Gabriel across several decades; as well as cameo appearances by contemporary music stars including Alicia Keys and Yemi Alade.
Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Bill Traylor was a unique American artist with a remarkable and unlikely biography. This illuminating documentary, by Jeffrey Wolf and Daphne McWilliams, offers a compelling narrative about a man who, despite the hardships of legalized racism, produced a body of work exhibited in today’s leading museums and collections worldwide.
The Sound of Masks -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Mapiko is a traditional masked dance performed by the Makonde men of Northern Mozambique. Sara de Gouveia’s film follows Atanásio Nyusi, a compelling storyteller and legendary Mapiko dancer, taking us on a visually dramatic journey through Mozambique’s past (including Mapiko’s role as a tool to challenge colonization during the Mozambican War of Independence) and its vibrant present.
Rewind & Play – Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Improvisational pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is among the 20th century’s most revered jazz luminaries. This film by Alain Gomis, features raw footage from an interview the artist gave to French state television in 1969. It shows Monk in the grip of a violent factory of stereotypes, offering an unfiltered glimpse at the racial indignities some artistic geniuses are asked to endure.
Revolution from Afar – AfroPoP Season 14 | Full Film
“Revolution from Afar,” by Bentley Brown, introduces Sudanese-American poets and musicians who engage in performances and conversation around third culture identity and the revolution in Sudan, from which they have been physically cut off.
Restitution? Africa’s Fight for its Art – Afropop Season 14 | Full Film
“Restitution? Africa’s Fight for Its Art” explores the troubling story of the African artwork that fills European museums, and whose return is now being demanded by their countries of origin.
Everything: The Real Thing Story – AfroPoP Season 14 | Full Film
Dubbed “The Black Beatles,” the British band, The Real Thing, broke barriers while singing about social conditions of the times. The film features surviving members and recording artists reflecting on the importance of the pioneering group.
Professional Black Girl -Afropop Season 13 | Full Episode
This documentary is an original video series and online movement created to celebrate everyday Black womanhood, and to confront “respectable” expectations of how we should “behave.” By announcing ourselves “Professional Black Girls,” Black women and girls assert an unapologetic identity, in a world that too often tries to silence our voices.
BAKOSÓ: AfroBeats of Cuba – AfroPop Season 13 | Full Episode
This documentary follows Havana-based DJ Jigüe as he goes on a journey to connect with his African roots in his hometown of Santiago, where he discovers Bakosó and finds a connection with its diasporic origins. Evidence of the centuries-long cultural exchange between Africa and the Caribbean is everywhere in the region,
Shorts Collection – AfroPop Season 13 | Full Episode
Pushing boundaries for 70 years, this portrait of artist Betye Saar shows she isn’t done fighting inequality in her personal and powerful work. Inside her LA studio, Saar talks about collecting objects, African American history, art as a weapon, and making people think. Man of the People is a political thriller surrounding the legacy of Chicago mayor Harold Washingston.
Mama Gloria – AfroPoP Season 13 | Full Episode
“Mama Gloria” is an intimate profile of Gloria Allen, a 75-year-old Black trailblazing transgender activist who started a charm school for homeless trans youth and is now aging with joy and grace. It is the story of a mother’s love – the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children.
Finding Sally – AfroPoP Season 13 | Full Episode
Finding Sally tells the incredible story of a 23-year-old woman from an upper-class family who became a communist rebel with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party. Idealistic and in love, Sally got caught up in her country’s revolutionary fervor and landed on the military government’s most wanted list. She went underground and her family never saw her again.
Watch shorts & Clips
Queen Kidjo -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Experience a guided tour of the life and indomitable spirit of international music icon and activist Angélique Kidjo. This film, by Claire Duguet, features archival footage of the globally recognized artist appearing with superstars Miriam Makeba, Celia Cruz, Youssou N’dour, Ziggy Marley, Philip Glass, and Peter Gabriel across several decades; as well as cameo appearances by contemporary music stars including Alicia Keys and Yemi Alade.
Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Bill Traylor was a unique American artist with a remarkable and unlikely biography. This illuminating documentary, by Jeffrey Wolf and Daphne McWilliams, offers a compelling narrative about a man who, despite the hardships of legalized racism, produced a body of work exhibited in today’s leading museums and collections worldwide.
The Sound of Masks -Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Mapiko is a traditional masked dance performed by the Makonde men of Northern Mozambique. Sara de Gouveia’s film follows Atanásio Nyusi, a compelling storyteller and legendary Mapiko dancer, taking us on a visually dramatic journey through Mozambique’s past (including Mapiko’s role as a tool to challenge colonization during the Mozambican War of Independence) and its vibrant present.
Rewind & Play – Afropop Season 15 | Full Episode
Improvisational pianist and composer Thelonious Monk is among the 20th century’s most revered jazz luminaries. This film by Alain Gomis, features raw footage from an interview the artist gave to French state television in 1969. It shows Monk in the grip of a violent factory of stereotypes, offering an unfiltered glimpse at the racial indignities some artistic geniuses are asked to endure.
Revolution from Afar – AfroPoP Season 14 | Full Film
“Revolution from Afar,” by Bentley Brown, introduces Sudanese-American poets and musicians who engage in performances and conversation around third culture identity and the revolution in Sudan, from which they have been physically cut off.
Restitution? Africa’s Fight for its Art – Afropop Season 14 | Full Film
“Restitution? Africa’s Fight for Its Art” explores the troubling story of the African artwork that fills European museums, and whose return is now being demanded by their countries of origin.
Everything: The Real Thing Story – AfroPoP Season 14 | Full Film
Dubbed “The Black Beatles,” the British band, The Real Thing, broke barriers while singing about social conditions of the times. The film features surviving members and recording artists reflecting on the importance of the pioneering group.
Professional Black Girl -Afropop Season 13 | Full Episode
This documentary is an original video series and online movement created to celebrate everyday Black womanhood, and to confront “respectable” expectations of how we should “behave.” By announcing ourselves “Professional Black Girls,” Black women and girls assert an unapologetic identity, in a world that too often tries to silence our voices.
BAKOSÓ: AfroBeats of Cuba – AfroPop Season 13 | Full Episode
This documentary follows Havana-based DJ Jigüe as he goes on a journey to connect with his African roots in his hometown of Santiago, where he discovers Bakosó and finds a connection with its diasporic origins. Evidence of the centuries-long cultural exchange between Africa and the Caribbean is everywhere in the region,
Shorts Collection – AfroPop Season 13 | Full Episode
Pushing boundaries for 70 years, this portrait of artist Betye Saar shows she isn’t done fighting inequality in her personal and powerful work. Inside her LA studio, Saar talks about collecting objects, African American history, art as a weapon, and making people think. Man of the People is a political thriller surrounding the legacy of Chicago mayor Harold Washingston.
Mama Gloria – AfroPoP Season 13 | Full Episode
“Mama Gloria” is an intimate profile of Gloria Allen, a 75-year-old Black trailblazing transgender activist who started a charm school for homeless trans youth and is now aging with joy and grace. It is the story of a mother’s love – the love that Gloria’s mother had for her and the love that Gloria has for her chosen children.
Finding Sally – AfroPoP Season 13 | Full Episode
Finding Sally tells the incredible story of a 23-year-old woman from an upper-class family who became a communist rebel with the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Party. Idealistic and in love, Sally got caught up in her country’s revolutionary fervor and landed on the military government’s most wanted list. She went underground and her family never saw her again.
Featuring: Brit Fryer (he/him), Sharon Kidd Fryer (she/her), Janelle “Jei” Lawrence (they/them),
Maya Thompson (she/them), and Einstein (dog). | Music: APM Music Library | Advisory Committee: Dr. Aymar Jean
Christian (he/they), Carrie Hawks (they/them), Kirya Traber (she/her)
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