5 p.m. Current exhibition on view until 11 pm
7:30 p.m. FESTAC ’77 A Mixtape
Lecture and Discussion with Ntone Edjabe
Introduction by Nana Adusei-Poku
Dance party and reception to follow
Cameroon-born journalist Ntone Edjabe will introduce Chimurenga’s forthcoming publication on the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC), which took place in 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria. Edjabe’s presentation will take the form of a mixtape, using sound, text, and narrative in order to trace FESTAC’s history, legacy, and future. The month-long celebration was a major Pan-African arts event that brought together artists and intellectuals from the African Continent and the Diasporas. It remains a fascinating example of how Black arts and cultures are deeply connected with shared histories.
Ntone Edjabe founded Chimurenga (“liberation struggle” in Shona) in 2002. The Pan-African journal aims to start conversations about African culture and has addressed topics as broad as the rewriting of the continent’s history, the role technology plays in its future, and its music scene. Additionally, Edjabe also produces the journalChronic and oversees the Pan-African Space Station (PASS), a roving curatorial platform that stages exhibitions, produces on radio shows, and facilitates research.
