This year, BAC Folk Arts Society will travel to Buffalo to present a forum at the American Folklore Society Conference. Based on the conference theme No Illusions, No Exclusions, the forum will advocate a rethinking of public folklore and its purposes by giving artists a voice in this meeting, Your Illusions, Our Exclusions. It will address the ways that Brooklyn has served as a center of fieldwork and research at the same time that traditions and tradition bearers see an uncertain future. The forum will be an opportunity for Brooklyn traditional bearers and cultural advocates to discuss being misunderstood, ignored, self or other-imposed exclusions within and concerning performance, maintenance and preservation of traditions in ultra-urban, ultra-diverse NYC. 

Chairs

Christopher Mulé

Dr. Rosalind "Rose" October-Edun

Discussant: 

Dr. Kay Turner

Forum Participants: 

Victor Sirelson

Esraa Warda

Shahid Khan

Chief Baba Neil Clarke

Aeilushi Mistry