The Africa Centre
Based in South Africa, the Africa Centre is a Section 21 Company dedicated to the arts, culture, and heritage of our continent, and their contribution to democracy and development in Africa.
The Africa Centre is both a physical entity and an ongoing philosophical process. It is in the process of becoming a multi-sited, multiple-usage space where the visual, intellectual and performance cultures of Africa - South and North - are celebrated, studied and brought to life for diverse audiences in the most innovative ways. [+]
Africa Centre projects :: present and future
The Africa Centre presents a range of vibrant, perception-altering festivals of poetry, performance and music that happen from February through to October.
Projects that the Africa Centre continues to present includes the Spier Contemporary, the country’s major contemporary art competition and exhibition; the Infecting the City Festival which generates site-specific performances in the centre of Cape Town; the Pan African Space Station that foregrounds global African music, the Badilisha! An African Poetry X-Change that celebrates the spoken word. These Festivals happen at a spectrum of venues from Cape Town to Stellenbosch.
Look out for Africa Centre projects in the immediate future.
The latest is The Artist’s Manual: a Guide to the Business of the Arts, a book that succinctly and practically promotes the professionalisation of the creative industries. The road to the bi-annual Spier Contemporary kicks off at the end of 2008. Whilst, Infecting the City will astound audiences across the City of Cape Town from 21st - 28th February 2009.
Many more events and arts interventions are planned. Watch this space. [+]
The Artist’s Handbook :: a Guide to the Business of the Arts
After months of research, writing and production, the Africa Centre is proud to publish The Artist’s Handbook :: a Guide to the Business of the Arts. The first of its kind created specifically for artists working in Africa, the Artist’s Handbook provides artists with the administrative tools they need to administer, manage and distribute their creative work more effectively, thus maximising income, and individual and organisational sustainability.
The Artist’s Handbook itself is an affirmation of the Africa Centre’s objective to work in partnership with others towards building a sustainable creative sector. For more information on The Artist’s Handbook, please click here.
The Pan African Space Station
Over the first week of October the Africa Centre presented the Pan African Space Station (PASS), a four-day music intervention across greater Cape Town. The event provided exciting opportunities for Capetonians and visitors to engage up-close with the rich and complex web of creative expression that binds Africans across the globe.
PASS this year hosted genre-busting music outfits, that included the Cindy Blackman Quartet, Bebson De La Rue and Tryonix, Carlo Mombelli and the Prisoners of Strange, Madala ‘Bafo’ Kunene, Funsho Ogundipe and Ayetoro, among other riveting acts. Each act explores new musical territory. For more information on this exciting festival, click here. [+]
Poetry on the Map, a Badilisha! An African Poetry X-change presentation
Malika Ndlovu and Lorelle Viegi, Curator and Project Manager of the newly launched Badilisha! An African Poetry X-change has announced the second event the Badilisha! 2008 calendar. This is a forum discussion entitled Poetry on the Map.
This gathering will engage role players and stakeholders in the ‘cultural tourism’ industry, as well as poets and representatives of established poetry networks and platforms in the Cape Town. The focus of the discussion will be to look at how poets as part of this city’s “hidden treasures” can better expose themselves to a market or sector other than arts and culture. Doing this could help poets and support them in sustaining themselves and their work whilst growing public /corporate /tourist understanding of what poets contribute to the cultural and social landscape of the Mother City.
The event will comprise of 2 parts:
1. Poetry Performance/Presentations: A key outcome of the event is to create broader platforms for poetry by opening up spaces for exposure and economic advancement, particularly for new voices. To this end, invited poetry group or network representatives have been asked to recommend one or two poets from their organisations or networks open the way for the discussion.
2.Guest Speakers and Forum Discussion:
Invited Guest Speakers invited are Nicole Moody (Verses & CT Tourism)
Iain Harris (Coffee Beans Routes), Zenariah Barends (Community Health Arts Trust (CHAT) and the Cape Cultural Collective). Each will give a 10min input to contextualise and catalyse the discussion, which will be facilitated by Malika Ndlovu.
Other participants have been identified in terms of their involvement in the promotion of poetry in the city or their potential for such engagement. Some of these include Bulelwa Basse (Lyrical Base Poets), Hugh Hodge (Off the Wall Poetry Sessions), Silvana Dantu (African Equations), Zayd Minty (Cape Town Partnership), Hale Tsehlane (SUPS), Diana Ferrus (UWC Poetry Society), Pamela Qasana (CPUT) Ingrid Fiske (Centre for Extra-Mural Studies) Gus Ferguson (Snail Press) Suzy Bell (John Brown Publishing) Sean Germond (Pygmalion) Astara Mwakalumbwa (Poetry Delight), Marcia Raymond & Rheina Epstein (City Library Poetry Group), Anne Schuster (Women Writing Workshops), Keith Gottschalk (Landsdowne Local Poetry), Shelley Barry (CTV), Brian Currin (Brian Currin Online Marketing & Rhythm Records), Marianne Thamm (Theatre SA), Beryl Eichenberger (Mothercity Bookfest & Hippo Communications).
