ZAM Reporter
Sammy Baloji, George Senga, Daddy Tshikaya, Musasa and Jean Katambu are amongst the DRC artists exploring the most important resource for ‘green energy’, lithium. But why are local communities neglected? A series of new individually and collectively made artworks are part of this project involving the Amsterdam-based Cargo in Context and Vlaams Cultuurhuis de Brakke Grond in collaboration with the Thami Mnyele Foundation and Amsterdam Art Weekend, the Lubumbashi Biennal, Galerie Imane Farès... Sammy Baloji, George Senga, Daddy Tshikaya, Musasa and Jean Katambu are amongst the DRC artists exploring the most important resource for ‘green energy’,...
ZAM Reporter
One of the most moving films at the upcoming international documentary festival tells the story of witchcraft. This Kenyan production, directed by Christopher King and Maia Lekow, tells the shocking story of Karisa’s grandmother who is accused of witchcraft. He travels from Mombasa to her rural home to find out who’s behind it. It turns out that the threatening letter his grandmother received came from a member of his own family. Karisa’s conversations with his relatives reveal how his uncles are... One of the most moving films at the upcoming international documentary festival tells the story of witchcraft. This Kenyan production, directed by...
ZAM Reporter
A video impression by Juul van der Laan of the event A tribute to Binyavanga Wainaina hosted at Studio ZAM on 24 October 2019. Paying tribute to the great Kenyan writer, famous for his essay How to Write About Africa , the event featured presentations by Ayò Adéné, Ama Van Dantzig, Kiza Magendane and Vamba Sherif. Watch the highlights from the event here. A video impression by Juul van der Laan of the event A tribute to Binyavanga Wainaina hosted at Studio ZAM on 24 October 2019. Paying tribute to the...
ZAM Reporter
Using his pen as a weapon against injustice and a tool to express his love for life. The ZAM Team is saddened by the passing of South African poet, journalist and activist Sandile Dikeni at the age of 53. Dikeni suffered from tuberculosis. In 2001, Dikeni took part in the documentary Korreltjie Niks is my Dood by filmmaker Saskia van Schaik on the South African poet Ingrid Jonker. With his assistance the producers of the documentary managed to trace the sister of a child who was shot by the police... Using his pen as a weapon against injustice and a tool to express his love for life. The ZAM Team is saddened by the passing of South African poet,...
ZAM Reporter
Meet the fishermen of Sunrise Beach (False Bay, Cape Town). Elmendorp has been working and living in South Africa since the late 1980s. Her photography has been published in newspapers and magazines worldwide, including ZAM. In recent months the photographer has been following a group of fishermen who sail daily from Sunrise Beach, near Muizenberg, on the Atlantic Ocean, mainly to catch cod. An exhibition has now emerged from Elmendorp's visual research. Venue University of Cape Town’s Irma Stern... Meet the fishermen of Sunrise Beach (False Bay, Cape Town). Elmendorp has been working and living in South Africa since the late 1980s. Her photography...
Molara Wood
The Aké Art and Book Festival put the perspectives of female filmmakers centre stage at its seventh edition held last month in Lagos, Nigeria, giving insight into the experiences of women in film in Africa and the Diaspora. Speaking on the panel titled, ‘Roots and Representation: Black Women in Film’ were: US-based Adepero Oduye, Nollywood star Dakore Akande, and director Nadine Ibrahim. It’s all about female leads for Ibrahim, whose short film, Through Her Eyes , explores the impact of terrorism... The Aké Art and Book Festival put the perspectives of female filmmakers centre stage at its seventh edition held last month in Lagos, Nigeria, giving...
Molara Wood
“It can be very traumatic, very painful, to leave your home,” said Nigerian writer Helon Habila, in a conversation around his new novel, Travellers , at last month’s Ake Festival in Lagos. The first time he left home, it was to England, specifically the city of Norwich. Language was a barrier, given the regional accent in the city, located some 160 kilometres from multicultural London. “I wouldn’t even understand what they were saying. I was like, ‘Are you speaking English?’” He was similarly... “It can be very traumatic, very painful, to leave your home,” said Nigerian writer Helon Habila, in a conversation around his new novel, Travellers , at...
