Understanding Africa
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Price Re. 1/- Volume XXXIV No. 1 January – February 2020 The panellists at the third session, titled ‘Languages and Understanding Africa Literature of Africa’, spoke about how to promote African literature and language/s; writings by African women on INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE war; and socio-literary reconstruction of gendered experi- Understanding Africa: Continuity and Change ences of the East African Asian Diaspora. Organised by IIC– International Research The final session was on ‘African Art, Music, and Cinema,’ Division and explored its critical relationship with and influence on 10–12 February 2020 the music of the West, and its points of similarity and differ- ences with the Indian subcontinent. The main focus of this conference was on the cultural The second day began with a discussion on the ‘Textile and civilisational linkages between India and Africa: Traditions of Africa and India’, The panellists spoke about African literature, languages, textiles, music, etc. Fourteen the textiles from India which made it possible for local scholars drawn from 12 African countries, besides several Tanzanians to make furnishings; and the historicity of the Indian scholars, participated. evolution of the khanga textile. The conference was inaugurated by Shri N.N. Vohra, The last session on ‘India Africa Partnership’ comprised President, IIC, who evoked the shared post-independence two parts: the first dealt with the history of Indian settle- past of Africa and India, recalling India’s help to Africa ments in Madagascar; and the dynamic cultural partner- in achieving reasonably good success in the area of ship between the countries. The second part discussed the agriculture. In his keynote address, Olabiyi Babalola effects of global economic changes, and trade and invest- Joseph Yai, former Chairman, UNESCO Executive ment linkages. Board, critically assessed the performance of Africa in the In his valedictory address, Harsh Vardhan Shringla, For- past 50 years. eign Secretary, said that from the age of colonialism to Introducing the conference theme, Ambassador H.H.S. the age of globalisation, India and Africa have done much Vishwanathan spoke about the resurgence of the African together, but there are still challenges to address, and continent in the international scene in the last two decades, frontiers to cross. both in the political and economic spheres The first session, titled ‘Historical Linkages between Africa and India’, saw an academic in- vestment into the critical moments and aspects in the history of Indo –African relationships. The following session on ‘Knowledge Sys- tems’ stressed the need to further investigate the significance of the rich oral heritage of India and Africa in the face of the violent imposition of the colonial scribe as the dominant system of epistemological discourse. 1 problems that affect nature, and the relationship between Man and Nature man and nature. EXHIBITION Metaphoric in nature, the display by Arun Kumar created We Are Still Alive: from wood found in crates and scrapyards, the scrapyard Strategies in Surviving the Anthropocene silk screened with foliage, drew you into a maze. Ravi COLLABORATION: Agarwal questioned, ‘What is nature’? His installation Shalini Passi Foundation, MASH looked at the ancient form of boat building in Tamil 21 January to 2 February 2020 Nadu, also exploring Tamil poetry within the concept of sustainable relationships of man and nature. The innovative public space of the Achia Anzi addressed the issue of consumerism Gandhi–King Memorial Plaza was and waste, along with an experiential booth made interesting by a display of which highlighted the problem of severely installation art which addressed polluted air. issues of the environment and The artists, each in their own way, demonstrated ecology. In a society where natural their expression of material usage, from stained resources, air, water and land are fast glass to waste auto parts, to concrete and wires. depleting, artists Achia Anzi, Arun Kumar Hg, Asim Each art form evoked a question and made a statement. Waqif, Atul Bhalla, Priyanka Choudhary, Ravi The greenery surrounding the exhibition also added to Agarwal, Sultana Zana and Vibha Galhotra the overall ethos of the subject. came together to create statements through No doubt the statements were bold, and art an interesting their artistic installations, which were medium of communicating the same. The exhibition was thought-provoking, and made one stop sensitively curated by Arshiya Lokhandwala . and wonder about surviving in a world plagued with ongoing environmental ■ LOLITA DUTTA internal. Landscapes, rural life, religion, myth, psychology, Beyond Pain and Humiliation and direct depiction