ZAM Reporter
Who could have thought that a world polluted by colonial exploitation would present such a wealth of creative expression? Well, meet Nigerian artist Wilfred Ukpong. Utilising aspects of Afrofuturism and mysticism, this Nigerian artist creates compelling and poetic reflections on the crisis of environmental degradation and exploitation in the Niger Delta. Drawing on historical and personal archives, ecology politics and indigenous environmentalism, his work demonstrates how artmaking can be used as... Who could have thought that a world polluted by colonial exploitation would present such a wealth of creative expression? Well, meet Nigerian artist...
ZAM Reporter
From March 20 to 24, Cinedans FEST celebrates 20 years of daring, beautiful and fascinating dance films. Join Cinedans in Eye to experience films in which artists playfully reframe existing meanings, uplifting and reminding us of the power of dance! In this celebratory edition, we take you on a captivating journey through lively perspectives of our ever-changing world, with more than 100 films that are bold, inspiring, striking and hit home with their humor, vulnerability and urgency. The central... From March 20 to 24, Cinedans FEST celebrates 20 years of daring, beautiful and fascinating dance films. Join Cinedans in Eye to experience films in...
ZAM Reporter
Moving from Tate Modern in London to the Rotterdam Wereldmuseum, a celebration of the varied landscape of contemporary African photography. With Aida Muluneh, Samsom Kambalu, Santu Mofokeng, Atong Atem amongst many others. Aida Muluneh, Star Shine Moon Glow, Water Life 2018. Commisioned by WaterAid. Wereldmuseum Rotterdam, A World in Common Exhibition. 2024. Bringing together a group of artists from different generations, this exhibition will address how photography, film, audio, and more have been... Moving from Tate Modern in London to the Rotterdam Wereldmuseum, a celebration of the varied landscape of contemporary African photography. With Aida...
Leonard Cortana
Benoit Collombat and Grégrory Mardon revive the investigation into the murder of a South African anti-apartheidactivist in Paris in 1988. An activist killed not so much for the stories she might tell in the present, but for what she might reveal in the future, writes Leonard Cortana in a review of a recently published graphic novel on the assassination of South African anti-apartheid fighter Dulcie September. Thirty-five years after the murder of Dulcie September on 29 March 1988, and following the... Benoit Collombat and Grégrory Mardon revive the investigation into the murder of a South African anti-apartheidactivist in Paris in 1988. An activist...
ZAM Reporter
It is time to celebrate the elders of African literature. Time to exchange memories of our first reading experiences. To take a look at our bookshelves or at those in public libraries: where can we find those orange coloured, cheap paperbacks of the African Writers Series? Which book was it again that impressed me most? Write to us. On this site of the ZAM Boekenclub van lezers en schrijvers (ZAM Bookclub of readers and writers) and during live events we will pitch our favorites from the series.... It is time to celebrate the elders of African literature. Time to exchange memories of our first reading experiences. To take a look at our bookshelves...
ZAM Reporter
The singer and guitarist grew up in the Eastern Cape of South Africa but later moved to Johannesburg to pursue his career. Despite this change, he continued to sing and write in Xhosa, his mother tongue. He has since released three albums and has won multiple South African Music Awards (SAMAs). With his refreshing approach to African music, Bongeziwe Mabandla is now heard worldwide and has also appeared on the latest single ‘Apho’ by Alfa Mist. Last year, Mabandla drew huge audiences to Dutch music... The singer and guitarist grew up in the Eastern Cape of South Africa but later moved to Johannesburg to pursue his career. Despite this change, he...
ZAM Reporter
Stevenson Amsterdam hosts an exhibition ‘as a gesture of protest.’ Rooted in South Africa, the organising gallery is ‘particularly familiar’ with rising ‘nativist and xenophobic’ tendencies. On 22 November, a political party that compares the Quran to Mein Kampf, and would like to ban the construction of mosques, won the Dutch elections. They propose to strip people with dual citizenship of their Dutch nationality if convicted of a crime, and, using vulgar slurs, have floated a tax on the wearing... Stevenson Amsterdam hosts an exhibition ‘as a gesture of protest.’ Rooted in South Africa, the organising gallery is ‘particularly familiar’ with rising...
