The Diasporic African Dream Anthology (DADA) is a visionary project born from a powerful dream experienced by curator and editor Tyrell Blacquemoss during the summer solstice of 2019.
Rooted in Indigenous African dream traditions, DADA serves as both a digital exhibition and ceremonial space, offering a sanctuary for storytelling, healing, and cultural preservation. Through visual art, literary works, and oral histories, the anthology challenges conventional narratives of the African diasporic experience, centering dreams as sacred tools for transformation.
In his interview with MysticMag, Blacquemoss discusses how DADA bridges ancestral wisdom with future innovation, inviting a global community to reclaim the power of dreaming as an act of resistance, restoration, and rebirth.
What inspired the creation of the Diasporic African Dream Anthology (DADA), and what are its primary objectives?
DADA emerged from a waking dream or vision during the summer solstice of 2019, experienced by curator and editor Tyrell Blacquemoss (aka Abundance Zaddy). In this vision, DADA unfolded as a global event centering Indigenous African dream ways—a means of supporting the global collective through climate change shifts and healing from colonization. The project materialized in January 2020 with a call for submissions, leading to the selection of ten juried artists whose works form the foundation of the anthology.
At its core, DADA is a digital exhibition and ceremonial space that weaves visual, literary, and oral history to preserve and elevate Indigenous African dream practices across time, space, and diaspora. It serves as a refuge, a space for solace and solutions, and a reminder of the power of African dreamers still holding onto ancestral wisdom despite displacement. Through storytelling, art, and community engagement, DADA invites us to reimagine our connections to the past and future—offering a paradigm shift where dreams are honored as sacred tools for restoration and transformation.
The primary objectives of DADA include:
- Preserving and amplifying African diasporic dream traditions through art, oral history, and ceremony.
- Redistributing resources to Black and Indigenous artists and communities, with a long-term goal of raising and directing at least $1 million toward those most impacted by climate change.
- Facilitating global conversations that acknowledge the spiritual, artistic, and cultural technologies of African and Indigenous peoples as fundamental to planetary healing.
- Hosting touring exhibitions and roundtable discussions across socioeconomic strata to explore how diasporic identities shape perspectives on lineage, sustainability, gender, and liberation.
Can you elaborate on the types of content featured in DADA and how they reflect the experiences and aspirations of the African diaspora?
DADA encompasses a diverse collection of visual art, literary works, oral histories, dream testimonies, and spiritual technologies. It functions as a repository of dreams—a space where artists, writers, and storytellers share their personal and ancestral wisdom. The anthology includes:
- Dream stories and visions exploring personal and collective transformation.
- Oral histories and lived myths, shared as testimonies of migration, survival, and homecoming.
- Spiritual technologies, including codices, sleep hygiene practices, and dream interpretation techniques, were passed down through generations.
- Lullabies and dream prescriptions capture intergenerational care and survival tactics.
- Multimedia performances, ranging from medicinal media to soundscapes, allow artists to express the sonic and vibrational dimensions of dreaming.
Through these works, DADA challenges conventional narratives of African diasporic experience, offering a more expansive, fluid understanding of identity and time. The anthology bridges the past, present, and future, inviting participants to ask: What do we remember? What can we dream?
One powerful framing of DADA is its overlap with DOULA work—just as a doula supports birth and perinatal health, DADA acts as a midwife for dreams and paradigm shifts. It challenges the Western nuclear concept of fatherhood by recalling African traditions where fathers dream of their children’s arrival first, positioning them as spiritual doulas of new life and futures.
How does Cause Reign engage with contributors and audiences to curate and share stories within the anthology?
Cause Reign’s DREAM School teaches students how to prepare for ceremony and storytelling by following a structured process of cleaning, grounding, opening, listening, closing, reflecting, and resetting. This process extends into how DADA is curated—every contributor’s work is received with intention and reverence, ensuring that their dreams and offerings are held within a ceremonial container.
Engagement takes multiple forms:
- Open Calls & Submissions: Artists, storytellers, and dream workers submit their work for consideration.
- Community Circles & Oral Histories: The anthology includes stories collected through roundtable discussions, interactive storytelling, and audience participation.
- Live Ceremonial Exhibitions: Events feature performances, immersive media installations, and opportunities for attendees to share their dream experiences.
- Multimedia Integration: Contributors’ work is translated into digital exhibitions, sound archives, video projections, and interactive maps tracking ancestral migrations.
