Bubblegum Club

Author: Christa Dee

  • The Carnation zine // collating floral dreams

    As with most creative collaborations, The Carnation zine was birthed from stylistic play between Jade Paton and Cynthia Fan. Cynthia has been working as a florist at Lush Flowers since completing her Masters in plant molecular biology. “I started ikebana [Japanese flower arranging practice] classes about a year and a half ago with the Ohara Chapter in Cape Town and it has the strongest influence on my work,” she explains. Jade on the other hand is the founder of House of Grace, where she creates macramé home ware and furniture. Her parents were florists, and so her fascination with flowers has been around since her childhood. Introducing each other to their processes when it comes to still life compositions, the pair realised that they have a similar aesthetic. Considering this and their collective love for flowers, Jade and Cynthia decided that a zine would be the most appropriate way to collate and share the images they were creating together.

    Reflecting on the journey for The Carnation Jade explains that, “The process was very organic and through collaboration, one thing quickly led to another. Working with someone that totally gets your ideas is great, as we are able to enhance and clarify them. We worked on most aspects of the zine ourselves, with the help of the amazing designer Taariq Latiff of Chclt.”

    Hoping that each issue will take on a life of its own, their first issue is exclusively visual. However, they are already working on the next one with Ane Strydom. “Collaboration is important in an age where everyone’s work is easily accessed through social media. Instead of competing, we should utilize someone else’s unique perspective and aesthetic to challenge our own creativity. By collaborating with another artist, our work is able to evolve in unexpected ways.”

    The launch for the Carnation takes place on 2 February at AKJP Collective in Cape Town. As an interesting parallel to the images in the zine, Jade and Cynthia will be taking over the store window for 10 days. “For the window we will have a flower arrangement/sculpture that we change every day. We like the idea of it being an interactive and changing installation,” Jade explains. A limited number of zines will be available which can be purchased from AKJP or ordered through The Carnation on Instagram.

     

    Credits

    Flowers by Cynthia Fan & Jade Paton

    Japan Photographs by Jade Paton

    Layout by Chclt 

    Images of zine for feature by Chclt

    Special  thank you to Lush Flowers and AKJP Collective

  • Moving towards city-making outside of design and epistemic coloniality

    Born in Luanda in a highly political family, Paula Nascimento had always had a feeling that she would become an architect. She then moved to Lisbon for high school, and later on moved to London to study architecture.

    When asked about her views on architecture and urban planning on the continent, Nascimento mentioned that she prefers to speak of contexts she knows intimately rather than attempt to speak for the whole continent. “In Angola for example there is a tendency for thinking about master plans which sometimes have little to do with the local context and with people’s lives; trying to emulate other models. I think that it is important to start working from the bottom and to understand the specifics needs,” Nascimento states.

    Nascimento is also an independent curator. However, she does not see a difference between her work as an architect and her work as a curator. Specific foundational concepts guide her curatorial practice, with her interests ranging from issues related to urban life in contemporary African cities, to the complexities of identity in contemporary Africa. “I tend to work with artists experimenting and using video, and photography, and who are interested in new visual languages, as well as archival and post-archival processes,” Nascimento explains.

    From Hands to Mind (2016) is an exhibition that Nascimento conceptualized and co-curated with Italian curator, architect and architectural theorist, Stefano Rabolli Pansera. This project, completed with guest curator Aladino Jasse, was commissioned by the Experimenta Design in Lisbon in 2015. It attempted to unravel other approaches to design in the space of Portuguese speaking African countries. Featuring work by Oficina Inhambane (Mozambique), Atelie Rastafá (Sao Tome E Principe), Mr Wilson Antonio (Angola), the exhibition was part of the Design Biennial 2015 in Lisbon and later part of the Milan Triennale. This exhibition touches on one of the points of conversation at the African Mobilities Praia Exchange –  unpacking the design, artistic and semantic frameworks that comes with the term “Lusophone” (referring to Portuguese-speaking countries outside of Portugal), and ways to deconstruct this.

