Arts as Communication
This issue of The Soul Beat focuses on communication from and for Africa about the arts as a medium for social change. This issue is divided into three categories of the arts - music, photography and painting. If you would like to contribute your own experiences, please contact Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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MUSIC
1. Rage for the Revolution - South Africa
This concert aimed to create a chance for young artists to spread positive messages about awareness and responsibility concerning youth and HIV/AIDS, and encouraged youth to ask the question: "What can we do?" Proceeds are to be used to purchase anti-retroviral medicines to treat people living with HIV and AIDS and to support HIV prevention including condoms and life-skills education programmes at schools in South Africa.
Contact Annelie Hoffmann annelie@oppikoppi.co.za
2. Tonga Composition Project: Six Refelections on Valley Tonga Music - Zimbabwe
A multi-faceted cultural exchange between the people of the Tonga, in Zimbabwe, and members of the Austria Zimbabwe Friendship Association (AZFA). Within the Tonga Composition project international contemporary composers wrote creative responses to the sounds of the "nyele" instrument. Education programmes in schools aimed to create awareness about the rights of minority groups as well as impart professional guidance concerning music technology and its relationship to indigenous sounds and rites.
Contact Peter Kuthan argezim@silverserver.at
3. Hali Halisi: A Documentary of Rap as an Alternative Medium in Tanzania
by Martin Meulenberg & Thomas Gesthuizen
Hali Halisi, which means "the real situation" in Swahili, is a documentary about rap as an alternative medium for urban youth in Tanzania and Zanzibar. The film aims to discuss the pros and cons of hip hop as an effective medium for communication and an instrument for social change, using the example of Tanzanian "emcees" (rappers) and the positive messages of their rap in Swahili.
4. Afro-Asian Music Connection Helps AIDS Awareness
by Sonny Inbaraj
In an interview with IPS Health News, Todd Lavell Tongdee talks about the impact that Nigerian musician and anti-military activist Fela Anikulapo Kuti had on him. Fela's son, Femi, has since dedicated himself to the cause of creating awareness of HIV/AIDS. Says Lavell, "Femi's message is so powerful and it was a good blending of African and Asian music in Beijing, with this awareness about HIV/ AIDS. I was really inspired..."
5. Yizo Yizo: This is it? Representations and Receptions of Violence and Gender Relations
by Rene Smith
This paper explores representations of violence and gender relations in Yizo Yizo. This includes "looking at issues surrounding the production of an 'educative' series dealing with township high school life leads to discussions on students/learners; notions of youth, subculture, and music - the local genre, Kwaito in particular. The Yizo Yizo compact disc recording (CD) featuring Kwaito artists informs the discussion on the intertextuality of the series."
6. Splash Jam - South Africa
Hip-hop emcees, deejay's, graffiti artists and b-boys (dancers) congregate the first Sunday of every month in Orlando West, Soweto, in a non-profit endeavour to encourage marginalised and economically-disadvantaged youth to use music and art as tools to empower themselves and their communities and to express themselves about topical, urban youth issues.
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Immunisation Survey!!
The Communication Initiative (The CI) has been asked by one of its partner organisations, The CHANGE Project, to conduct an assessment of the experiences gained over the past two decades regarding challenges that must be addressed in order to improve routine immunisation coverage rates. It is hoped that the results from the survey will feed into a final report which will provide valuable, hands-on lessons learned for those working on routine immunisation - and will help them take effective actions to improve coverage rates.
Survey closes March 2 2005.
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PHOTOGRAPHY
7. Phila Impilo/Live Life Photo Project - South Africa
Members of the Sinikithemba HIV/AIDS support group take part in participatory media activities, involving camera-usage, picture-taking and story-telling.
8. HIV/AIDS in Africa - Portraits of 26 Women
by Sonke Weiss
This photo journal presents intimate portraits and personal stories of women living with HIV/AIDS in Africa. The goal of the publication is to help promote awareness about the realities of womens lives that are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The photo journal seeks to inspire people living with HIV/AIDS to face their personal realities in an effort to cope with the stress of dealing with their status within their families, communities and workplaces.