ZAM Reporter
Was het toeval dat Nelson Mandela de Nederlandse regering niet bedankte voor de solidariteit met de strijd tegen apartheid bij zijn eerste bezoek aan Amsterdam in juni 1990? "Toen ik opgroeide in Deventer, vond ik het vaak verrassend dat er beperkt bewustzijn was van de historische verbinding tussen Zuid-Afrika en Nederland. Mijn doel met de podcast was om deze kloof te overbruggen en te benadrukken wat voor significante invloed beide landen hebben gehad op mijn kijk op politiek, identiteit en... Was het toeval dat Nelson Mandela de Nederlandse regering niet bedankte voor de solidariteit met de strijd tegen apartheid bij zijn eerste bezoek aan...
ZAM Reporter
30 record sleeves by Fela Kuti’s cover designer have been brought together in a spectacular catalogue. The King of Covers is the concluding part of the month long Lemi Ghariokwu exhibition that ran at the Amsterdam Rush Hour store between 1 and 28 November, 2023. The exhibition was an initiative by Afrodelic in collaboration with ZAM. The 30 sleeves that were at display are now nicely bundled into this full colour 70 page booklet. Each sleeve comes with a story by Saffa Khalil, who analysed the... 30 record sleeves by Fela Kuti’s cover designer have been brought together in a spectacular catalogue. The King of Covers is the concluding part of the...
ZAM Reporter
Where Kinkerstraat 96 Amsterdam Artists Martin Toloku & Ayomide Tejuoso (Plantation) Curator Musoke Nalwoga A STATE OF GRACE? seeks to use the exhibition as a space for transformative ritual where it will locate itself in the past, the now and actively rejecting any projection into any future. It draws inspiration from witches, cults, occultism, voodoo, and other marginalized spiritual sciences from various communities in the diaspora. Dissociations like instances of trance, speaking in tongues,... Where Kinkerstraat 96 Amsterdam Artists Martin Toloku & Ayomide Tejuoso (Plantation) Curator Musoke Nalwoga A STATE OF GRACE? seeks to use the exhibition...
ZAM Reporter
“It feels good to take back some of the resources”, Trevor Noah, the youngest winner of the award ever, said in his words of thanks at the ceremony in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam on Tuesday, 28 November, 2023. The Prize, launched 65 years ago with Charlie Chaplin as its first recipient, comes with an amount of 150 000 euros. This years theme – In Praise of Folly, the title of Dutch humanist and philosopher Desiderius Erasmus’ (1466 – 1536) most famous book – was ‘made for Noah’. The South... “It feels good to take back some of the resources”, Trevor Noah, the youngest winner of the award ever, said in his words of thanks at the ceremony in...
ZAM
This year ZAM Magazine would like to give you – our readers, followers, fans and new friends – something in return for your support: the chance to buy a striking artwork! All the work at this exhibition has been donated by prominent artists including Clifford Charles, Nat Mokgosi, Ignacio Gumucio, Anton Corbijn & Berend Strik, Patricia Kaersenhout and Ruan Hoffman. We also have some surprises planned for the opening with the unveiling of significant new work and a special donation just recently... This year ZAM Magazine would like to give you – our readers, followers, fans and new friends – something in return for your support: the chance to buy a...
Berend van der Lans
This event is no longer the domain of older white men. Seated in the lounge of the All-Africa Protoport (AAP), visitors have a view of lush green landscapes and futuristic transport systems and buildings. Brightly coloured models display the work of the African Conservation Effort (ACE), set up to repair the damage done to the continent’s ecoregions by former colonial powers. This fascinating installation was created by the artist Olalekan Jeyifous (Ibadan, Nigeria), who received the Silver Lion... This event is no longer the domain of older white men. Seated in the lounge of the All-Africa Protoport (AAP), visitors have a view of lush green...
ZAM Reporter
A selection of thirty designs by the Nigerian illustrator and designer, will be on display at Amsterdam-based record shop Rush Hour Store. An exhibition organised by Africadelic in collaboration with Mano A Mano Produções and ZAM. A selection of thirty designs by the Nigerian illustrator and designer, will be on display at Amsterdam-based record shop Rush Hour Store. The renowned artist, best known for his long-standing collaboration with Fela Kuti, the father of Afrobeat, will be present at the... A selection of thirty designs by the Nigerian illustrator and designer, will be on display at Amsterdam-based record shop Rush Hour Store. An exhibition...
