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I was thrilled to see our very own Museum – Benin City Museum MOWAA starts its first exhibition in November- Restitution Part1-engl_deutsch
The Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) continues building its physical campus. Soon, its mission of preserving, highlighting, and fostering art on the continent will be grounded in Benin City, Nigeria. Once finished, the 15-acre campus will house a “rainforest gallery,” a guesthouse for short-term residencies, green spaces, and more. The main building, The Institute, will be a hub of displayed artwork, research, public programming, and thought-provoking conversations. The museum’s website also promises a 180-seat auditorium, conference rooms, a library, and an archaeological science lab. The digital lab, also inside The Institute, will be dedicated to making African cultural content more accessible via digital catalogs. The whole campus is expected to cost around $100m, including construction and an endowment…
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Successful this time! International German Film Festival Berlinale 2024 and Africa deutsch-english
Which Way Africa? is the title of a film by Congolese director David-Pierre Fila, which is screening at the Berlinale. The 74th edition of the Berlin Film Festival started this year under the chairmanship of Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o. This remarkable decision to choose Nyong'o as jury president gives us a glimpse of the presence of African actors and especially African productions. The Berlinale, as the festival is called, is, it should be noted, a European festival. In the past, African productions have played a rather minor role. In the wake of outstanding productions from the continent, the growing attention for actors, producers, musicians and directors from Africa, also involved in international co-productions, Africa can simply no longer be…
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Pwani Tribune – Passion for Coastal Culture and History Interview with/mit Albert Mwamburi engl/ger
I recognize the need of bringing these other Coastal cultures to prominence. The kind of prominence that Swahili culture enjoys. And there’s actually so much to write about them. When you mention that the Swahili historical evidence is readily available, I would like to bring to your attention that there are also some caves in Taita Taveta County that very few Kenyans know about. These are the kinds of things I strive to highlight.
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Raubkunst aus Afrika/Looted Art – Give them Back! ger/engl.
Wer weiß noch von den Forderungen aus den 60er Jahren, oder zur großen Kulturschau FESTAC 1977, als Nigeria die berühmte Ida Maske ausstellen wollte, die Ende 19. Jhd geraubt wurde? Savoy, die auch im Stiftungsrat des Humbodt Forums ausgestiegen ist, hat bisher nicht zugängliche Quellen und Archive gründlich erforscht. In vielen Dokumenten, die das Buch ausführlich dokumentiert ist auch eine strukturelle Arroganz, teilweise sogar Rassismus offenkundig, wenn sie auch eine unheilige Kontinuität zwischen NS-Bürokraten und späteren Museumsleitern berichtet. Über vier Jahrzehnte habe es die westlichen Museen erfolgreich verstanden, die Kunstschätze in ihren Museen zu behalten und alle Forderungen ab zu weheren. Dies ist in der Öffentlichkeit fast in Vergessenheit geraten. Dank Savoys Einsatz, auch in der Kommision von Frankreichs…
