ZAM Reporter
From the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing to the International Booker Prize to Pride Photo Award. Winner of the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing On July 27, 2020, the prize was awarded to Nigerian-British writer Irenosen Okojie for her story 'Grace Jones', from her recent short story collection, Nudibranch , published by Dialogue Books in 2019. A brilliant and moving story, the judges – Kenneth Tharp (Chair), James Murua, Gabriel Gbadamosi, Ebissé Rouw, and Audrey Brown – described 'Grace... From the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing to the International Booker Prize to Pride Photo Award. Winner of the AKO Caine Prize for African Writing On...
Wim Bossema
One of my ambivalent pleasures is visiting museums in African countries. There is a sad side to it. Maintenance could often be better. The dust on floors and in showcases creates an atmosphere resonant with the streets outside. A visit is made even more enjoyable if a class of school children is also on tour. The collections seem hardly changed since independence. In national museums, you find amazing objects, but more striking is the absence of the truly great traditional art—the masterpieces that... One of my ambivalent pleasures is visiting museums in African countries. There is a sad side to it. Maintenance could often be better. The dust on floors...
Olajide Salawu
Nimbe is an anti-narcotic frontier film recently released on Netfilx. It exposes the country's moral and social anarchy. In 2019, when the Nigerian Afro-pop artist, Olamide Adedeji, released his song ‘Science Students’, it generated a galling public reception and attracted the State’s legislation: the video was banned. Whatever position one takes, there is an obvious point that the narcotic surge in the last decade is a symptom of social failure of postcolonial Nigeria, where more than 14 million... Nimbe is an anti-narcotic frontier film recently released on Netfilx. It exposes the country's moral and social anarchy. In 2019, when the Nigerian...
ZAM Reporter
In Future for the Past , Sites of Memory founders Jennifer Tosch and Katy Streek bring together artists from both countries. Join the musicians, poets, visual and performing artists chewing on a shared history of colonial oppression. During this interactive walking tour, live performances will intersect with 360 degree video and audio segments to be followed on a tablet provided to the audiences. Future to the Past will take you along a range of historical sites in the city. You will experience how... In Future for the Past , Sites of Memory founders Jennifer Tosch and Katy Streek bring together artists from both countries. Join the musicians, poets,...
Palesa Motsumi & Tariro Mudzamiri
‘We have become more of who we are because governments all around the world are showing us exactly who they are’.—Chuma Sopotela (Performance Artist & Theatre Practitioner) Since the fall of Apartheid in 1990, South Africa’s arts sector has been recognized worldwide for its vast and revolutionary talent, fueled with a well-pronounced history of activism to fight the many inequalities in its society. South Africa, and more specifically, Johannesburg, is the African continent’s economic hub. It is... ‘We have become more of who we are because governments all around the world are showing us exactly who they are’.—Chuma Sopotela (Performance Artist &...
ZAM Reporter
This year's edition of the annual Afro_Vibes festival has it all. It's not only corona-proof — performances on stages for limited audiences as well as live streaming online — the dance and music productions will take you to Senegal, Uganda, Tunisia, Ghana, the Netherlands and South-Africa. The theme of the festival is both intriguing and well-chosen. 'Entanglements' will connect the inseparable - the worlds, the countries, the cultures and the people. ‘There is an unstoppable entanglement that... This year's edition of the annual Afro_Vibes festival has it all. It's not only corona-proof — performances on stages for limited audiences as well as...
ZAM Reporter
The CAP Prize is the international Prize for Contemporary African Photography awarded annually since 2012 to five photographers who's works were created on the African continent or which engages with the Africa diaspora. The winners of the 9th annual CAP Prize are: Cesar Dezfuli, Spain Rahima Gambo, Nigeria M'hammed Kilito, Morocco Gosette Lubondo, Congo Ismail Zaidy, Morocco The CAP Prize is the international Prize for Contemporary African Photography awarded annually since 2012 to five photographers who's works were created...