    Nascimento also started a research network with Pansera called Beyond Entropy Africa. “It operates outside the conventional boundaries of the disciplines and focuses on developing research-based projects in the fields of architecture/urbanism, visual arts and geopolitics.” Beyond Entropy Africa’s work focuses on Luanda and a paradigm for the urban transformations that are happening in the region. This is tackled through transdisciplinary projects from installations, critical texts, and curatorial projects.

    In addition to this, Nascimento continues to engage in a well-rounded, multidisciplinary understanding of her practice through the cultural collective she co-founded, Colectivo Pés Descalços. The other members include Januario Jano (Angolan multimedia artist and the main curator of the TED conferences in Luanda); historian and curator Susana Sousa; Ngoi Salucombo (Angolan photographer and writer); Adalberto Cawaia and Cesar da Silveira (designer).  With the objective of developing and producing cultural and educational projects, Colectivo Pés Descalços has been a part of theatre productions, book launches and discussions around art and culture, joint curatorial projects, among other projects.

    Nascimento’s involvement in academic, architectural and curatorial practices meant that she was a perfect fit for African Mobilities‘ Praia Exchange – a combination of workshops and talks that emphasizes cross-disciplinary engagements. Praia as the site for the Exchange played into how discussions unfolded, with a conversation on mobility from the vantage point of an African island filtering into topics on development, identity and unpacking city textures. The discussion on the deconstruction of the “concept of Lusophony”, as well as Nascimento’s lecture entitled “Dislocated Territories”, enabled the panelists to create bridge between Luanda and Praia.

    Reflecting on the significance of African Mobilities as a platform for various African practitioners to meet, Nascimento mentioned that, “From the minute that we were invited to be part of the project, it already opened up a channel of exchange and conversations, it is a project ongoing beyond and main exhibition…It is important that we communicate and interact even more, at every level, especially at the level of production of content or critical thinking.”

  • Sula Africa: The fostering of a fashion community

    Tshepo Pitso, aka Don Dada, is part of a street culture that has evolved into a movement and a fashion community. Izikhothane are the kings and queens of South African brands, bright colours and flamboyant fashion combinations. Don Dada informs us that they have attempted to erase the fragmentation and rivalry between izikhotane crews by creating one – Material Culture. He expressed that this has been significant because it has burgeoned a collective sense of pride and connection between izikhozane from different parts of the country.

    Plugging into the politics of representation, Don Dada expressed that sharing the videos he created on YouTube was crucial as it ensured that izikhozane culture had a place on the internet. This allowed insider documentation of the people and style that is recognizably izikhozane. “We can’t have lost memories,” Don Dada states. This aids in the preservation of izikhozane identity, which Don Dada states is an important motivator for continuing to find ways to share and connect izikhozane from across the country. This self-made exposure has also attracted local and international media. Don Dada sees this as a way to inform people of the culture’s core and to avoid misunderstandings about what they stand for. It also allows for people to recognize that there is a uniquely South African fashion style, that is growing through self-referencing.

    The event, Sula Africa, is a coming together of izikhozane. However Don Dada explains that all people interested in fashion are invited. “We are inspired by fashion…We meet as Africans in fashion. That’s why we say Sula Africa”

    In closing, Don Dada reflects on his aims as a participant,  promoter and preserver of the subculture. “We don’t want to change the style. We are trying to keep it the way it was. We want to keep the identity the same. I don’t want someone who was a skhothane a long time ago, when he sees the current skhothane, and say ‘No this is not skhothane’. He must see that we are still izikhothane. We are still brave and we are not scared.”

    Credits:

    Featuring – Don Dada

    Camera – Jamal Nxedlana 

    Motion Design – Lex Trickett 

    Sound – Griffit Vigo

    Editing – Themba Konela

  • Tell Freedom. 15 South African artists

    Kunsthal KAdE in the Netherlands will host a new exhibition titled Tell Freedom. 15 South African artists. The 15 artists featured engage with South Africa’s history of racial violence, racial capitalism, inequalities and injustice. However, there is a sense of hope for the future that comes across in their work; a realistic hope that comes from being deeply embedded in a layered South African socio-political context. Their work interrogates differing levels of social, political and economic injustices rooted in the colonial era and the period of apartheid. Through this contextualized engagement with differing levels grown from South Africa’s history, they attempt to understand their own position in the fluid and solidified aspects of the country’s social fabric. This also allows the artists to create an imaginary of South Africa’s future which is expressed through visual vernaculars.

