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In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana Chavier Caamaño sits down with artist Nancy Johnson of Nancy Faye Designs to explore creativity, cultural heritage, and the unexpected connections art can reveal. From handmade jewelry and intricate pen-and-ink drawings to transformed found objects, Nancy’s work reflects a curiosity she now has the freedom to pursue in retirement.

For Nancy, the beads have something to say—and she listens. Their colors, shapes, and textures guide her jewelry designs, alongside influences from her West African ancestry and connection to Native American heritage. Rediscovering a forgotten Zentangle kit during the pandemic drew her in another direction, inspiring detailed works such as Balinese Boy and Costa Rica Mama.

“I’m not analyzing, I’m just creating,” Nancy says. Yet viewers recognize cultural and spiritual imagery in her work—including Taíno symbols she hadn’t consciously drawn. She reflects on the surprise of discovering what her art means to others, and the possibility that she’s a vessel for images whose significance she’s still uncovering.

Learn more about Nancy Johnson:

Facebook: NancyFayeDesigns IG: @nancy_faye_designs

Website: Nancyfayedesigns.com

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In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana Chavier Caamaño sits down with artist Darrin Westmore for a conversation about art, identity, culture, and the memories that become part of who we are.

Darrin shares how his artistic journey began with graffiti and airbrushing before evolving into painting, and how his early experiences continue to influence the work he creates today. From his signature use of eyes, windows, and doors to his deeply personal piece Mi Rincón, Darrin explores how art can become a reflection of our memories, struggles, perspectives, and sense of belonging.

The conversation also explores Darrin’s experiences growing up between different cultures and communities, including his childhood in Mexico, his connection to Fillmore, and his experiences in the Caribbean. Through these places and memories, he reflects on the complicated feeling of having more than one place that feels like home—and sometimes feeling that something is missing from each.

At the heart of the conversation is a simple idea: art isn’t just about what looks good. It’s about what makes us feel, remember, question, and connect. Darrin discusses how a color, shape, window, or pair of eyes can spark memories in someone else, turning a personal piece of art into something shared.

Learn more about Darrin Westmore:
Instagram: @darrinwestmore
Facebook: Darrin Westmore

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Video Episodes on YouTube @Tradition_Cafe
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Instagram: @tradition_cafe
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What does it mean to find home thousands of miles from where you were born?

In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana Chavier Caamaño sits down with Nigerian-born Afrofusion artist NKAN to explore the journey that brought her from Lagos, Nigeria, to Oakland, California—and how music, community, and unexpected acts of kindness transformed a new place into home.

NKAN shares the story behind her music, the meaning of her name, and the inspiration for her song "California Love." She reflects on the father who first encouraged her to perform, the decade she stepped away from music to raise her late sister's children, and the husband who reminded her that the world still needed to hear her voice.

The conversation also explores the role of Yoruba language and storytelling in her songwriting, why she describes her performances as "edutainment," and how growing up as an orphan inspired her lifelong commitment to helping orphaned children pursue an education.

This is a conversation about identity, belonging, resilience, gratitude, and using your gifts to create opportunities for others.

In this episode:

• What Afrofusion music is
• The meaning behind the name NKAN
• Growing up in Nigeria
• Moving from Lagos to Oakland
• The story behind California Love
• How family and community shape who we become
• Returning to music after a decade away
• Teaching culture through music and storytelling
• Supporting orphaned children through education

Learn more about NKAN:

Website: http://nkan.world/

Instagram: @nkanofficial

Facebook: Nkaneledua

YouTube: NkanMusic

TikTok: @nkan

X (Twitter): @nkan

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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Instagram: @tradition_cafe
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What does it mean to build community through culture?

In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana sits down with Jennifer Radakovich, Executive Director of Rhythmix Cultural Works, to talk about the role of the arts in connection, belonging, and cultural exchange.

Jennifer shares how Rhythmix creates space for music, dance, performance, education, and community-centered arts experiences that bring people together across backgrounds and generations.

This conversation explores what it means to support artists, honor cultural traditions, and make the arts accessible beyond formal stages and institutions. Jennifer also reflects on her own path through dance, cultural work, and nonprofit leadership, and why curiosity, collaboration, and listening are essential to creating meaningful community spaces.

This is a conversation about art as connection, culture as living practice, and the power of gathering around shared human experience.

In this episode:

• Jennifer’s path into dance, culture, and community arts
• The mission and work of Rhythmix Cultural Works
• Why access to the arts matters
• How cultural programs create connection and belonging
• Supporting artists with respect and intention
• The difference between performance and cultural exchange
• What community-centered arts leadership looks like
• Why the arts help us understand one another

Learn more about Rhythmix Cultural Works:
www.rhythmix.org

Tradition Café explores the stories, traditions, and lived experiences that shape who we are.

Many Voices. One Table.

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Poet, performer, and filmmaker Tae Poetically Divine joins Ana to talk about creating art rooted in spirituality, ancestry, community, and hope.

Tae shares how writing became an outlet for her as a quiet and deeply sensitive child—and how poetry eventually expanded into spoken word, music, filmmaking, youth mentorship, and community arts work.

