As we bid farewell to 2023, the ANANSI Revolutionary Collective reflects on a year filled with extraordinary endeavours, embodying the essence of creativity, collaboration, and the revolutionary spirit. Throughout the year, we pushed the boundaries of hybrid art events, expanded our technological frontiers, strengthened our community-building efforts, and fortified our governance structure. The culmination of our hard work and dedication resulted in remarkable achievements, including the ANANSI Radical Catalyst and the groundbreaking Black to the Future event, both testaments to our commitment to innovation and collaborative creation. With a focus on distribution, decentralization, and Black empowerment, we have evolved into a truly community-run collective, making a lasting impact on a global scale.

As early as January of this year, we began establishing the ANANSI Residential Compound when Kadallah and Emmaus moved in together in Westlands, Nairobi. Here, we hosted collective mythmaking sessions open to all in the Nairobi creative scene. Six artists came together to form the base organizing committee for the ANANSI Radical Catalyst distributed festival, an interactive art experience designed to push the boundaries of hybrid art events through explorations of musical tele-production and tele-performance. The first collaborative event under the ANANSI Radical Catalyst banner was the Meet Me in the Living Room event, a collaboration between ANANSI, Meet Me, and Pass Pass. With continuous efforts, we successfully hosted a hybrid tele-production event in April—the ARC Conflux—with attendees joining together in physical and virtual spaces simultaneously, with a main hub in Nairobi in partnership with Santuri Electronic Music Academy.

In March, we achieved a significant milestone in governance with the approval of the official voting protocol. This achievement was further strengthened two months later by the approval of Membership Guidelines, representing a substantial leap in breaking up the consolidation of power and resources and upholding the practice of Anansesem to always speak truth to power, especially within ourselves. Additionally, we worked on our praxis, focusing on distribution, decentralization, and Black empowerment—frameworks through which we interact and build projects. These efforts culminated in a collective that is truly community-run.

On the technological front, starting in February of 2023, ANANSI began investing in its decentralized technical infrastructure. One of our members, Jabez, began experimenting with creating Computer Commons, by purchasing shared computing resources and investigating federated protocols like Funkwhale and Matrix. The goal was to establish community tools for communication and resource sharing while also developing tutorials for collective members to learn how to build for themselves. This project reached a milestone when the collective voted and approved the purchase of a desktop computer to host our self-hosted servers, reducing reliance on centralized cloud computing services.

Furthermore, we refined our existing hybrid musical Conflux events by creating a more curated and directed experience compared to the previous open-format experimental events. The success of our ANANSI Radical Catalyst early in the year was a testament to this seamless process, leading to a significant collaboration with TEC Leimert and the Music Center in Los Angeles, USA, for the groundbreaking Black to the Future event in October. This event transcended three physical venues, two in Nairobi and one in LA, and also took place online across seven Gather Town spaces designed by our in-person set designers. The ANANSI Revolutionary Conflux demonstrated how art can bring people together from all over the world. This event marked a milestone in our collective journey, showcasing the impact of our collaborative efforts on a global scale.

In 2023, the ANANSI Revolutionary Collective achieved several significant milestones. In the realm of art, we successfully organized the ANANSI Radical Catalyst, which encompassed a series of events leading up to the Conflux in April. And in October we successfully hosted the Black to the Future event.

On the tech front, we made notable progress. We acquired communal computing resources, delved into SonoBus and tele-midi, and even compensated musicians for remote jamming sessions. Furthermore, we expanded our Gather.town space, creating a virtual environment that facilitated collaboration and interaction.

In terms of community and governance, we established robust protocols for voting and membership, ensuring transparent and inclusive decision-making processes. Additionally, we implemented various communication channels to facilitate effective dialogue among members of the collective and the broader community.

To support the realization of these projects, we relied on the Open Collective platform, which served as a reliable guide in navigating our diverse and globally dispersed collective. With members hailing from Zimbabwe, Kenya, the USA, Indonesia, and Tanzania across four continents, the platform's ability to facilitate worldwide payments was instrumental in ensuring fair compensation for participating members and talented artists involved in our initiatives.

