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EDITORIAL
- ‘ERITREA…20 YEARS OF DIGNITY’ Press Conference
In 1991 Eritrea, under the then Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front, gained its independence from Ethiopia after defeating the Derg. Meanwhile, their allies in the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Democratic Front took power in Ethiopia and after a referendum in 1993 Eritrea’s independence was confirmed. Ethiopia, with a population of 70 million people, became the most populous landlocked country in the world. But given their previous good relations with the Eritreans and Ethiopia’s powerful position as the seat of the then OAU, and the Afrikan regional HQ of several UN bodies, they never expected any major issues to flow from that.

Fast forward 20 years, a few wars and borders skirmishes, droughts, political instability and differences over everything from Somalia, US hegemony in the region, disputes with IGAD, the African Union, Yemen, Djibouti and Sudan to arming each others rebels and the world must look a very different place for the fighters of 1991. Many western powers (and even other Afrikan governments) never wanted Eritrea to get independence citing the perennial fear of it leading to secession in other Afrikan nation-states and because they had established cosy relations with previous Ethiopian governments (under both Haile Selassie and the Derg) they would be happier if Ethiopia ‘managed’ the territory and left Eritrean hopes to fester on the back burner.

The Eritreans mark their independence on May 24 and this year the press conference was titled, ‘Eritrea…20 Years of Dignity’. We attended the London presentation given by the Eritrean Ambassador to the UK, H.E. Tesfamicael Gerahtu. In a wide-ranging speech the Ambassador covered most of the themes that recur. The main one is the still unresolved border dispute with Ethiopia following the 1998-2000 war. The area to be returned to Eritrea has been delineated and agreed upon but Ethiopia is stalling as it wants to address other issues in a ‘comprehensive agreement’. The Eritreans want the border dispute settled and anything else is for discussion afterwards. Despite Ethiopia being the base of the AU, and its relations with IGAD and the UN, it is getting away with violating international treaties with no threat of enforcement coming from any of the so-called ‘international community’.

Instead it is Eritrea that has had sanctions imposed on it since Dec 2009 over allegations it was arming, funding and training Al-Shabab in Somalia and other Islamist forces in the region although there has never been any fully conclusive evidence presented. Ethiopia has invaded Somalia in support of the Transitional Government as a proxy for the US. The Wikileaks cables show the scale of US manipulation of Ethiopian policy. Other Afrikan countries such as Uganda are fighting in Somalia at the behest of the AU. The Ambassador denied any involvement and said Eritrea only wanted to see a comprehensive peace among the constituent parts of Somalia. He did not openly say if this meant Eritrea wanted the reintegration of Somaliland into Somalia. It broke away in the 1990s after the ousting of Somalia’s last fully recognised President Siad Barre and has established a fully-fledged government and civil society structure although the UN has rejected its independent status.

The next ‘major’ issue addressed was the alleged border dispute with Djibouti that the Ambassador said Qatar has had a role in mediating and stopping the situation for escalating.


The Ambassador moved on to the efforts being made to create a national capacity for development. He claimed Eritrea was on track to be one of the fastest growing economies surpassing Qatar! On the food security situation Eritrea has had a policy of minimising the involvement of the UN and NGOs in the country. It is felt too much outside aid causes food dependency and would not serve them in their goal of poverty elimination. Although in previous years there has been drought there was a bumper harvest in 2010. Like most countries Eritrea is looking at the benefits new technologies can bring. The government has increased investment in integrated farming, water and soil conservation. There has been a big push on household and rural farming with the mechanisation and automation of agriculture and improved irrigation. As a result it was reported food prices had halved. “A nation that cannot feed its people cannot survive…Food security should be related to social justice.”

In the construction field plans are underway to meet housing demand while a focus on import substitution manufacturing substantially brought down imported supplies from the 80% of a decade ago. Eritrea has been exporting gold and has reserves of cobalt, zinc and silver. A National Mining Corporation has been established and Caterpillar have been training engineers and introducing new technologies. However, the Ambassador was wisely cautious saying Eritrea’s survival over two decades was based on hard work and planning rather than an over-reliance on commodities “Resources can be a curse sometimes, we are not prepared to take it that way…We survived because we followed a policy of diversifying our economy. “

When it comes to quality of life the Ambassador said rural areas are considered a priority. Electricity is now in 76% of rural areas. On water and sanitation there is 78% of potable water in rural areas. Although he did admit much more work was needed regarding sanitation Eritrea was on track to meet several of the UN Millennium Development Goals. Higher education has been expanded and there was now a Masters programme in medical specialisation.