ZAM Reporter
South African artist Robin Rhode has created his signature in visual poems on the walls in the ancient city of Jericho. Jericho is positioned twelve kilometres north of the Dead Sea, and ten kilometres west of the river Jordan; settlement in the town dates back to 10 000 BCE. It is known as ‘The City of the Moon’, inspired by the possible roots of its name in the Canaanite word for moon, 'Yareah'. Today, Jericho finds itself in the midst of one of the most protracted geopolitical conflicts in the... South African artist Robin Rhode has created his signature in visual poems on the walls in the ancient city of Jericho. Jericho is positioned twelve...
ZAM Reporter
We are proud to annouce the speaker for the 2020 ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture: Nigerian writer, satirist and lawyer Elnathan John. As a remarkable and dynamic voice, John is a multiple award winning author. His essays and blogs were published by The Guardian, Sunday Trust, Le Monde Diplomatique, The Economist, ZAM Magazine and Chimurenga Chronic amongst others. As an independent thinker and a witty critic of power abuse and self-aggrandizement, John (1982) is feared for his sharpness and admired for... We are proud to annouce the speaker for the 2020 ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture: Nigerian writer, satirist and lawyer Elnathan John. As a remarkable and...
ZAM Reporter
18 African artists upend perceptions of the continent through the use of digital media and photography. NOW LOOK HERE. The African Art of Appearance showcases the works of Omar Victor Diop, Samuel Fosso and Mary Sibande amongst others. The exhibition is curated by Renny Ramakers. The participating artists are image makers who present a new visual language and identity in representation and presence by exploring irony, beauty and style. How I Want to Look Like in the Future, 2019 (c) Stephen Tayo &... 18 African artists upend perceptions of the continent through the use of digital media and photography. NOW LOOK HERE. The African Art of Appearance...
Bart Luirink
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s widely applauded feature film, is part of this year’s editon of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In a small village in Lesotho, surrounded by the mountains, 80 year old widow Mantoa awaits the return of her son, a migrant labourer working in a South African coal mine and her only surviving relative. It’s Christmas and he doesn’t show up. Messengers bring her the devastating news of her son’s passing, a victim of an accident in the mines. Distraught by the sudden... Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s widely applauded feature film, is part of this year’s editon of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In a small village...
ZAM Reporter
Months-long investigation by our partner publication Premium Times (Lagos) that included visits to over a dozen cattle farms across Oyo State, showed child labour routinely boosts the production and perhaps profits of FrieslandCampina. The investigation also revealed that the company failed to implement necessary due diligence that would have helped check the rampant incidence of child labour in its supply chain. Read the Premium Times investigation here . Months-long investigation by our partner publication Premium Times (Lagos) that included visits to over a dozen cattle farms across Oyo State, showed...
Bart Luirink
On June 14, 1985, Thami Mnyele was killed in Gaborone (Botswana). The 36-year-old artist was part of a community of South African political refugees. Eleven others died with Mnyele, including children. The attack by the South African army was carried out under the command of General Constand Viljoen. Foreign Minister Pik Botha had given permission for the attack that took place on foreign territory and could have diplomatic repercussions. A witness for the Truth & Reconciliation Commission... On June 14, 1985, Thami Mnyele was killed in Gaborone (Botswana). The 36-year-old artist was part of a community of South African political refugees....
Africa is a Country, Delinda Colier & Marissa Moorman
Sindika Dokolo is reputedly the biggest collector of African art and also its most generous patron. Dokolo is also seen as a leader in the movement to repatriate stolen African art and artifacts from Euro-American institutions to African ones. And he is the husband of Isabel dos Santos, celebrated as Africa’s richest woman and a longtime target of criticism by Angolans, like investigative journalist Rafael Marques de Morais and now #LuandaLeaks, for her corrupt business dealings and large scale... Sindika Dokolo is reputedly the biggest collector of African art and also its most generous patron. Dokolo is also seen as a leader in the movement to...