Through Open Collective, we upheld transparent and collective budgeting practices, compensating 10 members for their contributions to the Teleperformance ARC virtual event known as the ANANSI Radical Catalyst, which took place from May to July 2023. We also allocated funds for the Santuri Space, Conscendo Equipment Rental, and the development of our own eCommerce Marketplace. Additionally, we invested in a "Communal computing Desktop ", as well as the Matrix Synapse server, Funkwhale, and the initial ANANSI Website prototype. Moreover, we dedicated funds to ANANSI Concept Development and the ideation and design of the La Futura event.

Furthermore, we ensured that we paid artists for their work in the Black to the Future event, and covered expenses such as flight, and accommodation for our representative in Los Angeles. This included artists from the previously mentioned countries, and we paid comparable rates across the board so that African artists were being paid on par with the people based in the US therefore actively practising the redistribution of resources to the continent. By strategically allocating funds, we provided our collective with the necessary resources and platforms to foster creativity, connectivity, and collaboration. This empowered our members to push boundaries, explore new artistic mediums, and share their unique voices with the world.

In 2023, the ANANSI Revolutionary Collective learned invaluable lessons highlighting the need for a well-defined legal framework. While we have made considerable progress with our voting and Membership Guideline Protocols, it has become evident that reinforcing them with a concrete governance model, and a legal framework is crucial to unlock the full potential of the collective. The need for legal grounding has become more apparent, prompting us to initiate plans to formalize our entity. We understood the importance of establishing a clear legal structure, a robust governance model, and well-defined membership criteria to protect our collective's interests, nurture its growth, and ensure sustainability in the long run.  This will enhance engagement, attract dedicated members, and ensure accountability within the collective. As a result, we have embarked on a journey to explore legal frameworks that align with our values, vision, and commitment to Pan-African cooperation.

Fundraising endeavours also evolved throughout the year. We realized that our artistic endeavours were not just events but potent catalysts for community building. We recognized the need to harness the energy and impact of our projects to create sustainable income sources. This recognition propelled us to explore innovative approaches, engage with potential sponsors and partners, and leverage our collective platform to generate financial support for our members' artistic pursuits. We are venturing into the exciting realm of transforming events into sustainable income sources. We are committed to nurturing a thriving artistic ecosystem within our collective, where creativity flourishes, and artists are supported in their professional growth.

We are also creating a shared e-commerce platform for our art collective, allowing collective members to sell products, tickets, and services. In this project, each seller will maintain their own shop within the platform, while operating from a central point. Our focus is on providing a global marketplace for artists to sell their art products, including music albums and digital creations

Looking ahead, we are now working on getting our collective recognized as a legal entity with clear structures, a governance model, and a firm groundwork for sustainable growth, collaboration, and the capacity to promote African art and ideas globally. In addition, members are spearheading infrastructural projects across various disciplines. This includes building our website, establishing community spaces, and supporting research and development efforts. By investing in these infrastructural projects, we aim to create lasting impact, provide resources for artistic expression, and foster connections between artists and communities.

As we embark on our journey into 2024, excitement fills our hearts for the possibilities that lie ahead. We are currently exploring the transition to becoming an independent collective on the Open Collective platform, a move that signifies our commitment to growth and autonomy. By embracing this transition, we aim to gain greater flexibility, control, and the ability to shape the future of our collective in alignment with our values and goals.

We are thrilled to share that the ANANSI Initial Infrastructure Initiative is now underway, along with the development of our website. These endeavours set the stage for the Kilele Music Festival and Conflux Workshops scheduled for January through February of the coming year. Additionally, we are planning the ANANSI Showcase, which will take place later in February.

Looking forward, we eagerly anticipate collaborations with like-minded organizations to amplify our impact and drive meaningful change through art. We are actively exploring partnerships with cultural institutions, galleries, and festivals to showcase the diverse talents within our collective and foster dialogues around Afrofuturism and social justice. Furthermore, we are enthusiastic about expanding our reach and engaging with broader audiences through digital platforms and virtual events. Recognizing the power of technology to connect people across borders, we aim to leverage these tools to promote inclusivity, diversity, and cross-cultural dialogue.

In conclusion, as we bid farewell to the accomplishments, lessons, and growth of 2023, we stand proud as the ANANSI Revolutionary Collective. With Open Collective as our trusted partner, we eagerly anticipate the harmonies, collaborations, and unwavering pursuit of revolution through art that await us in 2024 and beyond. Together, we will continue to challenge norms, inspire change, and create a brighter future through the transformative power of collective creativity.