He pointed out that Eritrea had played a supportive role in South Sudan’s recent secession referendum. He felt that his country had avoided political polarisation based on ethnicity or religion and sought to avoid external interference that undermines sovereignty. He rejected claims made in the past that Eritrea was isolated because of its withdrawal from IGAD and its treatment within the African Union and UN where it has felt a bias towards Ethiopia has stopped it playing a full role. However, he did call for a transformation of the UN Security Council, AU and IGAD to make them fit for the purposes which they were established and the crises that arise in today’s political contexts.

Rounding off his speech the Ambassador acknowledged a need to work more closely with the Eritrean diaspora and to this end they had established the Eritrean-UK Friendship Forum as a result of which there has been increased investment in Eritrea. The government has a three-year development plan for the expansion of airports, ports and housing. Here we asked about the policy of increasing tourism. Before the briefing a video had been shown highlighting Eritrea’s plans to market its coastline, the revitalised railway system and its ancient heritage as part of the Red Sea / Punt complex stretching back several millennia with many sites of scientific, cultural and historical interest. Eritrea hopes to benefit from the current political instability in other parts of the Middle East and North Afrika (MENA) belt by being seen as an alternative destination that has much to be explored and experienced. We reserve our opinion on the possible success of this strategy and wait to see how it will pan out in real-life.

The Ambassador covered most of the perennial issues that come up including the jailing of opposition activists, those considered as acting against the national interest and certain media practitioners who have seen freedom of speech come up against a national security situation. Until the border dispute with Ethiopia is resolved Eritrea is still technically at war.

He did not address the unlimited time people are spending in the military having initially been called up for one year’s service. There is also the increasing migration of people who are voting with their feet either because they find it hard to make a living or don’t like the policies or undemocratic nature of the government. Many Eritreans were caught up in the unrest in the MENA countries with scores drowning trying to cross to Europe or Yemen. Others have been left for dead in the Sinai desert or kidnapped and held for ransom by ‘guides’ who extort money from their relatives in return for their release after they have been raped and beaten.


FORTHCOMING NUBIART PROFILES
NUBIART: Focus on arts, business, education, health, political developments and the media.


MAY PROMOS

~ ‘NEXT STOP...SOWETO VOL 3. GIANTS, MINISTERS AND MAKERS: JAZZ IN SOUTH AFRICA 1963-1984’ – Various Artists [Strut Records – Out Now] When it comes to crate digging Strut Records are up there with the best of them. Jazz has a deep heritage in South Africa with musicians like the Jazz Epistles and Chris McGregor influenced by Charlie Parker & Duke Ellington before adding local marabi and kwela to their be bop. During the ‘60s, the Sharpeville Massacre, radio restrictions and police clampdowns made the life of Afrikan musicians often untenable. Major names like Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba left to live abroad. However, many of South Africa’s finest jazz players remained, ‘Next Stop…Soweto Vol 3’ is the story of the music that survived in South Africa during this mid-’60s to mid-’80s era. The album features many of the recognised South African jazz greats like saxophonists Dudu Pukwana and Kippie Moeketsi, drummers Early Mabuza, Sipho Mabuse and Julian Bahula, pianists Tete Mbambisa, Bheki Mseleku and Pat Mashikiza guitarist Lucky Ranku and bassist Sipho Gumede. This double CD album also features the potent soul jazz grooves of The Heshoo Beshoo Group and The Drive and Philip Tabane’s Malombo mixing African drums and hand percussion with guitar, vocal and flute. Several of the musicians turn up on each other’s tracks showing the vibrant cross-fertilisation that existed despite the destructive madness of apartheid. More info: www.nextstopsoweto-3.com


