Discover the full BHM x AB programme here.

This event is FREE with reservation.

In honour of Black History Month in Belgium and International Women’s Day, we join forces with Black History Month Belgium (BHM) to discuss the importance of black female representation in the music world. An international panel will assemble in the AB Club on 8 March.

Our collective musical history - and future - would look extremely bleak without the incredible work and pioneering repertoires of black women. However, even today there remains a lack of diversity at all levels and in all sections of the music industry.

Not only are black women underrepresented, they are also paid less than their white (female) colleagues and often faced with racism in the workplace. In honour of Black History Month in Belgium and International Women’s Day, we will be talking to various experts and women with such experiences about discriminatory mechanisms in the music business.

We will be looking at the difficulties black female artists have to deal with in building their careers and how this affects their mental health. We will also be talking about the importance of increasing the representation of black women in the music industry, both behind the scenes and on stage, and look at potential solutions.

This Talk is organised by AB and Black History Month Belgium. On 8 March, International Women’s Day, we are bringing together an international panel of artists, diversity workers and change makers in the AB Club. The speakers will be announced soon. Attendance is free but you must register. There will be a limited number of tickets, but you will also be able to follow the Talk via livestream.

About Black History Month Belgium 

Black History Month Belgium is an annual celebration of the black community in Belgium, held in March. BHM wants to change the way we talk about the present and the past. We need to do this in a more truthful, inclusive way, regardless of socio-economic, ethnic or cultural backgrounds.  

Its ultimate goal is to emphasise the importance of both maintaining and promoting cultural diversity, and to demonstrate everyone’s right to culture in our society. In 2022 we will be marking five years since the start of Black History Month Belgium. Following four successful editions, this year’s focus is on 'The Power Of Assembly’.

Panel:

• Moderator: Rokia Bamba: DJ, Sound Explorer & Artivist
• Aysha Hussain: Keychange Coordinator (Germany/UK)
• Charisse (Beaumont) Oyediwura: Chief Executive Black Lives in Music
• IKRAAAN (Ikraan Mohamed Haji): Artist
• Reinel Bakole: Multidisciplinary artist
• Selene Alexa Pliez: Freelance Event Curator, PR and A&R specialist

Read more here about the panel.

▝▝ ▘ Would you like to know more about BHM? Read more here.