The World Bank Art Program, the Vice Presidency for the Africa Region and their friends are honored to present AFRICA NOW! Emerging talents from a continent on the move Acknowledgements FOR SUCH A COMPLEX PROJECT, IT IS HARD TO faIRLY ACKNOWLEDGE EVERY PERSON WHO MADE THIS EVENT POSSIBLE. TO ALL OF YOU WHO HELPED, CRITIQUED, PRAISED AND ENCOURAGED, OUR DEEPEST GRATITUDE. YOU MADE POSSIBLE FOR ARTISTS TO RECEIVE THEIR faIR SHARE OF SPACE SO THAT THEY COULD COMMUNICATE TO THE WORLD THEIR VISIONS. APART (Art Gallery) – Abuja, Nigeria For their precious advice and generous support along the way, we thank: African Colours/The Power of Colour – Nairobi, Kenya Ali Al-Zubeidy, Zsuzsanna Papp Baldiviezo, Adrian Carranza, Gertrud Cortsen, Alassane Diawara, Abdoulaye Bag Factory Artists Studios - Johannesburg, South Africa Diop, Maria Fischer, Adeline François, Fons Geerlings, Ablade Glover, Ian Goldin, Salah Hassan, Poh Hoi Her- ley, Arne Hoel, Patricia Hord, Ursula Hubert, Edwin Judd, Jaginder Kumar Kapoor, William Karg, Mats Karls- Bell-Roberts Publishing, Cape Town, South Africa son, Abdoulaye Konaté, Rekha Kumar, Leona Maltz, Hassan Mansoora, Harriet McGuire, Caroline Menell, Casa Africa - Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain Goitom Mengesha, Micheline Moreira, Maggie Otieno, Edwin Panameno, Markus Repnik, Virginia Ryan, Pam Contemporary African Art Gallery, New York, New York (USA) Scheibach, Samuel Sidibe, Richard V. Sukhu, Anne Tayler, Cesar Totanes, Binh Tran, and Grace Yabrudy. Dak’Art – 8th Biennal of African contemporary art - Dakar, Senegal David Krut Projects - Johannesburg, South Africa To those who offered an essential contribution, our special thanks: Deola Segoe - Lagos, Nigeria Alemstsehay Wedajo, Goitom Mengesha, and Alem Ghiorgis for their vision and generosity in helping fellow Espace doual’art – Doula, Cameroon artists; Markus Repnik and Mamma Alim Ahmed, from the World Bank Office in Yaoundé, Cameroon, for their passion and dedication to the artists of Cameroon; Moussa Fode Sidibe of the World Bank Office in Mali and Fondation Blachère - Apt, France Modibo Doumbia Modibo and Souleymane Ouologuem, artists from Bamako, Mali, for the time and energy Galerie Mama - Douala, Cameroon invested in facilitating the participation of emerging artists and artisans from their country; Anne Dronnier, Gallery Momo - Johannesburg, South Africa of the World Bank Africa Region External Affair, for always being ready to offer her professional advice with Galerie 23 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands a smile; Nora M. Heimman, Associate Professor, Department of Art, The Catholic University of America and Lee Arts Center - Arlington, Virginia (USA) Novie Trump, Director, Cultural Affairs, Lee Arts Center, Virginia, USA, for their generosity and enthusiasm in Oumou Sy - Dakar, Senegal making our “artist-in-residence” project a reality; Ximena Hernandez-Cata who edited the most complicated texts without losing any of their freshness; Faouzi Khatir, Facilitator, Paris, France, and Washington DC, USA, The Mbari Institute for Contemporary African Art (MICA) – Washington DC (USA) for his passion for art and respect for the artists; Irena Kunovska, Virginia Ryan and Joe Nkrumah, Accra, Tulyfania Gallery - Kampala, Ugandaw Ghana, for all they have done for artists in Ghana; Zara Inga Sarzin, Urban Specialist, World Bank Africa Re- We are films! – Barcelona, Spain gion, for her great help in Tanzania; Janet Stanley, from the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, who provided invaluable help with our research; Michael Crawford, for his unrelenting faith and generosity. And, last but not least, we would like to thank Van Pulley, Director, and Carl Wessmann, Senior Manager, World Bank General Services, for their vision and trust in our work. Thank you! The World Bank Art Program Africa Now! was conceived and organized by the World Bank Art Program in partnership with the World Bank Vice Presidency for the Africa Region and the Biennale of Contem- porary African Art, Dak’Art, Senegal. Curator: Jorge Dias Internal editing: Marina Galvani Youma Fall Anne Dronnier Marina Galvani Pamela Fraser Assistant Curator: Elena Grant Ximena Hernandez-Cata Evangelina Elizondo Arne Hoel John Mulaa Christine Kreamer Registrar: Mboko Lagriffe External editing: Matthew Burke Antoine Lema Meredith Hale Jeanne Mercier Research: Monna Mokoena Matthew Burke Nástio Mosquito Copyright: Maria del Carmen Cossu Erica Nimis Jesse Bisogni Pia Dahl Pere Ortín Andrés Evangelina Elizondo Van Pulley Translation: Pamela Fraser Elisabeth Topsøe General Services Translation and Elena Grant Ousseynou Wade Interpretation Unit (GSDTI) Binayavanga Wainaina Africa Now! Exhibition Team: MimiWolford Photography: Matthew Burke Guy Wouete General Services