A Breakup Dawn in Africa
African Culture and Film Festival from 15.9. until 11.11.2018

 

Concerts – Exhibitions – Lectures – Discussions – Film Festival – Parties
in the “Internationale Kulturfabrik Kampnagel”, in the “Gängeviertel Hamburg” and in the “Studio Kino”

During the Fall of 2018, the Organization AUGEN BLICKE AFRIKA e.V. is inviting artists of different art sections from Senegal. Through a cocktail of film screenings, exhibitions, performances, concerts, art productions, workshops and discussion events at selected locations in Hamburg, African artists will present their works in arts and culture to create a platform for interactions between Germans and Africans.

The festival is expected to promote a new and more realistic view of the African continent and to promote intercultural understanding. This will communicate the African identity, shared experiences and cultures in a globalized world.

Invited artists would exhibit their enormous creative energy and passion, political awareness and are closely linked to their country of origin and its culture. With their art, they to promote critical awareness among their fellow African people, thereby contributing to political and social changes in their societies. These artists are not only citizens of their countries, but they are also “afro politically” oriented, are in close contact and has cultural exchanges with various artists and art forums in European countries, cooperate with European cultural creators and centers and as confident partners with specific ideas from their rich culture, give new impulses and perspectives to the African continent to unearth possibilities of a better mutual understanding.

The Non-Profit Organization AUGEN BLICKE AFRIKA e.V. has several years of rich experience in the organization of major cultural events and activities. The AUGEN BLICKE AFRIKA e.V. can boasts of having organized a 10-day African Film Festival with new film productions from the largest Afrikan film festival FESPACO in Ouagadougou. The program was had with music, dancing events, symposia and also performances from the educational sector through the corporation with University of Hamburg and Leuphana University in Lueneburg.

The focus was mainly on films that address and document the spirit of optimism, especially in the art and film industry across the African continent. During our preparations, we contacted many artists and activists in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ghana and DR Congo. Our discussions about the certain political situations encouraged us to invite some of the most active artists to a festival in Hamburg and to develop new perspectives together with local artists to bring their work to German audience in Germany.

See, Listen, Smell, Feel and Taste Africa – for Better Understanding

Over a period of two months, these project events will take place at different locations in Hamburg. As has been for six years, the plan is a 10-day African film festival with invited African filmmakers in Studio-Kino Hamburg. The highlight will focus on films about committed young artists and the Protest Movement.

There will be days for creative mural design in the Gängeviertel by youngsters from Hamburg under the guidance of the well-known artist Docta under the theme “Escape or Stand Still”. At weekends, during the period, there will be musical performances by local African artists on a small stage, traditional African cuisine as well as information stands for different African Initiative Groups and organizations.

 

Two of the most popular and hippest Senegalese rappers, the group Keur Gui and a rapper called Matador, will perform at the famous “Kampnagel Fabrik” These rappers have distinguished themselves as political activists in the Senegalese “Y’en à marre” movement. Members of the Hip Hop Academie in Hamburg will develop a joint performance with the Senegalese rappers.

As part of the program, films on Protests and Youth Movements across African countries as well as activities of Artists to address social and political change will be shown.

On the mounted stage “Kampnagel”, in collaboration with the Leuphana University Lueneburg and the Asia-Africa Institute of the University of Hamburg will present speakers who are scientists, researchers and activists on the topic: “Africa – A Continent of the Future” in a two-day conference.

 

Main act will be Felwine Sarr presenting his book “Afrotopia”, followed by a discussion abeout social movements in Senegal and other countries.

 

 

 

 

 The conference will be supplemented by cultural contributions such as “JOURNAL RAPPÉ”. “JOURNAL RAPPÉ” is a project by Senegalese rapper XUMAN and Keyti. With fast-paced words, they reproduce daily news from politics, religion and sport in a satirical form able to reach out to wide range of audience.

 

Besides these, there will be a wide range of traditional and modern African sounds in the evenings for dancing feat. On some weekends, prominent DJs will present the current sounds across African cities to German audiences for dance in the evenings.