PASS in Paris: Kongo Astronauts
Invented in 2013, Kinshasa-based crew, Kongo Astronauts imaginatively step through visual concepts, sounds, texts, space and time. Their urban or rural landings explore the sparcity of terrains along with postcolonial realities and dilemmas.
Whether at Zongo Falls, the streets of Kin la Belle, or in music videos by Konono No.1 or Baloji, Kongo Astronauts as SPARCK say: “cannot be pinned down as art, [they] cannot be policed by an art world intimately linked to the structures of power that govern us.”
For our PASS POP-UP at Fondation Cartier, Paris, Kongo Astronauts will appear with Méga Mingiedi.
PASS in Paris: Bintou Simporé
Bintou Simporé is a radio maestro. A brief roll call of artists who’ve guested on her weekly Néo Géo show on Radio Nova: Fantasma, Habib Koité, Jose James, Julia Sarr, Keziah Jones, Mbongwana Star, Meshell Ndegeocello, Nneka, Ray Lema, Tony Allen… and that’s just in the past two years. Listen through her podcasts for a fuller picture. Digging deeper, her Nova archives also feature gems such a special recorded in 1989 with Miriam Makeba. For PASS in Paris we welcome Bintou to …
PASS in Paris: Moziki littéraire
A collective of writers out of Kinshasa, Moziki littéraire’s founding members are Marie-Louise Bibish Mumbu, Papy Maurice Mbwiti and Fiston Mwanza Mujila. Having created a framework to dream how their homelands are portrayed and rewritten, the group have published numerous articles on Africultures (in French, here) and also performed their work on stage. In 2014, Fiston Mwanza Mujila published his debut novel Tram 83 and it has since been translated into six different languages. Last November, he also joined Bintou Simporé on her Néo Géo radio show, podcasted here. For the PASS POP-UP studio at Fondation Cartier, Moziki littéraire will present …
PASS in Paris: Lucas Silva (Palenque Records)
Palenque Records make their intentions clear: they are dedicated to Afro-Columbian music. The label was founded in 1998 by Lucas Silva (aka DJ Champeta-man) and takes its name from San Basilio de Palenque, a town in northern Columbia. Palenque’s debut compilation, Champeta Criolla, New African Music from Columbia, is cited as the first time such sounds were circulated internationally and in addition to music they release directly, they also champion sounds for other labels to put out, such as European-based labels Soundway and VampiSoul. Legendary …
Category: Pass Blog
Tags: Afro-Columbian, Congo, Congolese Sounds, DJ Champeta-man, Lucas Silva, Palenque Records, PASS Paris
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PASS in Paris: Centre d’Art Picha
The Centre d’Art Picha in Lubumbashi was established by Sammy Baloji and Patrick Mudekereza in 2008. Turning theory into practice, they opened their gates to a physical space in 2010 with a focus on facilitating creative exchanges between local and international artists. In the Katanga region it is the first facilities of its kind. Picha offers residences to visiting practitioners and works closely with the Visual Arts Network of South Africa (VANSA, Johannesburg). The centre also has strong links with comparative arts centres around …
PASS in Paris: Blase Ndjehoya
Blaise Ndjehoya is a journalist and film-maker born in the Central African Republic. His films give focus to movements of the Harlem Renaissance, Présence Africaine, Manu Dibango, and the wave of writers who moved from the US to Paris in the 1940s. Conversations with Aimé Césaire, Gordon Parks, René Depestre and other notable voices give shape to his stories. Titles include: La Rive Noire (from 2013 and featuring music by Franck Biyong), Un sang d’encre (1997) and Silence (1991). At our PASS POP-UP in Paris on Thursday, Blaise Ndjehoya will join Christine Eyene to …
Category: News
Tags: bikutsi, Blase Ndjehoya, Christine Eyene, Congo, Congolese Sounds, PASS Paris
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PASS in Paris: Helmie Bellini
Born in Brazzaville, Helmie Bellini is a composer, singer and poet based in Paris. Her music fuses Congolese roots, pan African influences and jazz traditions, especially the greats who continue to inspire her: Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone. In 2011, Bellini released her debut album Il était une voix. Currently she is working on Kongo Square, a project she describes as “a tribute to my ancestors taken from my land to the islands of the West Indies and the United States”. For …
PASS in Paris: Dizzy Mandjeku
Papa Dizzy heads up the Odemba OK Jazz All Stars, a big band keeping Congolese rhumba traditions alive: “Franco style”. In the 1970s, Mandjeku joined Franco’s famed TPOK Jazz band where he honed his melodic guitar playing. As well as his TPOK Jazz years, Mandjeku has played regularly and recorded with Sam Mangwana (as part of L’African All Stars) and Zap Mama. For our PASS Pop-UP in Paris, Papa Dizzy will be present a mini-concert-lecture with Baloji.
Category: Pass Blog
Tags: Baloji, Congo, Congolese Sounds, Dizzy Mandjeku, PASS Paris, TPOK Jazz
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PASS in Paris: Baloji
Lubumbashi-born, Brussels-based Baloji has been turning heads with his wordplay and styles since joining Belgian hip-hop crew Starflam Collective as a teenager. As a solo artist he released Hotel Impala in 2008, then reinterpreted the album in 2010 with Kinshasa Succursale including collaborations with Zaïko Langa Langa, Konono N°1, and Amp Fiddler. Baloji’s latest venture saw him travel again in DRC. “Capture”, the first song released from his 64 Bits & Malachite EP, is co-produced with Olugbenga and features Muanza and …
Category: Pass Blog
Tags: Baloji, Congo, Congolese Sounds, Dizzy Mandjeku, Kongo Astronauts, PASS Paris
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PASS in Paris profile: Afrikadaa
Founded by Carole Diop and Pascale Obolo in 2010, Afrikadaa create platforms to provide virtual and physical space(s) for the exchange and development of ideas relating to “Afro Design and Contemporary Arts”. Themes to their magazine and regular events include: Anthropologismes, Is black a colour?, E-Motional, Afro-Futurism, and Visability. Their next issue, Afrikadaa #10, examines links between art and sound (read the call for contributions here). For the PASS POP-UP in Paris, Afrikadaa will present Silence Break On Air, hosted by …