    ‘Verraaier – Devil’s Peak’ 2017 by Francois Knoetze

    Fine artist, culture consultant and curator Nkule Mabaso as well as art historian, writer and critic Manon Braat are the curators for this exhibition. The exhibition’s curatorial foundation is based on a specific question: is it possible to envisage a future based on principles of humanity and equality, rather than on exclusion and division? The objective for this exhibition and associated event is to contribute towards conversations and theoretical engagements on inequality to achieve a more inclusive society in South Africa and the Netherlands.

    ‘The Pied Piper’ 2013 by Lebohang Kganye

    The artists included in the exhibition are Bronwyn Katz, Neo Matloga, Donna Kukama, Haroon Gunn-Salie, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Lerato Shadi, Madeyoulook, Buhlebezwe Siwani, Lebohang Kganye, Ashley Walters, Francois Knoetze, Mawande Ka Zenzile, Kemang Wa Lehulere, Dineo Seshee Bopape and Sabelo Mlangeni.

    The exhibition will be from 27 January – 6 May 2018.

    ‘Batsho bancama’ 2017 by Buhlebezwe Siwani
    ‘Orkaan Kwaatjie’ 2017 by Bronwyn Katz
    ‘The messengers or The knife eats at home’ 2016 by Kemang Wa Lehulere

  • Queer Vernaculars, Visual Narratives

    “It is all about using our own words and our own agency to speak for ourselves in a world that either tries to speak for us, speak at us, or ignore us entirely.”

    Iranti-org is an organisation founded by Jabulani Pereira and Neo Musangi as a response to the lack of documentation of hate crimes against LGBTIQ+ persons. In addition to this, they realised that many queer African narratives were told by non-queer non-Africans. Beginning with their documentation of the brutal murder of Thapelo Makutle in Kuruman in 2012, Iranti-org has grown into a platform that documents various milestones for the Lesbian, Transgender and Intersex communities across Africa.

    “We have had an overwhelmingly positive response from our allies and the LTI (Lesbian, Trans, Intersex) communities. I think in part due to the work we do to ensure that LTI stories are recorded rather than erased and forgotten, and in part due to our increasingly direct advocacy with business, government and the networking, training and knowledge-sharing events that we either co-ordinate or participate in,” states Iranti-org Writer and Social Media Officer, Kellyn Botha.

    Still from ‘I RISE’

    Their organizational aims are solidified in their slogan “Queer Vernaculars Visual Narratives”. The potency of this slogan comes when one unpacks each words. The use of ‘queer’ connects to a global remediation of the word, which in the past has been used in a derogatory context and as a form of othering people from the LGBTIQ+ community. This word has been reappropriated to form part of the queer communities own vernacular as an expression of pride and defiance.  It again emphasizes the importance of the community using its own voice in a world that consistently tries to speak for or erase LGBTIQ+ people and their experiences. Most of the stories Iranti-org shares are in some form of visual medium.

    “Iranti means ‘memory’ in Yoruba after all, and thus it is our job to record what happens in the region, both horrific and inspiring, to ensure that our history as a community is not lost.”

    With their desire to focus on the necessity for LGBTIQ+ people to speak for themselves, Iranti-org started a web series in December, having released two videos so far. The significance of this web series comes across through Botha’s statement that “it allows queer Africans to create content directed at queer Africans, without a benevolent ‘cishet’ saviour guiding the way.” In 2016 Iranti-org hosted a script-writing workshop with the then newly formed Africa Queer Media Makers’ Network. With the workshop facilitator Makgano Mamabolo, the Iranti-org team chose and refined stories that would feature as part of the web series. “We feel that the medium of telling these stories, that of using fiction and more artistic techniques than one might see in our documentation work, was an experiment on our part and one that we feel paid off.” The first two web series episodes are titled ‘Bruise’ and ‘I Rise’ – stories that Botha describes as possessing messages that transcend geographic location.

