Dynamic Africa

New Directions in Contemporary Photography
May 30th - July 31st, 2013

SKOTO GALLERY 529 West 20th Street, 5FL.
New York, NY 10011 212-352 8058

Photo: Uche Okpa-Iroha: Thinking Man, 2010

EVENT: Changing Faces: Profiling Portraits in South African in...

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:53:13 +0300

EVENT: Changing Faces: Profiling Portraits in South African in South African Art

2 3 . 0 5 . 1 3 – 1 8 . 0 7 . 1 3

An exhibition of portraits by emerging and established South African artists reflecting on the changing face of the genre within a South African context.

Showcasing examples by selected South African masters alongside more recent initiatives by artists exploring the subject from a contemporary viewpoint, the exhibition aims to map something of the altering attitude towards the notion of the portrait and to provide the viewer with a sense of this shift in perspective.

The exhibition will include, amongst others works by George Pemba, Irma Stern, Maggie Laubser, William Kentridge, Marlene Dumas, Asha Zero, Anton Kannemeyer, Tracy Payne, Claudette Schreuders, Mary Sibande, Pieter Hugo and Roelof van Wyk.

55 Main St. / Newlands / Cape Town

Last few days to catch the Citizens of Porto-Novo by Beninese...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:50:00 +0300

Last few days to catch the Citizens of Porto-Novo by Beninese photog Leonce Raphael Agbodjelou, on display at London’s Jack Bell Gallery till May 25.

(via africanmag)

EVENT: TOYIN ODUTOLA, My Country Has No Name, May 16 – June 29,...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:21:32 +0300

EVENT: TOYIN ODUTOLA, My Country Has No Name, May 16 – June 29, 2013.

A Touch of Art - an exclusive evening celebrating African...

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:04:09 +0300

A Touch of Art - an exclusive evening celebrating African inspired art

partYcipate Events is pleased to invite you to ‘A Touch of Art’- a cocktail party and art exhibition celebrating African creativity.

The evening will provide an opportunity to view and interact with an exclusive selection of artists and designers who draw inspiration from the African continent, while networking and learning about the future of African art. There will also be the chance to win exciting raffle prices!

When: Friday 14th June 2013

Where: 41 Portland Place (Academy of Medical Sciences)

Time: 7pm-11:30pm

Tickets!

Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is...

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:55:51 +0300

Encounters South African International Documentary Festival is Africa’s premier documentary event, celebrating its 15th edition in 2013.

Do 400,000 whites live in squatter camps in South Africa? No - Africa Check

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:34:00 +0300

Do 400,000 whites live in squatter camps in South Africa? No - Africa Check: Earlier this week, the...

"“The failure to address conflict situations effectively is creating a global..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:25:02 +0300

““The failure to address conflict situations effectively is creating a global...

DA youth to protest Kleinfontein racism - Times LIVE

Thu, 23 May 2013 09:06:47 +0300

DA youth to protest Kleinfontein racism - Times LIVE: The reported racial exclusion policies of...

NPA drops charges in Anene Booysen rape, murder case - Times LIVE

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:56:59 +0300

NPA drops charges in Anene Booysen rape, murder case - Times LIVE: Charges were dropped on Tuesday...

Ethiopian awarded anti-FGM prize

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:50:53 +0300

Ethiopian awarded anti-FGM prize: Ethiopian activist Bogaletch Gebre has won an international prize...

Ancient African coins lead experts to question who discovered (Australia) islands

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:21:29 +0300

Ancient African coins lead experts to question who discovered (Australia) islands:...

fairisle964: WITCH - Lazy Bones Witch was one of the first Zam...

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:53:26 +0300

fairisle964:

WITCH - Lazy Bones

Witch was one of the first Zam Rock bands in Africa, and formed around 1970-1972. Their name stands for ‘We Intend To Cause Havoc’ Their 1975 album ‘Lazy Bones’ is a treasure trove of dark, fuzzy afro-funk psych-rock.

One of my favorite lyrics from this song:

Saturday night I say /
Make me some coffee /
Sunday night you say /
You don’t love me.

“If you’re feeling depressed, low, disturbed, irritable, out-of-sorts, sad, frustrated or wildly demented, then folks, we suggest you seek out a quiet place, indulge in some soothing meditation and cut away that headache by listening to this inspirational album” -WITCH

Also suggest this interview with member Emmanuel Chanda

iluvsouthernafrica: Madagascar & Mozambique: Face masks of...

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:25:21 +0300

iluvsouthernafrica:

Madagascar & Mozambique: Face masks of the Sakalava, Makua and Makonde women

(First 5 photos from Madagascar, last 5 Mozambique)

While there was other contact outside of the slave trade, the historical relation between Mozambique and Madagascar is also marked by the Indian Ocean Slave trade and/or the Trans Mozambique Channel slave trade. I found examples of these connections through this beautiful culture of facial painting/masks which although practiced across the African diaspora, had a striking history when comparing Mozambique and Madagascar.

After the opening of the New World by the Spanish and Portuguese circa 1500, some 12 million Africans were shipped west between 1500 and 1867. Most enslaved Africans were embarked from modern-day Nigeria, Congo, Zaire and Angola. Europeans purchased enslaved Africans mostly along the Atlantic African coastline from the Senegal River to Benguela (Angola) and then in Madagascar and Mozambique in southeast Africa. Slaving region defined as the African coastline east of the Cape of Good Hope, including the island Madagascar and Zanzibar Island. Mozambique was the center of the southeast African slave trade. From: slavevoyages.org

The loss of their northern African coastal possession to the Omanis in 1699 led the Portuguese to focus on the little that remained to them, their holdings in Mozambique. The slave trade now became an increasingly important element in exploiting the territory and expanded rapidly from small beginnings over the century; the Prazos, the Yao, the Tsonga, Arabs and Swahili all participated in the export of humans from the interior as far afield as Zimbabwe, northern South Africa and Malawi through the Island of Mozambique, Quelimane, Inhambane and Lourenço Marques by Portuguese, Brazilian and French traders to Brazil, the sugar estates of the Indian Ocean Islands and Madagascar. From: eisa.org.za

In the northern coastal region of Mozambique, the Makua women gather branches from the Olax Dissitiflora, also known as the Musiro tree locally and grind them with a little water to create a white paste. This is then applied to the face as a white mask known as the Musira to the locals. It is worn publicly as a beauty product that smoothens and protects the skin against the sun when working in the fields. Brides apply Musiro to their whole bodies before marriage as it softens and beautifies the skin. Other women wear the Musira to indicate to other people their status, if they are married or if their husband is away for some time. The tradition old Musiro face mask has continued to serve the women of the Makau region as a beauty product for many generations but now a pharmaceutical company is interested in commercializing the age old Musiro. From: A24 MEDIA

The Nampula province is traditionally known as the land of “muthiana orera”, or simply beautiful ladies. The women from that region of the country have a technique that is particular to them: they treat the skin from an early age, using a sought-after forest species called mussiro, a plant that by law must be preserved and multiplied, and that is used more generally by communities to cure various diseases, as well as for decorative purposes. From: globalvoicesonline.org

Photos by & from Pierre-Yves Babelon, Bernard Decaudin, Marcello Arrambide, Marcello Arrambide, xbarreiros.com, Rosino, Marie Marshall, untamedtravelling.com