In Paris, Abidjan, Casablanca, Kinshasa, Ouagadougou, Saint-André, London, Rabat, Biarritz, New Haven, Clermont-Ferrand, Nairobi, Baltimore, Conakry, Johannesburg, indoors or outdoors, here are eighteen events Afro or African culture not to be missed in this month of January. Don’t hesitate to send us your next “must-see” cultural events at [email protected].
From January 5 to 15, the Cinémathèque in Paris presents a major retrospective ofOusmane Sembene (1923-2007). The Senegalese director is the author of a dozen films, including nine feature films, but also a pioneering writer and filmmaker, and above all an active activist for the defense of cinema in Africa.
Until January 7, the Galerie Cécile Fakhoury in Abidjan presents Good news. The first personal exhibition of the painter Thibaut Bouedjoro-Camus in Côte d’Ivoire addresses ” intimate and collective questions that take as a backdrop meticulously constructed spaces, anchored in the strata of a space-time where Abidjan and Paris mix “.
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Until January 9, the Moroccan artist Younes Khourassani presents at Galerie 38 in Casablanca resolutely luminous and hypnotic works. holy light is an original way to find hope in the darkness and darkness of our current times.
The Salon des Bruits de Kinshasa invites you for five days of festivities and cultural programming between January 10 and 14. Organized by the collective Malafi’arts production and the French Institute of Kinshasa, the event offers workshops, performances, conferences, music and a market.
From January 11 to 14, the 8th edition of the Soko-Festival in Burkina Faso. The West African Performing Arts and Performing Arts Market facilitates professional meetings allowing artists to “ boost their career internationally “.
The 26th edition of Maghreb, so far, so close begins on January 13 in Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales. The film festival advertises itself as ” one of the rare events devoted to exchanges between Southern Europe and North Africa “.
From January 17 to February 11, the Tiwani Contemporary gallery is presenting an exhibition in London on Virginia Chihota who represented Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale in 2013: Chibereko chakaramba kuudzirwa (The womb refused to be told). This series of wall-mounted silkscreen works contemplates the nature of acts of refusal and resistance that come into play in the protection of identity, family and community.
After welcoming 220,000 visitors to the Palais de la Marina in Cotonou, the exhibition Art from Benin, yesterday and today – from restitution to revelation invests from January 18 the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat, Morocco.
Between January 20 and 28, the International Documentary Festival (FIPADOC) in Biarritz promises to give us news of the world through 200 works selected from the 2,000 films received from all over the world. A unique opportunity to also discover strong films by directors from Africa.
Until January 22, the Yale Center for British Art in the American city of New Haven presents an exhibition of Njideka Akunyili Crosby. The Nigerian visual artist works in Los Angeles and often evokes memories of her native country, but also a critique of postcolonial history in her work. His series The Beautyful Ones shows intimate portraits of Nigerian children, including members of his own family.
January 24 will be the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture (JMCA)proclaimed by Unesco in 2019. The idea is to promote all kinds of events related to African and Afro-descendant culture, essential for the development of the continent and for humanity in general.
The Dapper Foundation is organizing its first exhibition in Côte d’Ivoire from January 25. At the Rotunda of Contemporary Arts in Abidjan, Art in the City addresses the challenges of today’s African megacities: Abidjan, Dakar, Nairobi, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bamako, Lagos, Kinshasa, Cotonou, Douala. 25 contemporary artists express themselves through photographs, paintings, installations, videos, sculptures on living cities, cities of resilience, cities of memory…
From January 27 to February 4 takes place the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, in the center of France. The three competitions will bring together short films selected from thousands received from all over the world. The international competition features 78 films from 52 nationalities, including Bergie (homeless)by South African director Dian Weys telling the story of a police officer who must move homeless people for a ten kilometer run of hope… The Regards d’Afrique section presents nine films, including Mawbe Senegalese Selemane Dieye and Laurent Yannick Dorego who recount the journey of four young apprentice mechanics in Dakar.
Until January 28, the Nairobi Contemporary Art Institute (NCAI) presents Mwili, Akili na Roho, a multi-generational group of ten artists. A selection of over 40 works of art created between 1950 and 2000, representative of figurative painting from East Africa, particularly Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
Until January 29, the Baltimore Museum of Art explores the impact of the Great Migration (1915-1970) on Black art and culture. At the time, more than six million African Americans left the South for destinations across the United States. Legacies of the Great Migration has commissioned twelve renowned black artists: Akea Brionne, Mark Bradford, Zoë Charlton, Larry W. Cook, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates Jr, Allison Janae Hamilton, Leslie Hewitt, Steffani Jemison, Robert Pruitt, Jamea Richmond-Edwards and Carrie Mae Weems.
The Conakry Arts Villa hosts the exhibition until January 30 Plural Guinea 2. The exhibition aims to represent “ a shimmering Guinea, multicolored, multifaceted, multiple, unusual, daring and under diversiform expressions “. It brings together seven Guinean and foreign artists exhibiting 70 works and is part of the institution’s mission to support artists and promote art and culture in Guinea.
You have until January 31 to send your manuscript for the 3rd edition of the literary prize Voices of Africa, initiated by RFI and JC Lattès editions to bring out young French-language authors from the African continent. The winning novel will be published by Éditions JC Lattès and broadcast on RFI. The winner will also benefit from a residence at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris, partner of the prize. Who will be the successor of Yaya Diomandé, Fann Attiki and Ernis?
under the tagline Where Storytellers Come Togetherthe Joburg Film Festival in South Africa invites us to its 5th edition with films from more than 35 countries around the world, including 20 African premieres and 27 South African premieres. From January 31 to February 5, the event aims to be ” an exciting, independent platform that not only tells the stories of Africa, but showcases, showcases and rewards local and international excellence in filmmaking “.
► Send us your must-haves of African culture in 2023 to the address [email protected].