In this monthly agenda, Nwart gives a short list of events that
promote and celebrate Afro cultures.
From exhibitions to performances, parties or even workshops, here is a selection of events taking place in Amsterdam these coming weeks.
! INDOORS SPECIAL #1 !
So, as you may have noticed, we live in peculiar times.
Since we should not go out, we will stay in.
Here are some tips to help you to continue experiencing Afro cultures, but indoors.
Book
The Shadow King, by Maaza Mengiste
W.W. Norton Company - 2019
The Ethiopian-born female author takes us back to 1935, when Italy marched over Ethiopia.
The novel delivers a gripping narrative of Ethiopan women who through vrarious paths are lead to take up arms and fight the invadors.
The power of the book, besides being beautifully written, is that it sheds light on aspects of the woman condition that are both usual and unusual.
Music
Juan Atkins, a Detroit techno pioneer
If you live - and in the Netherlands specifically -, you must have come across techno music.
But did you know that it all started in the afro-american underground scene of Detroit?
Juan Atkins was one of the pioneers of Detroit techno. He's said to be the first one to have coined the name techno to refer to this emerging music.
For an introduction to the sound of Detroit techno, the original techno:
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Have a listen to one of his most prominent early tracks NO UFO's, released in 1985.
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Then jump back into our modern days and watch Juan Atkins perform live, in 2019.
Movie
The Siren of Faso Fani, by Michel K. Zongo
Documentary, 2014
The documentary from 2014 will give you a sense of déja-vu. It tells the story of a successful, traditionnal fabric factory compelled to close its door as a result of deliberations taken by an international institution based overseas.
The fabric factory in question is Faso Fani. It was for decades the pride of Koudougou, the third biggest city of the country.
The dan fani fabric has a strong symbolism for it was praised by Thomas Sankara, a major figure of Burkinabe's revolutionary movement. Sankara said of the fabric to be the embodiment of Burkina Faso's savoir-faire, culture and patrimony.
