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...
ZAM Reporter
The award-winning South African artist has taken a new path with a dominance of painterly gestures over collage elements. It represents the yielding to ‘a steadily intensifying urge.’ In this series of intimately scaled paintings, created in his Amsterdam studio, Matloga delves deeper into his connection with the fictional figures he portrays. He writes: I have developed a growing curiosity towards the characters I have assembled in my collages over the years. In my pursuit of comprehending their... The award-winning South African artist has taken a new path with a dominance of painterly gestures over collage elements. It represents the yielding to...
ZAM Reporter
As a South African non-binary artist and academic, Sincuba moves between and combines various media, including painting, drawing, photography, video, performance, textiles and installation. 12 years ago, Sincuba first exhibited at Gallery 23 in Amsterdam. In the meantime, they have pursued academic studies in London and Cape Town, worked as teacher and exhibited internationally. Wonderful to welcome Sincuba back after 12 years since their graduation from the art academy in Arnhem! Thembeka Heidi... As a South African non-binary artist and academic, Sincuba moves between and combines various media, including painting, drawing, photography, video,...
ZAM Reporter
African Architecture Matters, presents a day of presentations and talks dedicated to critically exploring and (re)imagining the future of African cities. This programme accompanies the exhibition Water Cities Rotterdam. In four different panel conversations, twelve artists and four mentors situated in the African context discuss the paradox between various cities’ present conditions and the ‘prescribed’ futurity of ‘the African city’. They will look at how the proposed future of the African city is... African Architecture Matters, presents a day of presentations and talks dedicated to critically exploring and (re)imagining the future of African cities....
ZAM Reporter
All Nollywood fans out there, we have good news for you – Amsterdam will host the next Nollywood Travel Film Festival between October 5th and 7th! Organised in collaboration with Africadelic, the festival’s screening will take place at De Melkweg Cinema and will showcase the best of Nigeria’s booming film industry. The Nollywood Travel Film Festival represents a unique vision that is strategically geared towards promoting films by Nigerians living across the globe to new and existing global... All Nollywood fans out there, we have good news for you – Amsterdam will host the next Nollywood Travel Film Festival between October 5th and 7th!...
ZAM Reporter
Contemporary dance from Tanzania, theatre from South Africa, performance from Mozambique, Masterclasses from Ivory Coast and Nigeria and so much more at the 20th edition of Afrovibes. The waters of the oceans served as ancient migratory routes for trade and carrying people away from their territories. But the oceans also connect continents and cultures. Water also features in healing rituals and ceremonies in many African cultures to come to terms with the past. This year’s festival, with shows in... Contemporary dance from Tanzania, theatre from South Africa, performance from Mozambique, Masterclasses from Ivory Coast and Nigeria and so much more at...
ZAM Reporter
The annual Black Achievement Month, showcasing the extraordinary talents of people with African roots opens on October 1st with Find Your Eyes . In this unique show, pioneer of hip-hop theatre turned award-winning photographer, Benji Reid mixes Afro-futurist imagery with hard-hitting tales from his life and adventures. The show brings dancers and photography into the fold to create images in real-time in front of the audience. Benji draws from the well of his life experiences – exploring... The annual Black Achievement Month, showcasing the extraordinary talents of people with African roots opens on October 1st with Find Your Eyes . In this...
ZAM Reporter
ZAM Events presents an open discussion on the themes of the African diaspora’s liquid roots and how artistic expressions act as both resistance and reconciliation. In collaboration with Afrovibes Festival and De Balie Join our panelists Farren van Wyk , Christl Wolfram and Julia-Beth Harris in an open discussion as we delve into the complexity of the African diaspora's liquid roots, tracing their path from Africa to the Americas, the Caribbean, and the West. Giya Makondo-Wills moderates the talk... ZAM Events presents an open discussion on the themes of the African diaspora’s liquid roots and how artistic expressions act as both resistance and...
ZAM Reporter
The collection of Carla & Pieter Schulting represents an era of ever-growing interest in contemporary art from the continent. African painting has boomed in recent years. It reflects the self-awareness with which the continent's artists look at themselves and their position in the world. During this period, Dutch collectors Carla and Pieter Schulting acquired a large collection of paintings - supplemented by some sculptures and photographs - from many African countries. Many of the artists in the... The collection of Carla & Pieter Schulting represents an era of ever-growing interest in contemporary art from the continent. African painting has boomed...
Interview: Musoke Nalwoga
Ugandan-born, Amsterdam-based curator and researcher Musoke Nalwoga spoke to ZAM's Anna Kućma about her recent photography exhibition, titled “Brave Beauties in Communion: Imaging Black Queer Liberation”. The exhibition is presented by Motormond, an Amsterdam art space founded and directed by Nalwoga and dedicated to circulating a critically-grounded Pan Diasporic Culture. What inspired you to create “Brave Beauties in Communion”? Brave Beauties in Communion came out of a sense of helplessness for... Ugandan-born, Amsterdam-based curator and researcher Musoke Nalwoga spoke to ZAM's Anna Kućma about her recent photography exhibition, titled “Brave...
