Issue # 04
From Miriam Makeba to Mimi's Shebeen
Malawi | Keeping the lid on the tea plantations
As the Church rages against Canterbury, Museveni’s authoritarian regime might be the last guarantor of sexual minority rights. On 1 March, 2023 the Ugandan parliament granted opposition MP, Mr Asuman Basalirwa, leave to introduce the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 . This draft bill prescribes ten years of imprisonment for persons who will be found guilty of homosexuality, aggravated homosexuality, and persons who attempt to commit homosexuality. It also proposes a two-year jail term for those aiding...
As the Church rages against Canterbury, Museveni’s authoritarian regime might be the last guarantor of sexual minority rights. On 1 March, 2023 the Ugandan parliament granted opposition MP, Mr Asuman Basalirwa, leave to introduce the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2023 . This draft bill...
Ticket sales for the upcoming edition of Movies that Matter have begun! The festival will take place in The Hague and a series of satellite cities from March 24 through April 1. The program includes many dozens of feature films and shorts that really matter. A must go for lovers of stories that make you think and get you moving. Especially for you, our editors selected 5 productions that are more than worth watching. 1. The Blue Caftan Delicate, visually gorgeous. By Maryam Touzani, Morocco. Halim...
Ticket sales for the upcoming edition of Movies that Matter have begun! The festival will take place in The Hague and a series of satellite cities from March 24 through April 1. The program includes many dozens of feature films and shorts that really matter. A must go for lovers of...
Once a vital space for illegal political discussions and drinking, the South African shebeen is revived on a Brussels stage. Starting with South African jazz singer Miriam Makeba’s exile from her own country in the early 1960s, Alesandra Seutin’s VOCAB Dance Theatre takes their audience into the depths of a deconstructed shebeen and on a journey full of life, struggle, perseverance and determination. Based on lyrics by Lebo Mashile and Lisette Ma Neza and music composed by Angelo Moustapha and...
Once a vital space for illegal political discussions and drinking, the South African shebeen is revived on a Brussels stage. Starting with South African jazz singer Miriam Makeba’s exile from her own country in the early 1960s, Alesandra Seutin’s VOCAB Dance Theatre takes their...
Confidential damage payments mean new problems for abused farm workers. Emily Gondwe was walking home from another day of picking tea on the plantation where she worked in Thyolo, Malawi when some friends approached her. There was a meeting, they told her, at the local Chief’s house, for women who had faced abuse on the tea estate. Gondwe, like many in Malawi and indeed in East Africa , knew all about abuse on the tea estates. Besides the long working hours in the hot sun, little pay, and the...
Confidential damage payments mean new problems for abused farm workers. Emily Gondwe was walking home from another day of picking tea on the plantation where she worked in Thyolo, Malawi when some friends approached her. There was a meeting, they told her, at the local Chief’s...
A documentary on the murder of South African freedom fighter Dulcie September sparked a conversation between a white student and her black professor. Part 1: The student Josephine Trilling As a female jazz guitarist, I have experienced considerable misogyny. I know what it’s like to have men look you in the eye and tell you with a smug expression: ‘you don’t belong here.’ In this male-dominated profession I have never felt at ease. Their scoffs were a silent demand for me to leave, and their locker...
A documentary on the murder of South African freedom fighter Dulcie September sparked a conversation between a white student and her black professor. Part 1: The student Josephine Trilling As a female jazz guitarist, I have experienced considerable misogyny. I know what it’s like to...
A live film performance directed by renowned Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven. Straight from the heart of the African film industry in Nollywood, Lagos, Kininso Koncepts’ incandescent performers enact European nightmares of refugees flooding into the continent as they directly address their European audiences via a live internet connection. Provocative, disruptive and inescapable, like the future itself. Watch this space for a review soon! In theatres around the Netherlands- reservation is required....
A live film performance directed by renowned Dutch artist Dries Verhoeven. Straight from the heart of the African film industry in Nollywood, Lagos, Kininso Koncepts’ incandescent performers enact European nightmares of refugees flooding into the continent as they directly address...
The Dutch Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the Erasmus Prize 2023 to South African comedian Trevor Noah (b. 1984). He receives the prize for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, filled with humour, social criticism and political satire. With his sharp-minded, mocking yet inclusive political comedy, Noah, in the eyes of the jury, upholds the ‘Erasmian Spirit.’ Trevor Noah is a South African comedian of international stature....
The Dutch Praemium Erasmianum Foundation has awarded the Erasmus Prize 2023 to South African comedian Trevor Noah (b. 1984). He receives the prize for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, filled with humour, social...
On a misty spring morning in Paris, 29 March 1988, Dulcie September had just visited the post office to collect mail for her office in France, where she served as a Chief Representative of the African National Congress. As she pressed the lift button to the fourth floor, an assassin was lurking in the shadows. The news of the murder of Dulcie September sent shock waves across the world, the ANC and the international solidarity movements with the struggle against apartheid. In France, thousands of...
