International artists

“Sleeping Pop” is a female illustrator and graphic designer based in Tananarive, Madagascar. She has been working professionally since 2008 on several projects such as “Fara et le Gardien de Masoala” (Vali Edition, 2013), the collective comic strip on children’s rights “Zonay ankizy andavanadro" (UNICEF and Tantsary, 2011), and the comic strip on children’s education “Karapapaka hors série” (Alliance française de Tananarive, 2008).

Eric "Zoe" Muthoga is a self-taught Kenyan artist, illustrator, and author of comic strips. He was born and raised in a small village in the countryside and began to illustrate from a young age. It was thanks to his brother, also an artist, that Eric discovered illustration. Since this time, he has never stopped designing, inspired by cartoons, manga comics, and any rare comic strips he was able to find. He started his career working for Shujaaz.fm, a monthly Kenyan comic strip which received the first prize in the Emmy awards for comic books. As an artist, Eric is encouraged today to tell the stories of the history of Africa and its people through the art of comic strips, illustrations, and animated films with the ultimate goal of presenting a positive image both in the continent and abroad.

Anna Mwalagho is more than a triple-threat performer. She is a true remarkable renaissance woman, an internationally recognized actress, comedian, poet/spoken word artist, African dancer, singer/songwriter and storyteller. She has won numerous national awards in her native country Kenya, and in the U.S.A, where she is recognized as the Queen of spoken Afro beat and also called "Mama Africa".

The DC Youth Slam Team uses poetry to teach and empower teens from the DC metropolitan area to speak up about issues of social justice. With annual travel to regional and national poetry slam festivals such as Brave New Voices, the team provides outstanding opportunities, training, and a platform for talented youth to develop their writing, performance, and public speaking skills with guidance from mentors and teaching artists.

Yann Dégruel is a French comic strip illustrator and designer. After having studied at the "L'Ecole des Arts Décoratifs" in Strasbourg, he worked on "Genz Gys Khan," a poetic recounting of the adventures of Genz, Gys and Khan. In 2003, he decided to focus on a classic of youth literature : Nobody's Boy by Hector Malot. In 2012, he joined a group of illustrators to work on the project "Women in African History: an E-learning Tool."

Antique is an Independent Recording Artist based in Oakland, California who bends time with a vintage sound reflecting past present and future as one. Her voice is reminiscent of the great singers of old, and her ability to model traditional Jazz, Pop, and Soul sounds make her energy and music unique. She often performs solo with only a looper and her own voice. Her band, Antique Naked Soul, is a live vocal ensemble that blends her unique and soulful sound with an acoustic hip hop feel that is refreshing and organic.