Noah Schmitt
It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. And O Quilombismo, new director Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung’s inaugural exhibition, feels good. How do you create a space free from domination, where unfamiliar cultures can see, hear, and meet one another as equals? Especially if the ground you stand on is marred by imperial and colonial ideology? The HKW’s re-opening exhibition O Quilombismo: Of Resisting and Insisting. Of Flight as Fight. Of Other Democratic... It’s a new dawn. It’s a new day at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. And O Quilombismo, new director Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung’s...
ZAM Reporter
Movies that Matter is pleased to announce the next edition of Cinema without Borders in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The five-day workshop programme on how to organise a human rights film festival or mobile cinema project will take place from December 10 – December 14, 2023. We will bring together starting and more experienced film festival professionals from West Africa. Participants will gain practical knowledge and get fresh ideas and possibilities to strengthen their network. By exchanging... Movies that Matter is pleased to announce the next edition of Cinema without Borders in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The five-day workshop programme on how...
Issam Larkat (text and images)
The Casbah of Algiers, the formidable citadel and its surrounding traditional quarter, is a testament to Algeria's rich history and an architectural marvel of immense cultural significance. It needs to be saved from falling apart. In 1992, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee declared the Casbah of Algiers a World Cultural Heritage site, acknowledging its remarkable remnants, including the citadel itself, ancient mosques, Ottoman-style palaces, and a traditional urban structure that resonates with a... The Casbah of Algiers, the formidable citadel and its surrounding traditional quarter, is a testament to Algeria's rich history and an architectural...
ZAM Reporter
Understanding Black queer liberation through photography. This exhibition presents the works of DeLovie Kwagala, Daniel Obasi, Keren Lasme, Nella Ngingo and Stephen Tayo - photographers from Kampala, Lagos, New, York, Abidjan and Amsterdam. The event aims to initiate a nuanced conversation about the imagery of Black queer communities in Africa and the diaspora. The exhibition is curated by Musoke Nalwoga (c) cyborgtruffel and organised by Motormond, an Amsterdam-bases non for profit art space.... Understanding Black queer liberation through photography. This exhibition presents the works of DeLovie Kwagala, Daniel Obasi, Keren Lasme, Nella Ngingo...
ZAM Reporter
A new exhibition at the Tate Modern celebrates the dynamic landscape of photography across the African continent and intends to “reclaim the continent’s histories and reimagine its place in the world.” Since the invention of photography in the 19th century, Africa has been broadly defined by Western images of its cultures and traditions. During the colonial period, photography was used as a tool to construct the representation of African societies through a Eurocentric lens. Challenging these... A new exhibition at the Tate Modern celebrates the dynamic landscape of photography across the African continent and intends to “reclaim the continent’s...
ZAM Reporter
The winning projects of the CAP Prize were announced on 7 July 2023 during the opening week of Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles, France. This year marks the 12th edition of the prize. The jury of twenty photography industry professionals selected these exciting and thoughtful series by photographers engaging with the African continent and its diaspora. The awarded stories, in alphabetical order, are: Hond (2023) by Nadia Ettwein “ I was told my mother threw me away like a dog – I’ve never... The winning projects of the CAP Prize were announced on 7 July 2023 during the opening week of Les Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles, France. This...
ZAM Reporter
In June and July, two special works from the ZAM Art Collection are on view. The Amsterdam Zuid-Afrika Huis is kindly hosting the works by Anton Corbyn & Berend Strik (Mandela Landscape) and patricia kaersenhout (Ode to Winnie. A Portrait of Love & Revolution). The right to sell an edition of signed and numbered prints with some of the most imaginative fighters for justice in South Africa were kindly donated to ZAM, as a gesture of appreciation for the organisation’s efforts to tell another, urgent... In June and July, two special works from the ZAM Art Collection are on view. The Amsterdam Zuid-Afrika Huis is kindly hosting the works by Anton Corbyn &...
ZAM Reporter
In a new exhibition, the South African visual activist Zanele Muholi honours the 21 teenagers who lost their lives in the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, one year ago in East London. "I could only imagine the number of blankets and the mothers whose bodies were covered with blankets simply because they were mourning the death of their children," said acclaimed SA artist Zanele Muholi at their new exhibition at Southern Guild in Cape Town. The Enyobeni Tavern is a two-storey building located in Scenery... In a new exhibition, the South African visual activist Zanele Muholi honours the 21 teenagers who lost their lives in the Enyobeni Tavern tragedy, one...
ZAM Reporter
From Amsterdam to Middelburg to Utrecht to Amersfoort and onwards. Sites of Memory continues to take the hidden and under-represented stories of a shared cultural heritage of the Netherlands and the former colonies to the streets. Friday, June 16 was the première of the first ever performances from the groups’s latest performance series, Free to be Free. Starting from Amersfoort’s Sint Aegtenkapel and ending at the Koppelpoort, the public was taken on a journey through space and time to unravel... From Amsterdam to Middelburg to Utrecht to Amersfoort and onwards. Sites of Memory continues to take the hidden and under-represented stories of a shared...