- Redistribution of Resources: Cause Reign ensures artists receive credit and compensation, with opportunities for direct audience investment through donations.
Additionally, MAMA (Matriarchal African Memory Apparatus) functions as a living archive within DADA, collecting and preserving oral histories and dreams to ensure that knowledge is not only stored but also continually activated.
Could you share a success story where DADA has significantly impacted an individual’s perspective or understanding of the African diasporic experience?
One of the most profound testimonies comes from the DADA Opening Ceremony, where an artist shared their rebirth experience through dreams. They recounted how a dream in the winter of 2019 brought them face to face with death—only to awaken with a newfound clarity, free from fear, and deeply connected to their ancestors. This dream marked a shift in their identity, solidifying their path as a healer, artist, and grief worker.
DADA also serves as a space of grief and reclamation, allowing participants to mourn what has been lost due to colonization while simultaneously restoring a sense of belonging and spiritual continuity. As one storyteller described, “I committed myself to learning how to be human again… through deep relationship and practice with the land.” The anthology, therefore, acts as a vessel for memory work and rehumanization—offering both healing and a vision for the future.
What role does multimedia play in enhancing the narratives presented in DADA, and how do you incorporate various forms of art and expression?
Multimedia is integral to DADA, ensuring that the oral, sonic, and visual dimensions of dreams are preserved and honored. Storytelling isn’t confined to written text—it is experienced through sound, movement, image, and ritual.
DADA incorporates:
- Projected video installations that transform physical spaces into dreamscapes.
- Sound archives and medicine songs, shared during ceremonies and available for online listening.
- Digital exhibitions, where visual artists’ work is presented alongside accompanying narratives.
- Performance and movement-based storytelling, highlighting embodied dream wisdom.
A striking example is the Medicine Song offered at the DADA Opening Ceremony, which extended its healing vibrations across time and space to connect attendees with the ancestors. By embracing multimedia, DADA mirrors the nonlinear, fluid nature of African dream practices, ensuring that stories are felt as much as they are understood.
How do you envision the future of DADA in fostering a global community centered around African diasporic dreams and storytelling?
The future of DADA is rooted in expansion, accessibility, and innovation, ensuring that African diasporic storytelling continues to evolve as both a cultural practice and a transformative movement. Our touring exhibition is growing to include Boston, San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, Ghana, Mexico, Switzerland, Panama, South Africa, and Atlanta. These locations reflect the global footprint of African diasporic influence and allow us to connect with more communities practicing ancestral dream traditions in their local contexts.
We are also excited to announce the opening of the DREAM Research Institute for Ancestral Innovation (DRIAI). This institute will house a monthly global membership program, allowing students worldwide to learn the DREAM School curriculum and apply ancestral dream studies in their own locations.
Through the DREAM Research Institute, participants will:
- Engage in the immersive study of Indigenous African dream practices, oral histories, and spiritual technologies.
- Connect with a global network of dreamers, scholars, and artists, sharing their experiences and findings.
- Receive mentorship and guidance on integrating dreamwork into their personal, artistic, or scholarly practices.
- Document and archive dream-based knowledge, contributing to the expansion of the DREAM School’s teachings.
DADA as a Living Museum & Metaverse Experience
In addition to our physical expansion, we are evolving DADA into a living museum and a metaverse experience. This vision transforms DADA into a dynamic, revenue-generating initiative through film production, live brand activations, and immersive digital experiences.
The BIQAverse will serve as a speculative archive and metaverse portal where visitors can “visit the future that also teaches diasporic histories.” Through augmented reality, AI-powered storytelling, and immersive dreamscapes, we will offer experiences that:
- Bridge ancestral wisdom and future innovation, preserving African storytelling in new formats.
- Collaborate with film, gaming, and tech industries to create sustainable revenue streams.
- Host live activations and pop-ups in key cities, allowing for in-person engagement.
As part of this vision, we are currently fundraising to expand our partnerships and explore collaborations with organizations like Worthi and Kinfolk Foundation, as well as music marketers such as 2AM Ricky and Zyah Belle. These partnerships would allow us to amplify DADA’s reach, integrate diasporic storytelling into new creative industries, and co-create experiences that honor ancestral memory while shaping our collective future.
Through these combined efforts, DADA will not only serve as a portal to our past but as a visionary force for the future—expanding diasporic storytelling into new territories, new mediums, and new possibilities.
Find out more at: www.causereign.com
