These Vancouver events celebrate Black History Month through film, live music, poetry, speaking and fashion events.
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Here are five Black History Month events to put on your calendar in February.
VIFF Black History Month programming
Where: VIFF Centre
When: February
The VIFF Centre celebrates Black History Month with a month of programming that includes a pair of guest-curated film series and live music.
Curators and programmers Ogheneofegor Obuwoma and Kika Memeh have collaborated on a new instalment of African Cinema Now!, an ongoing series dedicated to contemporary African cinema. The Celebrating Black Futures program, presented in partnership with the Vancouver Art Gallery, offers a cinematic “mirror” to VAG’s current programming which includes the exhibitions Firelei Báez and Offsite: Hank Willis Thomas.
Films run multiple times throughout the month so check VIFF for titles, dates and times.
On the live music side, the VIFF Live program begins Feb. 1 when Feven Kidane and Tiny Pyramids pay tribute to the legendary jazz musician Sun Ra with a performance before the screening of Ra’s 1974 Afrofuturist science fiction film Space is the Place.
Jamaican-born Canadian soul, ska, and jazz singer Jay Douglas will be at the VIFF Centre on Feb. 7 for the B.C. premiere of the Canadian Caribbean music documentary Play It Loud.
On Feb. 22, Quincy Mayes will bring Afro-Brazilian soul, funk, and samba to the stage before a screening of the 2002 Brazilian film City of God.
13th Annual Songs of Freedom
Where: Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver
When: Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m.
Kick off Black History Month on Feb. 1 with a celebration of Black music and culture presented in the dreamy sounding Christ Church Cathedral. The popular musical event is hosted by Marcus Mosely and this year celebrates the voices of women with performances by Candus Churchill, Krystle Dos Santos, Dawn Pemberton, Star Trickey, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, and Marcus Mosely, with accompaniment by Diane Lines and Tim Porter.
Verses of Power: Black Poets Speak Out
Where: Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
When: Feb. 12, 7 p.m.
Spoken word performances will be delivered by poets Brandon Wint, fanny kearse and Adonis King. Joining the three poets on the evening bill will be a series of “poignant and poetic,” short films created by Black filmmakers.
African Fashion Week Vancouver: Heritage in Motion Fashion Show
Where: Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch
When: Feb. 15, 3-5 p.m.
This event is a special preview to African Fashion Week Vancouver which takes place in March. A celebration of African culture through fashion will include a runway show featuring African and diaspora designers. As well, attendees can meet talented designers. Yao Agoeyovo, founder of African Fashion Week Vancouver, will kick off the event with a talk. A trip to the library also offers the opportunity to check out, literally, some of the African focused fashion book titles VPL has in its collection. Highlights on that list include: New African Fashion, Now You See Me: An Introduction to 100 Years of Black Design, African Fashion, Global Style, Africa Rising, Supreme Models: Iconic Black Women Who Revolutionized Fashion and Black Mona Lisa by Billy Porter.
Library Talk: Erica Cardwell and Nya Lewis
Where: Vancouver Art Gallery
When: Feb. 21, 5:30 p.m.
Join writer, critic and educator Erica Cardwell in conversation with Vancouver Art Gallery curator in residence, writer and artist Nya Lewis. They will discuss Cardwell’s 2024 book Wrong Is Not My Name: Notes on (Black) Art.
Cardwell, based in Brooklyn and Toronto. was the 2021 recipient of an Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant. Cardwell has also been awarded residencies and fellowships from the Lambda Literary Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, Queer Art Mentorship and Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her writing has appeared in print or online for a wide range of art publications including ARTS. BLACK, Art in America, C Mag, BOMB, The Believer and Artsy.
This event is part of the Gallery’s Celebrating Black Futures programming. Check that out here.
https://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/celebrating-black-futures-2025