Kerry James Marshall, Africa Restored (Cheryl As Cleopatra), 2003. Courtesy of the artist.
Why is Pan-Africanism so elusive? Its appeal seems always to be fading in one place while ascending elsewhere.
| A series of discussions will explore the links between Pan-African politics and cultural production. |
In the view of this project’s leaders, Pan-Africanism articulates a universality comparable in its reach to Marxism. It has guided independence movements and anticolonial struggles in dozens of countries around the world where the majority of inhabitants are of African descent; it has shaped the terms of advocacy and protest in many more countries where they are not. Pan-Africanism has been as influential for intellectual history as psychoanalysis or post-structuralism, and it has lent heft to such internationally popular artistic and religious forms as reggae, Nollywood movies, and Candomblé. Yet Pan-Africanism is elusive in its manifold meanings; its appeal seems, moreover, always to be fading in one place while ascending elsewhere. Above all, Pan-Africanism is predominantly understood as a political movement—a call for equality, self-determination, and solidarity among Black peoples. What is the relation of that political cause to cultural production and to the humanities? This project will hold a series of seven convenings structured to explore a given location and private or institutional archives held there. The first will take place in Chicago and the rest will follow in a variety of international destinations. This interdisciplinary undertaking is conceived as an indispensable complement to a major loan exhibition on Pan-Africanist art and culture planned as the Art Institute of Chicago’s premier exhibition for fall 2024.
Weinberg Fellow, Department of Art History
Northwestern University
Professor of Political Science
University of Chicago
Director, Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona; Lecturer in Visual Cultures
Goldsmiths, University of London
Richard and Ellen Sandor Chair and Curator of Photography and Media
Art Institute of Chicago
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The London-based collective presented Mascon, a mosaic of images and sounds inspired by African cinema.
This event included a screening of Sarah Maldoror's short film Monangambééé (1968) and a listening session with DJ Rae Chardonnay.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
The London-based collective presented Mascon, a mosaic of images and sounds inspired by African cinema.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
This event included a screening of Sarah Maldoror's short film Monangambééé (1968) and a listening session with DJ Rae Chardonnay.
Carousel with 3 slides shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate, or the slide dot buttons at the end to jump to slides.