of subjects of interest: gods, humans, flora and fauna, all found a place among these bursts of EXHIBITION colour, in energised and straight-from-the-heart depictions. From Pain to Paint Inspiration came from folk to modern art, and of course GUESTS OF HONOUR: Raza’s legacy, the Bindu. Anjolie Ela Menon and Suresh Jindal From narrative to design, these flashes of colour, despite COLLABORATION: Bindu Art School their cheerful bearing, came underlined with the pain, 22 January to 1 February 2020 dread, humiliation and rejection of leprosy victims. The Bindu Art School was founded in 2005 by Austrian This exhibition featured a vast array of works, each distinct multimedia artist-curator Werner Dornik, and Indian social in character and form, each with a story to tell, external or activist Padma Venkataraman. The school uses art to change the lives of patients cured of leprosy. The sale and income grants students a sense of financial independence, relieving the feeling of a life on alms. The art is also adapted to fabric for apparel and tapestry. All in all, Bindu’s Art comes through as a glowing ball of energy, radiating hope and positivity. Priced reasonably, these works ought to be acquired, not least for their zest and the cause they espouse. ■ ARUNA BHOWMICK 2 sian, even Chinese civilisa- Continuity of the Spiritual tions. Traditions of the Past The Kashmir Valley’s sacred buildings have EXHIBITION cohesion across religious Sacred Architecture of Kashmir— faiths, while also merging Continuity of Successive Built Forms with surrounding secular Presented by INTACH Kashmir structures, avoiding 28 January to 4 February 2020 monumental features that dominate in any way. A multi-tiered pyramidal roof This event was a timely celebration of the sacred topped by a spire evolved architecture of Kashmir. Saleem Beg brought to this as a creative synthesis exhibition years of dedicated service to the ‘idea of of historical Shaiva and Kashmir’ being greater than a geographical entity but, as Buddhist typologies, though ornamental features were claimed by centuries old texts, ‘a divine intervention’. considerably embellished by Western craftsmen moving in after the 14th century. Ratish Nanda revealed that Sameer Hamdani gave an informative presentation gardens were recognised as sacred spaces and were of the studies conducted by the team of archi- accessible to all. Though modelled on the Persian image tects of INTACH–Kashmir. The temples, stupas, of paradise, no religious structure formed part mosques and khanquas all show a continuity of of these sacred gardens. traditions over millennia. By documenting and conserving the Valley’s sacred architecture, The exhibition displayed some of the extensive earthquake-proof traditional expertise is pre- documentation work. Most heartening were served, but also the uniquely Kashmiri compos- pictures of the Dastageer shrine, fully restored ite culture. For many centuries, this region was after being ravaged by fire, thanks to prior geographically isolated; yet, to quote Narayani digital documentation by INTACH. Gupta, it always maintained links of mind and heart with the subcontinent, as well as Greek, Per- ■ BHARATI MIRCHANDANI multiple narratives and multiple semiotics of space was the Multiple Meanings, Narratives main focus of Miki Desai’s exhibition. and Semiotics of Space The exhibition structured itself around the fold between vernacular and modern architecture in India, and explored EXHIBITION the plurality of Indian demography in its socio-cultural, From My House to Your House: religious and temporal ambit. It sought to explore the A Select Journey of Indian Vernacular impact of modernity on the identity imparted into spaces Architecture (Lok-Sthapatya) by Miki Desai through vernacular histories, social and community COLLABORATION: UNESCO, practices, and geographical typicalities. An exhaustive New Delhi Office; and Archicrafts display of dialectical architectural practices, the 11 to 16 February 2020 photographic exhibition catalogued a plethora of regional Spaces are amorphous, forever changing with perceptions, discourses and narratives, and yet remain unchanged in the annals of time and nostalgia. The stories of our lives cannot be better contained than how they are ubiquitously imprinted in the spaces we dwell in, making each wall a confidante and each home a travail of memories. From the most prosaic to the most monumental space, each one is enmeshed in a distinct fabric of society, politics, community, power and cultural praxes. This arena of multiple meanings, 3 infrastructures, rendered unique through an inimitable historically undocumented, and hence remain largely out enmeshing of materiality, technique and craftsmanship. of the architectural identity of India. Tracing through the rural to the urban, temporally as well