Dr. Anne Marieke van der Wal
In recent years a great number of movies have come out in South Africa which have centred on the concept of masculinity and what it means to be a man in the still very macho and patriarchal South African society. For example, the captivating and mesmerizing movie The Wound (2017) by director John Trengove, starring Nakhane Mahlakahlaka, dealt with issues of tradition, modernity and masculinity. The movie Skoonheid (2011) narrated the secret double lives of gay men amidst staggering homophobia.... In recent years a great number of movies have come out in South Africa which have centred on the concept of masculinity and what it means to be a man in...
ZAM Reporter
Can you put your own interests aside and really fight for a better world in the interest of future generations, or is it easier if you imagine yourself to be part of that unknown future? In her essay 'What if We’re All Coming Back?' in The New York Times of October 2018, human rights lawyer Michelle Alexander tries to imagine the world you would end up in if you were to reincarnate at a random place and under random circumstances. Her essay forms the basis of the exhibition. Out of this thought... Can you put your own interests aside and really fight for a better world in the interest of future generations, or is it easier if you imagine yourself...
Vamba Sherif
In Tsitsi Dangarembga's new novel, nominated for the 2020 International Booker Prize, shame and rage reign before the main character comes to terms with herself. All is not well with Tambudzai, the protagonist of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel, This Mournable Body , a title inspired by the work of Teju Cole, Unmournable Bodies . We find Tambudzai or Tambu, in short, jobless in present day Harare, Zimbabwe. The novel is an extension of the seminal debut novel Nervous Conditions (1988), but the Tamba of... In Tsitsi Dangarembga's new novel, nominated for the 2020 International Booker Prize, shame and rage reign before the main character comes to terms with...
ZAM Reporter
Feeling at home in both worlds without denying oneself. The migrants odyssey is the guiding theme through this year's edition. The festival opens with the feature film Yao . This heart-warming travel movie brings a Franco-Senegalese author back to Senegal, where he will promote his new book. The encounter with a spirited 13-year-old fan leads to a journey through Senegal and brings the author into contact with the country that is also his country of origin, but which he hardly knows yet. A... Feeling at home in both worlds without denying oneself. The migrants odyssey is the guiding theme through this year's edition. The festival opens with...
ZAM Reporter
West African Portraiture from Independence into the 21st Century. Meet Rachid Bissiriou, Sanlé Sory, Leonce Raphal Agbodjélou and others. This show 'brings together the work of some of the region’s most important photographers', The Guardian wrote in an positive review of the newly opened exhibition. Check out the catalogue with the works of all participating photographers here . More info about the exhibition here . West African Portraiture from Independence into the 21st Century. Meet Rachid Bissiriou, Sanlé Sory, Leonce Raphal Agbodjélou and others. This show...
Bram Posthumus
The desolation of an abandoned mining camp that serves as the backdrop for a Passion Play with an all-African cast. The life stories of Angolan war veterans, who are the main actors in the film. The theme: betrayal. More precisely: the betrayal by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, of Jesus Christ, about to be executed by the Romans who had colonised the Middle East, where the story takes place. Alright, I probably lost you there. Allow me to continue and it will all make sense towards the end.... The desolation of an abandoned mining camp that serves as the backdrop for a Passion Play with an all-African cast. The life stories of Angolan war...
ZAM Reporter
Tales of a salt farmer and a people reinventing and adapting through coronavirus have caught the eye of this year's Ugandan and Kenyan winners. Peter Tera and Odhiambo were chosen by an international jury, composed of photography professionals. Another jury judged the works of young photographers making Monica Ahairwebyona (Uganda) this year's winner of the Young Photographer Award. In the weeks to come, ZAM will highlight some of the works of this year's winners on our website as well on our... Tales of a salt farmer and a people reinventing and adapting through coronavirus have caught the eye of this year's Ugandan and Kenyan winners. Peter...
