Global Is Local: Witness The World is a FREE event featuring some of the most amazing youth voices representing the Bay and cities from across the world. Performances include a set by Ghanaian artist Jojo Abot, Oakland’s own Bells Atlas, MC Olympics Finals and a specially curated Global Is Local showcase. Global Is Local is part of the 20th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival, which is taking place throughout the Bay July 19-22.

MC OLYMPICS is an Olympic-style competition presented by Youth Speaks during the Brave New Voices Festival. After a rigorous qualifying round testing young emcees skills on the mic, moving the crowd, freestyling and flowing, four finalists have emerged to stake their claim for the title of MC Olympics Gold Medalist.
 

JOJO ABOT is a Ghanaian artist expressing herself through music, film/photography, literature and performance art. FYFYA WOTO, meaning New Birth – New Discovery serves as the theme and title for her ongoing project exploring the SELF as a provocative tool in the discovery, exchange and evolution of the subject of IDENTITY. Through her work, Abot investigates new forms of spirituality and expression as part of a growing global conversation around shared space and shared identity that exists beyond the conventional bias of color, race, class or sexual orientation. Currently in NYC as a member of New Museum’s incubator program, NEW INC, Abot is also on tour with a supporting slot on the incredible legend Ms. Lauryn Hill’s tour with a recent show at Radio City Music Hall along with Common. Having played at iconic venues such as the Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center and Kings Theater, Abot continues to connect with the global audience. A true cultural fusion and genre bender in both sound and artistic expression, Jojo Abot is poised to take the world by storm with her uniquely coined AFRO-HYNO-SONIC sound and otherworldly perspective.
 

BELLS ATLAS emerges from the vibrant cultural and musical backdrop of Oakland, CA. The epicenter of the group’s start was Guerilla Café (“art.coffee.vibes”) – a fateful location that fostered friendship and musical connection between the core members, sparking the beginnings of a beautiful artistic collaboration and unique blend of sounds. Combining heavy rhythm and groove, soulful vocal harmonies and a healthy dose of wildcard energy, this dynamic group has arrived at a sound that is undoubtedly their own. Primarily made up of four members with a musical chemistry that surprises and compliments, the sonic palette that makes up Bells Atlas is deep, cinematic and colorful. They capture the spirit of eclectic influences – soul, West African & Brazilian rhythm, noise pop & psychedelia, to name a few – and draw a wide audience with diverse tastes.