    Check out the two episodes below. Follow Iranti-org on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for their next episode.

    ‘I RISE’ sees writer Nigel Patel express emotions and thoughts on gender, cisnormativity and violence.

    ‘Bruise’, the web series’ first episode, looks into the mind of Busi, a non-binary trans person struggling with agoraphobia – the fear of wide-open spaces.

  • The Queer Feminist Film Festival // a moment for celebration and awareness

    The Queer Feminist Film Festival (QFFF) will be taking place on 19 and 20 January in Khayelitsha. In addition to the film screenings that will be ongoing throughout the two days, there will be panel discussions involving activists and creatives. Attendees can also experience the performances and artworks produced by queer artists. The idea for the festival came from the need for a conversational and reflective space for queer people. The festival is a space which allows for the acknowledgement of work done by activists. It also becomes a safe space for young people to contribute towards building the movement for queer rights. This points to the fact that celebration and awareness are the pillars on which the festival stands. I had an email interview with the QFFF team to find out more about the festival and what attendees can expect.

    The Queer Feminist Film Festival is a collaborative event organised by Bertha Movie House, African Gender Institute, Triangle Project and OXFAM South Africa. Could you please share more about these partners and how they came to form part of putting the festival together? 

    Triangle Project is a non-profit human rights organisation offering professional services to ensure the full realisation of constitutional and human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons, their partners and families.

    At the advent of OXFAM the focus was on relief initiatives in rural South Africa by advancing a structural understanding of South Africa’s “political poverty”. Currently OXFAM supports liberation movements in Southern Africa and globally. OXFAM works with partners across the country, contributing to deepening transformation towards the just South Africa envisaged by the country’s Constitution.

    The African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town is a feminist research unit, committed to political work on the African continent. We focus on writing, publications, research processes and partnerships, network-building and participative learning.

    The concept of the film festival started with a conversation about gathering queer people in a space to screen films and evolved into The Queer Feminist Film Festival. The decision to house the festival at Bertha Movie House was made as the movie house speaks to the decision by the organisers to make the event accessible or divorced from the communities we organize within.

    Share with me the importance of having activists and cultural practitioners speak and showcase their work in addition to films being screened? Who are some of the activists who will be speaking and why these specific people?

    We are lucky to have activists such as  Bev Ditsie, one the organisers of the first Pride March in South Africa, and Funeka Soldaat, who is the founder of Khayelitsha-based lesbian advocacy group Free Gender.

    We have invited these activists because they are the embodiment of a queer historiography that is often bypassed.

    Other panelists include young filmmakers Ncumisa Mdlokolo and Siv Greyson who speak to what queer organising and realities embody now.

    There are additional panelists as well. Our panelists were asked to participate as they provide a varied and specific narrative to what it means to be a queer feminist.

    Could you please share some the key films and documentaries that will be screened, and how you think they contribute to conversations around queer feminist politics/engagements? (eg: Bev Ditsie’s Simon and I).

    Winnie, Simon & I as well as Stike a Rock speak to organising as womxn. These narratives are often marginalized and are often not reflected on within the political space, though the womxn in the films have proved to actively change the course of history in the communities they stem from.

    Can you share more about the relationship between the festival and the space and community in which it will be held?

    Film is an artistic expression, and is an easy way to ingest historical and current narratives. At the same time the choice of films speaks to the progression of movement building and our hope is that the conversations honour the people who have fought and continue to fight for space, justice and equality.

    Is there anything else about the festival that you would like to share?

    The festival is free and we hope the community will attend.

    We will also be exhibiting work by queer artists and performers.

    We hope that the festival is a steppingstone to greater measures of queer organising in the future.

  • JAG’s new curator-in-chief Khwezi Gule // Towards an African outlook

    A new curator-in-chief for the Johannesburg Art Gallery has been appointed – Khwezi Gule. Considering the tough times the institution has faced recently – the gallery flooding last year due to roof leaks, and a previous curator suddenly leaving, a general lack of maintenance – Gule comes as a welcomed breath of fresh air, and a sense of hope for the gallery. Having worked with JAG before as curator of contemporary collections, he already has an insider’s understanding of the way in which the gallery has operated.