ZAM Reporter
A new documentary shows the city as an assault on all your senses. It's loud, smelly, full of contrast, tasty and hot. And there is street art everywhere. It's messy and total chaos. Kinshasa is one of Africa's fastest growing mega cities – but nobody knows exactly how many Kinois there are. Rough estimates say about 16 million. Next to some filthy rich people, the great majority of the people in Kinshasa's cités struggle to make ends need. There is a shortage of everything. At the same time the... A new documentary shows the city as an assault on all your senses. It's loud, smelly, full of contrast, tasty and hot. And there is street art...
ZAM Reporter
At a time when facts are increasingly framed as fantasy, and fiction is often presented as truth, F for Fact aims to develop narratives for the present by looking at past and future representations of reality through an artistic lens. Read more about the new Temporary Master F for Fact , now open for applications at Sandberg Instituut. At a time when facts are increasingly framed as fantasy, and fiction is often presented as truth, F for Fact aims to develop narratives for the present...
ZAM Reporter
A white bar 'to decriminalize Mnyele.' Eleven dark spots as a tribute to the other people killed in the raid by Apartheid deadsquads. A torch that depicts the ongoing flames of resistance. On Friday 13 March, a few days before far-reaching restrictions on freedom of movement were also announced in the Netherlands, a small group gathered in the studio of the 30-year-old Thami Mnyele Foundation in Amsterdam. To celebrate a new work by guest artist Adam Belarouchia. We were together, but already at an... A white bar 'to decriminalize Mnyele.' Eleven dark spots as a tribute to the other people killed in the raid by Apartheid deadsquads. A torch that...
ZAM Reporter
A Dutch translation of Elnathan John's Nelson Mandela Lecture was published in De Groene Amsterdammer : Kunnen we dansen? Gedachten over dekolonisatie Watch the video registration of Elnathan John's Nelson Mandela Lecture here . Watch the video registration of the full Nelson Mandela Lecture programme here . A Dutch translation of Elnathan John's Nelson Mandela Lecture was published in De Groene Amsterdammer : Kunnen we dansen? Gedachten over dekolonisatie...
Theophilus Abbah
Blanket blackout, darkness, sweats and fatigue ruled and ruined the night before Tuesday, March 31, when life would grind to a halt and the curse, we, Abuja residents, feared most would be unleashed to drench and drown us. Blackout, because electricity supply had become so unreliable that both government and the governed had since passed a vote of no confidence on actors in the electricity value chain. But the situation had taken a free fall, as if the drivers of the sector had lifted their fingers... Blanket blackout, darkness, sweats and fatigue ruled and ruined the night before Tuesday, March 31, when life would grind to a halt and the curse, we,...
ZAM Reporter
25 projects/photographers are nominated for this year's CAP Prize for Contemporary African Photography. And here they are: Alia Ali (Morocco), Roger Anis (Egypt), Ramzy Bensaadi (Algeria), Flávio Cardoso (Angola), Margareth Cortney-Clarke (Namibia), Cesar Defzuli (Spain),Rahima Gambo (Nigeria), Gianluigi Guercia (South Africa), Skander Khlif (Germany), M'hammed Kilito (Morocco), Seif Kousmate (Morocco), Nora Lorek (Sweden), Gosette Lubondo (Congo), Mehdy Mariouch (Morocco), Frédéric Noy... 25 projects/photographers are nominated for this year's CAP Prize for Contemporary African Photography. And here they are: Alia Ali (Morocco), Roger Anis...
ZAM Reporter
His name is Mohamed Yousif and he lives in Khartum, Sudan. Maral Noshad Sharifi traced the guy on the winning picture, made by Yasuyoshi Chiba, of this years World Press Photo Award. The picture shows multiple powers, Sharifi writes in her article in Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad: of protest, of youth, of art. Yousif is one of thousands who last year stood up against the dictatorship of Omar al-Bashir. Only 15 years old he joined the revolution that ended decades of brutal repression. 'I couldn't... His name is Mohamed Yousif and he lives in Khartum, Sudan. Maral Noshad Sharifi traced the guy on the winning picture, made by Yasuyoshi Chiba, of this...