FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

After much deliberation, we have decided to cancel the Griot Con event scheduled for September 25, 2021.  We made this difficult decision after almost two years of uncertainty surrounding the availability of the event venue due to the ongoing global pandemic. All vendors and filmmakers will receive

a full refund within 48 hours of this email.

Our goal was to produce a family-friendly event that fused the excitement and spectacle of a comic convention with the cinematic experience of an independent film festival. Unfortunately, our constant inability to know whether or not Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan will allow the venue to be used at total capacity has made planning extremely challenging. Furthermore, news of uncontrolled outbreaks like the

spiraling crisis in India also threatens to prolong the pandemic.

Nonetheless, in the spirit of turning lemons into lemonade, the Afrofuturism Network and MisterDuke Productions have decided to produce a short documentary film about this experience. Storytelling has always been at the heart of our mission, and so we think it's fitting to creatively tell the story of "Griot Con" from its creation through its unraveling. Not only will this film be cathartic, but it will act as a time capsule for what has indeed been a historically challenging time for entrepreneurs, independent artists, and artisans.

Thank you for joining us on our unexpectedly ill-timed journey. We may not have arrived at our intended destination, but, like a phoenix, we are certain something bigger and better will rise from the ashes.

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