    Having travelled and viewed museums and galleries in large cities across the world, he aims to bring JAG up to the standard that these museums are known for. His vision is for the gallery to become a must-see in Johannesburg . Within this, he will interrogate the position and function of the gallery within the Johannesburg context. This will inform a more relevant broader curatorial strategy.

    “Whether it is in our exhibitions, or in our collecting policies and educational programmes, our ethos has to reflect an African outlook. The JAG has to become one of the leading museums of art on the continent,” Gule states in an interview with Huffington Post.

    This statement presents a more encouraging future for the gallery. A future that is more embedded within the space in which the gallery is located, and is in touch with debates about the relevance of institutions such as JAG.

  • Cities that float

    Kunlé Adeyemi challenges the perception that to modernize is directly translated to the western trajectory of design and development. With the intention of addressing issues related to rapid urbanization and climate change within the African context, Kunlé Adeyemi and his architecture company NLÉ are constantly developing a number of urban, research and architectural projects in Africa. One of Adeyemi’s well-known designs is ‘Makoko Floating School’, an innovative, prototype, floating structure located on the lagoon heart of Lagos. This came from the looking at the impact of climate change – rising sea levels, frequent flooding, etc. – leaving cities located near the sea most at risk. A conclusion was drawn stating that the relationship between water and the city on the African continent has become a “critical intersection for understanding the future of development in Africa” (The Royal Institute of Art 2015).

    ‘INNER FIRE: Bow Down’ by Tabita Rezaire image from The Goodman Gallery

    The 2017 solo exhibition of artist Tabita Rezaire at Goodman Gallery Johannesburg titled Exotic Trade, when discussed in relation to the conversation around water and the city adds an extra layer for consideration. Her work brought water into the realm of technology, by framing it as a database from which information is stored, shared and downloaded. In other works she also refers to water as a source of healing. She also connects water to colonial trade roots, making this a loaded exhibition.

    ‘Makoko Floating School’ falls into a larger project titled the African Water Cities project – an urban, sociocultural, political and economy catalyst for adapting coastal African cities to the impact of climate change within the context of rapid urbanization.

    ‘Dilo’ by Tabita Rezaire image from The Goodman Gallery

    When connecting Rezaire and Adeyemi, there is a historical, (post)colonial thread that is pulled across artistic, architectural and academic viewpoints. An aspect of this becomes about re-establishing a relationship with resources and conceptual frameworks within which these resources are interpreted. Another aspect becomes about the importance of creating architectural and design projects that speak directly to the context within which they will be placed, which involves an understanding of past and present mythologies, traumas and imaginaries that revolve around water. This can be seen through Adeyemi’s attempt to respond to environmental and social crises through design that takes into account how African coastal cities are inhabited. Perhaps the future could be cities that float; float on water and on an understanding of water as a technology, a source of healing and container of history.

  • THE URBANATIVE // embracing graphic cultural signifiers in design

    Design brand, The Urbanative, explores how cultural patterns and motifs can be reinterpreted in modern design while still making sure that they are recognized as graphic cultural signifiers from a specific context. Through this application or reinterpretation of these patterns and motifs The Urbanative aims to celebrate culture and extend its communication across generations, and places.

    On their website it is expressed that through the company’s practice “we discover commonalities in multiple cultural signs and therein we begin a conversation where the importance of culture is celebrated but so is its evolution.” This is a powerful statement as it communicates a respect for cultural motifs, while recognizing that cultures and their visual languages are not static. This actively works against notions that certain cultural groupings or symbols occupy anachronistic space in today’s definitions of design (McClintock 1995). They, in fact, transform and by doing so, pay homage to their previous selves.

    Collaboration is another important pillar that holds up The Urbanative. The brand works with a range of multidisciplinary professionals who are able to offer a different perspectives and solutions related to imaginative, multifunctional design.

