Ile Ife in North Philadelphia Remembered: An Oral History Program with Karen Warrington

Join us for a conversation with Karen Warrington on the importance of the Ile Ife Black Humanitarian Center and its cultural impact.

Ile Ife is an ancient city in the Southwest of Nigeria dating back to 500 B.C. Ile Ife is the city where the Yorubas believe their civilization began and the Yoruba Orisas descended to earth.

But there was another Ile Ife thousands of miles away from Nigeria, located in North Philadelphia. In addition to being the home of the Arthur Hall Afro American Dance Ensemble, in 1969 it was selected as the delegate agency for the Model Cities Cultural Arts program.

The center became the epicenter of Philadelphia’s cultural embrace of Afrocentrism. But time often dims or distorts reality and distorted perceptions emerge. Join this discussion with journalist, dancer, and choreographer Karen Warrington and those who were central to the creation of Ile Ife in an “African diasporan village” in North Philadelphia.

This program will be presented via Zoom Webinar. On the day of the program, use this link to join: https://temple.zoom.us/j/97110166316. 

Contact Leslie Willis-Lowry at leslie.willis@temple.edu with questions.

All programs are free and open to all, and registration is encouraged.