9. Children's Visions and Voices: Rights and Realities in South Africa - South Africa
This project presents photography by children in South Africa representing situations where their rights are threatened and violated. Children were asked to document their lives using the camera lens, and develop oral histories of their lives. The project seeks to communicate the realities facing underprivileged South African children by granting them the opportunity to document their daily lives through photography.
Contact Alex Fattal alex@ajaproject.org or info@crc-sa.co.za
10. Kids With Cameras (KWC)
Operates internationally, including in Egypt, providing workshops facilitated by renown photographers and collaborating with community-based organisations to improve educational opportunities for participants.
PAINTING
11. Kuona Trust - Kenya
The Trust aims to advance the skills and opportunities of artists and to make art a valued and integral part of Kenyan society. An open community studio is available for public access with periodic technical workshops to help new artists develop their talent skills. Outreach programmes such as the Street Children's Fun Day and the Billboard Project aim to involve community members directly in using arts as a medium for social change.
Contact info@kuonatrust.org
12. Travelling Painter: The Mamelodi Art Project - South Africa
The Mamelodi Project was designed to provide community members with an opportunity to express their ideas about township development. Each day the artist collaborates with interested community members to paint a billboard which satirises a common myth or a stereotype, delivers a message of hope and seeks to inform and generate dialogue and activism amongst community members.
Contact mail@painter.nl
13. African Portraits
A video presentation of five case studies from across the continent, each monitoring the work and aspirations of a particular artist and the outcomes of their creative activity, paying particular attention to how the artist has sought to empower him/herself and how their work is helping to change the attitudes and ambitions of their communities in Africa. The featured artists include Senegalese rappers, South African photographers, a Ugandan visual artist and a Zimbabwe dance team.
14. Beyond Awareness Campaign AIDS Mural Project Handbook
This illustrated booklet provides information on mural painting with a focus on experiences and images from the 1995-1996 seven-city mural project in South Africa. It serves as a guide for people interested in developing an AIDS mural, breaking down the necessary steps to conduct a mural painting programme, based on the experiences of the Beyond Awareness Campaign (BAC).
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Arts for Creative Transformation: Activism, Lifeline, Inspiration, Vision, Education(ActALIVE)
An arts coalition composed of groups and individuals who use or advocate the use of arts to address HIV/AIDS and related issues like poverty, human-rights, and sustainable development.
ActALIVE has 200 members in 25 countries including Kenya, DRC, Burundi, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Swaziland, ROC, Malawi, Mozambique, Cameroon, and Ghana.
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15. The Nairobi International Poetry Festival - July 27-30 2005 - Nairobi, Kenya
There will be poetry performances and readings from renowned African poets, as well as from the rest of the world. Poets will be holding readings and open mics in different centres of Nairobi. Following this, the festival committee plans to work with selected authors to publish a thematic book volume to be published in 2006.
16. Rwanda Mini Film Festival - Mar 16-30 2005 -Kigali, Rwanda
The theme for this festival is "Regional Cooperation for Audiovisual Excellence in Central and East Africa". According to the organisers film festivals have become the focal points for urban, national and regional film sector activities as well as showcases for social message documentary and youth training initiatives.
17. Art My Feelings
African cartoonists and artists are invited express their feelings about situations that concern them and their community. Cartoonists are encouraged to draw anything that does not "go down well" with them in their country, Africa or the world in general. Participating artists will have the opportunity to be invited for the 1st Africa Art my feelings conference in 2006.
Deadline March 20 2005
18. Reflections and Impressions Art & Writing Competition
The South African National Anti-Discrimination Forum (ADF) FAZE 2 is inviting entries to the 2005 Reflections and Impressions Art and Writing Competition. Artists and writers are invited to record their personal perceptions of South African history and 10 years of democracy.
Deadline March 11-31 2005
19. Africa Through the Eyes of Hope
The Lazarus Foundation invites photojournalists to enter original photos for the inaugural photo-essay, "Africa - Through the eyes of hope". The display will be featured online and through the sponsorship of Starbucks inc. and local art galleries across North America and Europe.
Deadline March 31 2005
See Also:
Sanaa Art Promotions (SAP) - Kenya
Art for Peace Project - Uganda
Artists for Human Rights' Newsletter
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This issue was written by Bonolo Kgoarai and Javid Alibhai
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The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.
Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com
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