    Designer for The Urbanative, Mpho Vackier, was recognized as one of the 2017 Design Indaba Emerging Creatives. Her works embraces the simplistic functionality of Scandinavian design which is combined with the vibrant geometric patterns found on Ndebele textiles and homes. Her designs also touches on various other African patterns and stylistic languages which she translates into furniture for the urban citizen.

    To check out more of The Urbanative’s collections visit their website.

  • AFROPUNK as a cross-continental meeting point

    Many Joburgers, like myself, know the exodus that the city experiences over the December holidays, with most people coming back just in time to unpack their bags before going back to work. For those who go on holiday, the coast is usually the first option. However, over the last holiday Johannesburg saw a slight shift in this migratory pattern that we make so many jokes about. The AFROPUNK festival saw South Africans from other cities choosing to travel to Johannesburg to spend the new year’s weekend rocking it out to local and international talent. In addition to this, a large number of international travelers came to the festival. This included fellow Africans as well as people from the Americas and Europe. From interviews with a few attendees, it became apparent that despite the main motivating factor for being in Johannesburg was the festival, it became a point of departure for other adventures in the city post AFROPUNK. The festival also brought people to Johannesburg because it was the first AFROPUNK held in Africa, which was particularly important for those from other African countries.

    “AFROPUNK is more than the lineup. It is culture, inspiration, force. Be yourself. Be free in your own personality or outfit,” expressed Brazilian blogger Maga Moura. Her colourful braids and sparkling full body overthrow caught the eye of many at the festival. Maga shared that she wanted to be the one who is able to represent her Brazilian followers. She attended all of the AFROPUNK festivals that took place throughout 2017, and was most excited to be in Johannesburg as was her first time in the city. She also extended her stay in the city so that she could record spaces and people who have knowledge about South African history. Maga passionately expressed to me her desire to make her trip more than taking photographs at the festival, but also an opportunity to show her followers more aspects of South African culture and history from the vantage point that Johannesburg offers.

    Miles Greenberg, who was also in South Africa for the first time, is Canadian born but now lives in France with his boyfriend. They were both in attendance, mainly due to Miles convincing his boyfriend that he needs to share this experience with him. Like most international attendees, Miles was in Johannesburg for the festival. “I have been looking for an excuse to come here for the longest time. For me it was a matter of just showing up. And for me this feels like an important time and an important place for this to be happening. It feels just and it feels on point,” Miles expressed. He also mentioned that his decision to be here was influenced by Nonku Phiri, who he met at a gig in Shanghai. This indicates an additional thread to this cross-continental pollination of people of colour at the festival.

    Toby and Adrian Gardner from London also confessed that they were mainly in Johannesburg for the festival, and that this was also their first time in the city. With Toby being half Ghanaian, half Nigerian and Adrian being Jamaican, their outfits communicated the connections they were trying to make with being on the continent. Toby wore an outfit that reminded her of kente cloth, while Adrian wore a traditional Nigerian shirt that was given to him by his brother-in-law who is from Nigeria. “We are here to enjoy all the beautiful people. I feel it [the festival] will be way more laid back. Less about image and more about family and people being together,” they expressed.

    Damola Owode, from South West Nigeria, although shy with his words, expressed that he was representing his Yoruba heritage through his outfit. His decision to be in Johannesburg was influenced by his friends wanting to attend and this being a place where he can openly share his traditional wear.

    Of course the festival meant that people from various platforms would be sent on assignment to cover specific angles of the festival. This was the case for Shan Wallace and Lawrence Burney from Baltimore. Lawrence is a music journalist and spent time interviewing South African artists, and teamed up with Shan who is a photographer. This was also a special moment for Shan, as it allowed her to share images of her photographs with people in Johannesburg. “I use photography as a form of activism, and a way to share black peoples’ experience.  It is also a way for us to connect,” she explains.

    Mariah Matthews shared a similar attitude to Shan, in that she wanted to be able to connect. From New Jersey, she spent a few months at UCT as an exchange student. Her experience at AFROPUNK was a parting gift to herself as she would be leaving South Africa in January. “I always wanted to come to South Africa because of the spirit of resistance that so much of the youth has here. I needed some of that fire sparked inside of me and some of the knowledge from movements such as Fees Must Fall.” For her, being at AFROPUNK solidifies all she has learnt throughout her time in Cape Town.