ZAM Reporter
In her 2023 ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture , Zimbabwean/South African writer and academic Panashe Chigumadzi strongly criticized the absence of any reference to Southern Africa in the Dutch official acknowledgement of slavery as a crime against humanity. The Black Archives, in collaboration with HKU fellow Nancy Jouwe, now this hidden story and its afterlife in its new exhibition CAPE X UTRECHT. It opens for the public on Saturday, October 7 at AG, the HKU’s space for new art and media. The exhibition... In her 2023 ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture , Zimbabwean/South African writer and academic Panashe Chigumadzi strongly criticized the absence of any reference...
ZAM Reporter
In 2009, during her much-cited TedX talk, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned of the dangers of a "single story." Referring to her native Nigeria, she said, "Every time I am home I am confronted with the usual sources of irritation: our failed infrastructure, our failed government, but also by the incredible resilience of people who thrive despite the government, rather than because of it." That resilience is expressed not least in the works of new generations of African investigative... In 2009, during her much-cited TedX talk, writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie warned of the dangers of a "single story." Referring to her native Nigeria, she...
ZAM Reporter
Is it a performance, a theatrical show or a real truth commission after all? Directed by Chokri Ben Chika, the first ever Truth Commission in the Netherlands, Flemish theatre company Action Zoo Humain calls attention to the underexposed, colonial legacy of the human zoo. Deep into the 20th century, the Netherlands too exhibited thousands of men, women and children as "exotic," "wild" and "primitive" in so-called "human zoos.” Think for example of the Surinamese and Indonesians exhibited at the... Is it a performance, a theatrical show or a real truth commission after all? Directed by Chokri Ben Chika, the first ever Truth Commission in the...
ZAM Reporter
This year’s edition will open with the screening of Tirailleurs, Omar Sy’s epic tribute to the Senegalese soldiers’ participation in World War I. Experience the transformative power of the iAfrica Film Festival set to revolutionize the way we perceive the African continent. The festival offers a journey into the world of visionary creators who are reshaping the narrative and empowering the youth. Be inspired by stories that push boundaries, bridge cultures, and touch hearts. This year’s edition... This year’s edition will open with the screening of Tirailleurs, Omar Sy’s epic tribute to the Senegalese soldiers’ participation in World War I....
ZAM Reporter
Free to be Free is the latest site-specific performance by the Sites of Memory Foundation about freedom and resistance. It takes the audience along stories and places that are connected to the colonial history in Amersfoort, Deventer and Utrecht. We can learn a lot from the freedom fighters of the past and from the people who are fighting for freedom today. How was freedom fought then and now? What forms of revolt and resistance are known? In this performance, stories about freedom and resistance... Free to be Free is the latest site-specific performance by the Sites of Memory Foundation about freedom and resistance. It takes the audience along...
ZAM Reporter
This exhibition by the Belgian Congolese artist David Katshiunga sheds a powerful light on the shadows of the colonial past and its lasting effects. "I didn't really know any of this," says David Katshiunga (b. 1987), who moved to Belgium when he was six. No stories in family circles. No attention to King Leopold who made Katshiunga's homeland his personal wingnut. The exploitation, the segregation, the murder of freedom fighter Patrice Lumumba. Nothing. Until, in 2020, the world was rocked by the... This exhibition by the Belgian Congolese artist David Katshiunga sheds a powerful light on the shadows of the colonial past and its lasting effects. "I...
ZAM Reporter
Holding significance because of their history as currency during times of colonialism, beads bring to life the vast range of colours of the ocean. The Indian and Atlantic Oceans were sites of vast displacement of peoples, slavery and the extraction of human beings and goods. In many African traditions too, the oceans and water are also material for healing, fluidity, for cleansing rituals and regeneration. The depths and shifting form of the ocean and its conjoining of cultures finds a powerful... Holding significance because of their history as currency during times of colonialism, beads bring to life the vast range of colours of the ocean. The...