ZAM Reporter
South African photographer Sabelo Mlangeni discovered the House of Allure almost by coincidence. He was in Lagos working with the intention to do a story on a celebrity transgender woman. She never answered his calls and messages. Mlangeni had to look for another story and researched the local area. Then he was told about a safehouse that offered refuge to members of the LGBTIQ+ community. Mlangeni spent two months in the House of Allure, building an intimate relationship with its inhabitants. The... South African photographer Sabelo Mlangeni discovered the House of Allure almost by coincidence. He was in Lagos working with the intention to do a story...
ZAM Reporter
What happens when governmental tasks like detention and rehabilitation are taken over by uncontrolled international corporations? This dangerous phenomenon is often started by governments trying to cut costs. Prison for Profit, follows investigative journalist Ruth Hopkins and the lives of former prisoners and prison warders from South Africa’s Mangaung private prison, which is run by the controversial private security firm G4S, a British multi-billion company active on a world-wide scale. Now in... What happens when governmental tasks like detention and rehabilitation are taken over by uncontrolled international corporations? This dangerous...
Lula Ahrens
The #Jerusalemadancechallenge will enter history as the global COVID-19 crisis’ unprecedented, contemporary African-inspired symbol of hope. Yet the Angolan origins of this viral trend, and the reason behind Jerusalema ’s explosive popularity, are barely touched upon by the international media. In February 2020, Os Fenómenos do Semba [The Semba Phenomena] posted a video under the hashtag #jerusalemadancechallenge. I remember the mix of intense joy and longing I felt listening to Jerusalema’s... The #Jerusalemadancechallenge will enter history as the global COVID-19 crisis’ unprecedented, contemporary African-inspired symbol of hope. Yet the...
Guido van den Berg
Michael Schmidt’s Death Flights uncovers one of the darkest chapters of Apartheid oppression. The fear of communism. In the seventies and eighties of last century, the elimination of ‘evil communism’ was key to the politics of dictators like Pinochet in Chile and Videla in Argentina. It had no limits, thousands of opponents of their rule disappeared completely. It is well known fact that, in spite of a lot of international protest, these generals always had a comfortable nights rest since they... Michael Schmidt’s Death Flights uncovers one of the darkest chapters of Apartheid oppression. The fear of communism. In the seventies and eighties of...
Team ZAM
We are standing in solidarity with African changemakers. Highlighting their stories and insights. Building a world beyond them and us. Join the movement! Meet Aisha Yesufu. She is one of the leaders of a rapidly growing protest movement in Nigeria. Young people want an end to structural police violence, abuse of power and corruption. Yesufu is fighting for a just future. "Don't put any ethnic or religious labels on me," she says. "Those are landmines." It’s not only Nigeria. Elsewhere on the... We are standing in solidarity with African changemakers. Highlighting their stories and insights. Building a world beyond them and us. Join the movement!...
Lutz Mükke and Adie Vanessa Offiong / Africa Vagabonds
Nok terracottas are proof that an ancient civilisation once existed in Nigeria. Now they are at the centre of a multi-million dollar, globe-spanning underground industry. Nigeria loses out. Outside it has become night. In front of the windows of one of Abuja’s grandest hotels, the pool shines turquoise blue. Finally, the phone rings. It is the hotel’s front desk, announcing a guest. The man who comes into the room, hours late for the scheduled appointment, is named Umaru Potiskum. He is an art... Nok terracottas are proof that an ancient civilisation once existed in Nigeria. Now they are at the centre of a multi-million dollar, globe-spanning...
Bart Luirink
Exploitation and imagination in the works of this year’s principal winner of the Prince Claus Award. It was at boarding school that Ibrahim Mahama's interest in art was aroused. ‘We had a lot of time to draw and the teachers made us curious about art and aesthetics’. But it was his training at the Painting and Sculpture department of the Kwame Nkrumah University for Science and Technology in Ghana that laid the foundation for the artistry that has earned him the prestigious 2020 Prince Claus Award... Exploitation and imagination in the works of this year’s principal winner of the Prince Claus Award. It was at boarding school that Ibrahim Mahama's...