We were honored to welcome the Malian singer, songwriter, guitarist and acclaimed actress Fatoumata Diawara at M.Bassy for an unplugged concert ad well as intimate talk with Musa Okwonga about connection, receiving and sharing as well as following the path of an African feminists. She is hailed as the voice of young African womanhood – proud of her heritage but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal.
Nkhensani Mkhari & Luiza Prado about Art, Food, Language & Resistance
The Talk is moderated by Jumoke Olusanmi. The podcast is part of the accompanying program of the exhibition »Food, Art & Activism: Nourishing Ourselves & Each Other« at M.Bassy Hamburg.
On an uncharacteristically warm April day, we meet Bonaventure Ndikung at SAVVY Contemporary. Dressed in a two-piece suit with a colorful cravat, the erudite curator and biotechnologist certainly cuts an imposing figure — but conversation quickly reveals a generosity of perspective equal to that of his renowned intellect.
Showing at this year’s Lagos Photo, which begins this week, is Fortia: a breath-taking series of images in which a masked black woman, poses stunningly in a red dress. Keyezua, the artist, is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts, The Hague, Netherlands and is returning to Lagos Photo for the second year running. She sees herself as a storyteller, currently reinventing herself to tell the day-to-day stories of women around the world that make her uncomfortable to remain silent.
On the occasion of our exhibition project »Beyond AI: Resistance & Coexistence« in spring 2024 we warmly welcomed the artists Nkhensani Mkhari, Jazmin Morris, Vanessa Amoah Opoku & Linda Dounia Rebeiz at M.Bassy for a public panel discussion. In a private prelude on the evening bevor the opening, we had the one-off chance to record an in-depth-conversation of these leading young artists engaging in new digital technologies from a decolonial and sociopolitical perspective.
The dynamic fashion scene in Kenya has seen a number of emerging designers entering the market in the last few years. These newcomers have been channelling their diverse influences - many of which are Kenyan by default- into edgy, timeless designs. However, they have had a challenging time finding what would be considered ‘African’ inspiration by the gatekeepers of the fashion industry. The phrase “Not African Enough” has been used to dismiss their work in a global fashion scene that is both yearning for design inspiration from the continent, but that is also quick to define the limits and authenticity of ‘African-ness’.