She also takes us behind the scenes of Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams and its spiritual sequel, Descendants, an award-winning film honoring family lineage, cultural identity, survival, and the stories that connect us.

The conversation explores:

• The meaning behind the name Tae Poetically Divine
• Why poetry is the foundation of all her creative work
• Turning real stories into authentic, unscripted films
• The creation of Ancestors’ Wildest Dreams and Descendants
• Recognition from the Oakland International Film Festival
• Poetry about mental health, community, love, and hope
• Mentoring young artists and helping students recognize their worth
• Tae’s relationship with Rhythmix Cultural Works and Unity Fest

The episode closes with Tae performing her powerful poem, “Descendants,” a reflection on ancestry, history, resilience, peace, and our shared humanity.

Tae Poetically Divine is the emcee of Rhythmix Cultural Works’ 2026 Unity Fest in Alameda, California, celebrating the arts and cultures of Africa and beyond.

GUEST LINKS

Website: https://spoken-word.org/taepoeticallydivine

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DXp5bKAGpFX/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

CONNECT WITH TRADITION CAFÉ

Website: https://traditioncafe.com

Instagram: @tradition_cafe

YouTube: @Tradition_Cafe

Watch the video version and find additional guest links at TraditionCafe.com or in these show notes.

If this conversation moved you, made you think, or reminded you of someone, please share it with them.

Tradition Café: Many Voices, One Table.

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In this episode of Tradition Café, Ana sits down with Wendy Aris, host of Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast, for a powerful conversation about Caribbean genealogy, Jamaican family history, ancestral records, oral history, and the emotional side of researching your roots.

Wendy shares how researching her Jamaican family history began with a medical question and grew into an 18-year journey through archives, church records, migration records, wills, newspapers, land documents, and stories that challenged everything she thought she knew.

Together, Ana and Wendy talk about the beauty and difficulty of Caribbean genealogy — from missing records and oral history to slavery-era discoveries, family secrets, migration, identity, and the complicated truths that can live inside one family tree.

They also discuss Wendy’s upcoming book, The Emotions of Researching Your Family Tree, her work preserving Caribbean history through podcasting, and why ancestral research can be both painful and deeply healing.

This conversation is for anyone curious about family history, Caribbean roots, oral history, ancestral memory, and the stories that shape who we are.

Wendy Aris is the host of Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast, a podcast dedicated to Caribbean history, family history, genealogy, cultural memory, and the stories that are often left out of traditional archives. Through interviews with scholars, researchers, cultural preservationists, and community storytellers, Wendy explores the histories, records, and lived experiences that shape Caribbean identity.

Wendy is also the author of the newly released book, The Emotions of Researching Your Family Tree.

Listen to Dis A Fi Mi History Podcast wherever you get your podcasts, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Dis A Fi Mi on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/@DisAFiMihistoryPodcast

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Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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What does Black art mean to Oakland—and why does community matter so deeply in the creative process?

In this episode of Tradition Café, I sit down with Art of the African Diaspora curators Eric Murphy and Yolanda Cotton Turner to talk about Oakland culture, Black art, memory, healing, and the power of bringing artists and communities together.

We discuss the Art of the African Diaspora exhibition, the satellite show in Alameda, Oakland nostalgia, preserving community stories through art, and why representation still matters in today’s art world.

This conversation is thoughtful, funny, and full of love for the East Bay.

Topics include:

• Oakland Black art and culture
• Art of the African Diaspora exhibition
• Community healing through art
• Bay Area artists
• Representation in the art world
• Oakland history and memory
• Eric Murphy artwork
• Yolanda Cotton Turner prints

🎙️ Tradition Café explores culture, heritage, creativity, and the stories that shape us.

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A painting of someone pulling the moon out of orbit might sound like fantasy—until you hear the artist explain the symbols, the technique, and the lived history behind it.

In this episode of Tradition Café, I’m joined by George Bernard III, a Bay Area portrait artist whose work draws from African diaspora identity, spiritual traditions, and the people he observes and paints.

This conversation is part of the Art of the African Diaspora interview series, where we sit with artists to explore the deeper stories behind their work—what shapes it, what moves through it, and what it carries forward.

George shares how his artistic journey began at just five years old, learning by watching his grandfather’s hand move line by line. We talk about growing up between El Paso and California, and the complexities of tracing lineage in the diaspora—including family stories that point to Senegal, alongside the uncertainty many families inherit.

We also get into the craft itself—the materials, the discipline, and the practice behind the work—but the heart of this conversation lives in meaning.

Through his piece Urban Magi, George breaks down the Yoruba concept of asé, the symbolism of dreadlocks as patience and power, and how movement is created through brushstroke, texture, and layered color. He also describes how music—especially jazz—shapes his process, including moments where sound becomes color and painting becomes something closer to meditation.

This is a conversation about art as more than technique—about energy, cultural memory, and what it means to create from something deeper than yourself.

If this resonates, follow, share, and leave a review to help more people find Tradition Café.

Connect with George Bernard III

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bernard_illustrations_2021
  
  
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/bernardillustrations
• Classes: West Contra Costa Adult Education https://www.wccadulteducation.com/

Support the show

Thank you for listening to Tradition Café. Visit www.traditioncafe.com for blog posts, news, and links, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for videos and updates.

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