    Cynty, from the Caribbean, has also spent a few months in Cape Town at an internship that extends her studies in Tourism. She and a group of friends from different parts of the world came up to Johannesburg as a way to bring in the new year together because they are far away from their families.

    Njeri from Nairobi expressed to me that her decision to be at the festival was based on the fact that this was the first AFROPUNK held on the continent. She has always been drawn to AFROPUNK because of “the music and the movement. The arts element as well as the movement being about Black empowerment.” This was also a moment for her to reflect on the different cultures in Kenya, and bring elements of them to South Africa through her outfit.

    Mariette Immaculate is a designer from London. As someone who travels a lot, she shared with me that she documents culture and enjoys being able to represent these various place with the clothing that she wears. Being at AFROPUNK was an experience where she can thread together the places she has been and the new culture she experienced in Johannesburg.

  • BORN::FREE poetry nights // the live alchemy of South African and UK-based literature practitioners

    The project BORN::FREE Next Steps was conceptualized as a poetry exchange involving artists based in South Africa and the UK. This three-part series of events and workshops explores themes including gender, race and spirituality, among others. The most powerful impact of the project has been the forging of relationships between South African and British live literature practitioners – specifically womxn of colour working in and outside of the diaspora.

    BORN::FREE, a poetry night co-founded by writer and educator Belinda Zhawi, began as a community project in the UK with the aim of creating a space where emerging writers and well-established writers could inspire one another and share their work with one another. With the first part of the project taking place in the UK, Johannesburg and Cape Town will see Belinda travel to deliver her poetry and share her literary passion together with South African poets.

    Photography by Gabriel Shamu

    The first of the two South African poetry sessions took place at Johannesburg’s African Flavours Books store on the 5th of January. As I walked into the venue, the chatter of the attendees hummed the tune of excitement that comes with a new year, and a new experience. Although the audience was mainly made up of Joburgers, there were a few British visitors woven between those seated. Belinda began the evening by reciting poems that share experiences from her childhood in Zimbabwe as well as poems that express a mix of lessons she has learnt about life and herself. South African poets, writers, social commentators and academics Katleho Kano Shoro and Lebohang Masango shared their poems, and information about their latest published works. Katleho has recently published her debut collection of poetry,’Serebulele‘. Lebohang has recently published a children’s book titled ‘Mpumi’s Magic Beads’. Both of these are available at African Flavours Books.

    BORN::FREE will then travel to Cape Town on the 11th of January and will be hosted by Ahem Art Collective. In addition to Belinda’s performance, South African poet, performer & spoken word educator Toni Stuart as well as London-based poet and drummer Remi Graves.

    Check out the Facebook event for more info about the Cape Town event

    ‘This article forms part of content created for the British Council Connect ZA 2017 Programme. To find out more about the programme click here.

  • Wycliffe Mundopa // a vibrant visual language to express urban life and moral codes in Harare

    Zimbabwean-born mixed media artist Wycliffe Mundopa uses his connection to painting as a way to document the lives of women and children in Harare’s underprivileged neighbourhoods. His compassion towards those he portrays is coupled with his anger about how the circumstances of these women and children have been pushed aside.

    Mundopa’s paintings delicately combine the pain of these circumstances with the vibrancy with which the people he paints live their lives. He tackles issues related to the conflict between traditional understandings of women’s roles and the ambitions of the women he paints, as well as the economic tensions present in Harare. This all comes across through they way that Mundopa masterfully uses personal iconography and allegorical imagery to reference these social and economic realities. Streets, fruits carts and other familiar, everyday parts of Harere are stretched and distorted making the paintings come across as fantasy or dream-like reflections. Human figures borrow animal faces and unnatural skin colours. Through this a vibrant visual language is used to express way in which urban life and moral codes are constructed by the communities he paints.

    His works are collected and exhibited as far wide as Hong Kong, Kenya, Australia, France, UK, Germany and The Netherlands, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.

    Check out his website to see more of his work:

    https://wycliffemundopa.wordpress.com