On a misty spring morning in Paris, 29 March 1988, Dulcie September had just visited the post office to collect mail for her office in France, where she served as a Chief Representative of the African National Congress. As she pressed the lift button to the fourth floor, an assassin...
We proudly present the full registration of the speeches delivered by Marcus Tebogo Desando, Panashe Chigumadzi and Jerry Afriyie and the performances by Sites of Memory, Ntjam Rosie and the Soweto Skeleton Movers.
We proudly present the full registration of the speeches delivered by Marcus Tebogo Desando, Panashe Chigumadzi and Jerry Afriyie and the performances by Sites of Memory, Ntjam Rosie and the Soweto Skeleton Movers.
As interesting and necessary as it may be, it seems to me that the current critique of the presence of colonial symbols in our public spaces needs to be, as of this moment, reexamined. Let me emphasize “as of this moment.” I readily acknowledge that there will be some who believe the time has not yet come for internal criticism of a process that remains incomplete and that has even, in a certain sense, just begun. Is there not, as they say, a time and place for everything? Should we not prioritize...
As interesting and necessary as it may be, it seems to me that the current critique of the presence of colonial symbols in our public spaces needs to be, as of this moment, reexamined. Let me emphasize “as of this moment.” I readily acknowledge that there will be some who believe...
"Haufi nyana?" means "Too close?" in Sesotho, one of South Africa's 11 official languages. The title of the exhibition refers to the nature of the dialogue between viewer and artist: how far can one go in a photographic autobiography on the one hand and to what extent can they share a personal story on the other? In the context of South Africa’s broader traumatic history before, during and in the aftermath of apartheid and colonialism, what should we look at? It also refers to the idea of "home" -...
"Haufi nyana?" means "Too close?" in Sesotho, one of South Africa's 11 official languages. The title of the exhibition refers to the nature of the dialogue between viewer and artist: how far can one go in a photographic autobiography on the one hand and to what extent can they share...
Investigative journalists visit the Face Forward festival Of course there were visa troubles. We had ensured the timely submission of all required paperwork, including proof that our guests’ stay would be temporary, but there were still headaches regardless. In Nigeria, Theophilus Abbah only got his passport back the day before travelling, while in Cameroon Elizabeth BanyiTabi found herself falsely accused of lying and failing to submit documents. The visa agency, which is contracted by European...
Investigative journalists visit the Face Forward festival Of course there were visa troubles. We had ensured the timely submission of all required paperwork, including proof that our guests’ stay would be temporary, but there were still headaches regardless. In Nigeria, Theophilus...
Alongside his work as a busy visual artist and cultural organiser, Jamal Nxedlana (1985) is also the founder of the Bubblegum Club , a digital platform and culture agency showcasing innovative new work and creating opportunities for emerging cultural workers. Crossing borders of platforms and media and reaching out to a growing international audience, Bubblegum is inspired by “work that is experimental without being restricted to exclusive spaces. And which is populist without pandering to the...
Alongside his work as a busy visual artist and cultural organiser, Jamal Nxedlana (1985) is also the founder of the Bubblegum Club , a digital platform and culture agency showcasing innovative new work and creating opportunities for emerging cultural workers. Crossing borders of...
De Zuid-Afrikaanse acteur en theatermaker Junior Mthombeni was op 5 februari een van de eregasten tijdens het Face Forward festival en de ZAM Nelson Mandela Lezing. Beeldend kunstenaar patricia kaersenhout, geïnspireerd door Mthombeni’s muziekproductie Dear Winnie, ging met de theatermaker in gesprek en schonk hem bij die gelegenheid een kunstdruk van haar Ode aan Winnie, Portrait of Love and Revolution . Patricia Kaersenhout en Junior Mthombeni © Elzo Bonam Op 6 april en 2 mei neemt Mthombeni het...
De Zuid-Afrikaanse acteur en theatermaker Junior Mthombeni was op 5 februari een van de eregasten tijdens het Face Forward festival en de ZAM Nelson Mandela Lezing. Beeldend kunstenaar patricia kaersenhout, geïnspireerd door Mthombeni’s muziekproductie Dear Winnie, ging met de...
In 1993 Richard Stengel, who assisted Nelson Mandela in writing his autobiography Long Walk To Freedom, recorded more than 60 hours of audio during a series of face-to-face interviews with the ANC freedom fighter and first president of democratic South Africa. These recordings are now being released on Audible for the first time and can be listened to for free. From discussions around the South African leader’s willingness to embrace armed resistance in the struggle against apartheid, to Stengel...
In 1993 Richard Stengel, who assisted Nelson Mandela in writing his autobiography Long Walk To Freedom, recorded more than 60 hours of audio during a series of face-to-face interviews with the ANC freedom fighter and first president of democratic South Africa. These recordings are...
