Reclaiming Dreaming: Tyrell Blacquemoss on the Visionary Power of DADA and African Diasporic Storytelling

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.