Participants are invited to engage in the facilitated forum discussion to promote the sharing of information, resources and skills, aiming to stimulate and encouraging wider communication and networking between the participants and the larger sectors they represent. Ultimately towards greater support and access to work opportunities for poets as well as the creation or more efficient implementation of mutually beneficial programmes/projects in Cape Town and beyond.
The overall event will be recorded and key points raised and recommendations emerging from the forum discussion will later be circulated to all participants, so that a substantial information resource is created and the exchange extends beyond this gathering.
POETRY ON THE MAP : PROGRAMME
13 December 2008,
First Floor, 44 Long Street, Cape Town.
14:00 – 15h00 Guest Poets’ performances/presentations
15:00 – 15h30 Presentations from 3 invited guest speakers:
Nicole Moody, Iain Harris, Zenariah Barends
15h30 - 16:30 Open Discussion
16h30 Refreshments Served
17:00 Close
Facilitator – Malika Ndlovu
Intimate tribute to Miriam Makeba
On the 23rd November, the Africa Centre and Dark Lunch Media hosted an Intimate Tribute to Miriam Makeba at the Africa Centre at 44 Long Street.
Mama Africa’s inspiring life was aptly celebrated with song, poetry and footage from the 1959 classic black and white film Come Back, Africa. Performers on the night included Busi Mhlongo, Malika Ndlovu, Ernie Dean, Tina Schouw, Nhoza Sitsholwana, Nomfusi Gotyana and DJ Ntone.
Africa Centre presents The Crossing
The Africa Centre is proud to present The Crossing, the incredible true life journey of Jonathan Khumbulani Nkala from Zimbabwe into South Africa. Award-winning actress, director and voice coach Bo Petersen directs, and written and performed by 28 year old Jonathan Khumbulani Nkala.
This inspiring tale will play at The Gymnasium, above the new Space Theatre, 44 Long Street from the 20-22 Nov, 26-29 Nov and 3-6 Dec at 20:15; Saturday matinees at 15:00.
Bookings: Computicket - 083 915 8000 - www.computicket.com
Ticket price: R50
Launch of The Artist’s Handbook
On the 11th November, the Africa Centre launched the Artist’s Handbook: a Guide to the Business of the Arts. The Artist’s handbook was conceived, compiled and published by the Africa Centre, in collaboration with VANSA.
Advocate Brenda Madumise, Chairperson of the Board of the National Arts Council, and Ismail Mahomed, Director of the National Arts Festival were the guest speakers at the event that also marked the launch of the Africa Centre at its new premises at 44 Long Street, Cape Town. For a copy of Ismail Mahomed’s speech, click here (africa-centre-speech_ismail-mahomed).
Copies of The Artist’s Handbook cost R50 and are available from the Africa Centre offices. Contact Ethel on 021 422 0468 or info@africacentre.net
Africa Center at 44 Long Street
The Africa Centre has officially launched its presence in the heart of the city of Cape Town. The new home for the Africa Centre is on the 1st Floor, 44 Long Street, Cape Town.
44 Long Street is a historic building better known as the Space Theatre, which was established in 1972. This has been revived as the New Space Theatre. Part of Cape Town’s most vibrant street, 44 Long Street will function as a mini arts precinct and will be a hive of activity from 9 am until late. Africa Centre intends to be an integral, driving part of this initiative and will host arts activities, discussions, workshops, and exhibitions. To read more, click here.
If you wish to get in contact with us phone +27 21 422 0468/9
Spier Contemporary
The first edition of the Spier Contemporary has been an unparalleled success. The Spier Contemporary attracted close to 20 000 visitors in Cape Town and Johannesburg. It provided a national and international platform for the participating artists, with many artists commenting on the positive impact that the event has had on their careers.
The Africa Centre is planning the second edition of Spier Contemporary which is due to run in 2009/2010. The submission date for the next competition will be announced in late 2008.
We would like to thank the participating artists, art collectors, buyers, arts media and the general public for their interest in, and support for the Spier Contemporary.
Although the exhibition has ended you can still see it virtually online [+]
The Spier Contemporary catalogue is now also available at selected Exclusive Books branches.
Read more about Spier Contemporary and 2007 Winners [+]