An unforgettable event! On Sunday February 5th 2023, many, many speakers and listeners, performers and public, change-makers and creatives joined us in the International Theatre Amsterdam for FACE FORWARD – stories for change. With all the talks, meet & greets, performances, books, art and films, as well as the 4th edition of the ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture, the festival offered a banquet of thought-provoking perspectives and artistic excellence, from Africa and beyond. Thanks to all who showed up...
An unforgettable event! On Sunday February 5th 2023, many, many speakers and listeners, performers and public, change-makers and creatives joined us in the International Theatre Amsterdam for FACE FORWARD – stories for change. With all the talks, meet & greets, performances, books,...
It is ten years since Nelson Mandela’s passing in 2013. Mandela dedicated his life to the fight for freedom, self-determination and equality. His urgent ideals inspire FACE FORWARD - stories for change, a festival of talks, meet & greets, music, art, dance and films, as well as the fourth edition of the ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture, which this year will be presented by three inspiring thinkers; Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe), Marcus Tebogo Desando (South Africa) and Jerry Afriyie (Netherlands/Ghana)....
It is ten years since Nelson Mandela’s passing in 2013. Mandela dedicated his life to the fight for freedom, self-determination and equality. His urgent ideals inspire FACE FORWARD - stories for change, a festival of talks, meet & greets, music, art, dance and films, as well as the...
RABOZAAL 15:30 – 16:45 | The ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture and Cultural Programme. Opening: Alderman Touria Meliani, Amsterdam Alderman for Arts & Culture, Speakers: Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe), Marcus Desando (South Africa) and Jerry Afriyie (Netherlands/Ghana). Host: Ikenna Azuike. Performances by Ntjam Rosie, Soweto Skeleton Movers and Sites of Memory with Jennifer Tosch, Jomecia Oosterwolde, Houda Bibouda, Jörgen Gario & Jahcysha Boschman. More info here . Ajaxfoyer All day | Mandela’s speech...
RABOZAAL 15:30 – 16:45 | The ZAM Nelson Mandela Lecture and Cultural Programme. Opening: Alderman Touria Meliani, Amsterdam Alderman for Arts & Culture, Speakers: Panashe Chigumadzi (Zimbabwe), Marcus Desando (South Africa) and Jerry Afriyie (Netherlands/Ghana). Host: Ikenna Azuike....
Sunday 5 February, 2023 12.30 - 13.30 | Koninklijke Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Joumana El Zein Khoury, Els Barents, Farren van Wyk. Host: Ikenna Azuike House of Bondage became an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1967. The photographs by Ernest Cole, himself born in South Africa, pictured how life really looked in apartheid’s cruel systems of legal racism, humiliation and exploitation. The book was immediately banned in South Africa and Ernest Cole fled into exile,...
Sunday 5 February, 2023 12.30 - 13.30 | Koninklijke Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Joumana El Zein Khoury, Els Barents, Farren van Wyk. Host: Ikenna Azuike House of Bondage became an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1967. The photographs by Ernest Cole,...
Sunday 5 February, 2023 14.15 - 15.15 | Koninklijke Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Marja Vuijsje, Farhad Goliardy, Mardjan Seighali, Bart Luirink & Zhinia Noorian . Gespreksleider Bahram Sadeghi. Het verzet tegen een repressief regime is er een van alle tijden. Toen schrijver Marja Vuijsje bezig was met haar boek Volgend jaar in Iran zag ze duidelijke overeenkomsten tussen de strijd tegen Apartheid in Zuid-Afrika en de strijd die nu plaatsvindt in Iran: apartheid (niet op basis van ras maar...
Sunday 5 February, 2023 14.15 - 15.15 | Koninklijke Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Marja Vuijsje, Farhad Goliardy, Mardjan Seighali, Bart Luirink & Zhinia Noorian . Gespreksleider Bahram Sadeghi. Het verzet tegen een repressief regime is er een van alle tijden. Toen...
Sunday 5 February, 2023 12.345 - 13.30 | Plein Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Elizabeth BanyiTabi (Cameroon), Ngina Kirori (Kenya), Emmanuel Mutaizibwa (Uganda), Theophilus Abbah (Nigeria). Host: Bram Vermeulen. A new generation of African investigative journalists is exposing repression, abuse of power and self-enrichment, often while working under difficult and dangerous circumstances. What have they uncovered in their work? And how do their stories contribute to the growing movements for...
Sunday 5 February, 2023 12.345 - 13.30 | Plein Foyer, International Theatre Amsterdam Elizabeth BanyiTabi (Cameroon), Ngina Kirori (Kenya), Emmanuel Mutaizibwa (Uganda), Theophilus Abbah (Nigeria). Host: Bram Vermeulen. A new generation of African investigative journalists is...