Printing and Maria del Carmen Cossu Graphic Unit (GSDPG) Pia Dahl General Services Art Program Communications: Anne Dronnier (GSDDA) Eric Chinje Evangelina Elizondo Angie Seckinger Anne Dronnier Adeline François Zara Inga Sarzin Pamela Fraser John Mulaa Patricia Overend Elena Grant Framing and Art Installation: Yao E. Odamtten The World Bank Frameshop Edna Venkatraj Design: Tau Tavengwa Africa Now! is based on an Contributors: Laura Malan, original idea by Marina Galvani Olivier Bartlet Bell-Roberts Publishing and Antoine Lema TABLE OF CONTENTS Partners 2 Acknowledgements 3 Table des matières Foreword: Art and Development/ L’art et le développement /Obiageli K. Ezekwesili 8 The World Bank Art Program/Van Pulley 10 Let Creativity Speak/Marina Galvani 12 Section 1: Section 2: Design Traditional Meets Contemporary “NEWAFRICA”/Elisabeth Topsoe 52 Connecting Traditional and Contemporary African Art/ 18 Établir des liens entre l’art africain traditionnel et contemporain/Christine Kraemer Section 3: Photography Taming Life: The Social Fortunes of African Art – Four Lessons Learned/ 24 Contemporary Photography in Africa/La photographie contemporaine en Afrique/Erica Nimis 58 Dompter la vie - Quatre enseignements tirés de l’étude du destin social de l’art africain/Antoine Lema Beyond Appearances..../Au-delà des apparences.../Jeanne Mercier 61 A Long Day in Hell/ Un Jour à l’Enfer/Binyavanga Wainaina 32 Photographing Africa for the World Bank/L’Afrique en photos pour la Banque mondiale/Arne Hoel 63 The Encounter between Contemporary African Art and International Finance/ 36 A la Rencontre de l’Art Africain Contemporain et de la Finance Internationale/Ousseynou Wade Section 4: Cinema Africa in Fashion?/Youma Fall 42 African Cinema: A Short History 66 /Les cinq décennies des cinémas d’Afrique/Olivier Barlet (Translation from the French by Thibaud Faguer-Redig) “AFRICALLS?” Pere Ortín Andrés 74 Section 5: Fine Arts The catalogue entries are listed in alphabetical order by the artist’s last name. 76 Artist in Touch/Guy Wouete 46 For a complete list of artists by country, please consult the Appendix Life in Construction/Jorge Dias 47 Perspective/Nástio Mosquito 48 Notes from the Momo Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa/Monna Mokoena 48 The Mbari Institute for Contemporary African Art 49 Appendix: “AfricanColours: The Power of Colour” 49 Biographies of Essays’ Contributors 155 List of Artists and Designers by Country 160 Obiageli Ezekwesili Vice President, Africa Region, The World Bank Vice-présidente, Région Afrique, Banque mondiale L’art est un agent de changement économique et social au même ART AND DEVELOPMENT titre que le développement. Pendant des siècles, en Afrique comme dans le reste du monde, l’art a permis aux gens de fêter leurs succès, de surmonter leurs L’ART ET LE difficultés, d’exprimer leur peine, leurs espoirs et leurs aspira- tions. C’est pourquoi la Banque mondiale, important partenaire de développement sur le continent, appuie « L’Afrique aujourd’hui DÉVELOPPEMENT ! », qui est un ensemble de manifestations artistiques présentant l’art contemporain africain dans toute sa diversité. Art brings about economic and social change in much the same - way development does. Au moment où les industries de la création sont en essor partout - dans le monde, les artistes des pays en développement — y com- For centuries art in Africa, as in the rest of the world, has helped pris en Afrique — souhaitent que leurs œuvres soient enfin con- people celebrate their successes, overcome their challenges, nues et appréciées à leur juste valeur sur la scène artistique express their sorrow, and share their hopes and aspirations. internationale. Ils travaillent avec ardeur pour créer des œuvres This is why the World Bank, an important partner in Africa’s devel authentiques, qui sont à la fois sources d’inspiration et moyens opment, is supporting Africa Now! a series of artistic manifesta de transformer leur société. Ces artistes ont alors espoir que leur tions highlighting Africa’s contemporary art in all its diversity. - gouvernement, en collaboration avec le secteur privé et avec le concours des institutions de développement, mettent en place des At a time when creative industries are growing worldwide, artists politiques propres à créer des débouchés d’exportation pour leurs from developing countries – including African artists - yearn for œuvres et à protéger leurs droits d’auteurs. adequate exposure and appreciation on the international art scene. L’art témoigne de l’énergie et de la créativité remarquables des They work passionately to create authentic artworks, to inspire and transform their societies. But they also expect that their govern peuples d’Afrique et atteste de leur espoir inébranlable. Un tour ments, with the private sector