~ ‘TOUMASTIN’ – Tamikrest [Glitterhouse Records – Out Now] Tamikrest are from Kidal, a remote desert town in the northwest of the Sahara, 2,000km north of the Malian capital Bamako. The Tuareg band’s territory was divided into different countries such as Niger, Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Libya and between 1990 and 1995 their fight evolved into a bloody civil war. After the war many of the rebel fighters traded in their Kalashnikovs and hand grenades for guitars and microphones. Just like Tinariwen Tamikrest have found a way to translate the pulse of the Blues back to the Tuareg language Tamashek. On their second album ‘Toumastin’ the band bridges the gap between the African Blues and hypnotic dub, psychedelic funk and an almost supernatural kind of desert garage. Our favourite tracks are ‘Tarhamanine Assinegh (To You My Love I Say)’, the cosmic ‘Dihad Tedoun Itran (When the Stars Fall)’ and ‘Aratan n Tanariwen (Heir of the Desert)’. Web: http://www.tamikrest.net


NUBIART LIBRARY – MAY MEDIA
We will only review books we have read and DVDs we have seen and that are available at reasonable prices online or in shops or libraries. However, given the nature and current state of Afrikan publishing and production there may be books and films on this list that are worth the extra effort to track down.


~ ‘Home and Exile’ – Chinua Achebe [Canongate Books. ISBN: 978-1-84195-385-4]
Chinua Achebe’s memoir, while short, packs a lot into its pages reflecting through his life and that of his parents and teachers the century that saw the creation and ‘independence’ of Nigeria. Divided into three parts in the first, ‘My House Under Imperial Fire’, Achebe reflects on his youth and schooldays, what influenced him to become a writer and how the negative portrayal of Afrikans in literature developed. Most interestingly, to us anyway, he examines the acephalous Igbo political structure with its benefits such as self-reliance and independence of thought such as naming children Ezebuilo which means ‘a King is an enemy’. However, its drawbacks were that when an imperial power such as Britain, was determined to incorporate Igbo communities into the nation-state there was no powerful central structure to resist it. Europeans trade in enslaved Afrikans was able to supplant trading in commodities which today is in the grip of the major speculators. The Igbos became one of the people from southern Nigeria who travelled to other parts not just of Nigeria but internationally

The term ‘The Empire Fights Back’ was coined by Salman Rushdie during his earlier more creative phase to highlight the literature and essays coming from writers who were growing into writing about their culture in a more honest way rather than just trying to please critics and academics from the Metropolitans centers. For Achebe it was the time when he was commissioning Afrikan authors for Heinemann’s Afrikan Writer Series. We at Nubiart would urge all our readers to have at least 50 of those books in their collection. The start though was Faber’s publishing of Amos Tutuola’s ‘Palm Wine Drinkard’ which really opened the gates to let creative Afrikan writing get wider access to the publishing world. One of the drawbacks of wider exposure is that people then go too far the other way and say that they don’t want to be associated with other Afrikan writers. In this regard Achebe takes to task Buchi Emecheta for her expressions of not wishing to be categorised in Afrikan book sections. However, of the global south writers V S Naipaul is obviously the one who expresses the most off-key opinions of Afrikans. Naipaul is a serial insulter and antagoniser and is always in dispute with someone for his strident opinions which have little if any basis in reality.

People always say there are no coincidences but in the final essay ‘Today the Balance of Stories’ Achebe spends a lot of time on the story of ‘The Gentlemen of the Jungle’ from Jomo Kenyatta’s ‘Facing Mount Kenya’, which was published by Heinemann’s. In Kenyatta’s book the story ends with the coveted house set on fire. At the same time as we were reading this, in totally unrelated circumstances, we saw an animated version of the story but which ends with the animals locked up. However the message is still clear, ‘Peace is costly but it is worth the expense’.

This is an excellent book for reflecting on the major historical, cultural and political issues that Afrikans are continuously grappling with. We warmly thank the unknown sender as it arrived anonymously at our PO Box. We welcome and will review all material sent to us with a relevance to the lives of Afrikans.


~ ‘African Tales’. Dir: Obinna Onwuekwe [TransTales Mayhem]
This DVD has two half-hour animations and a five-minute sampler. It may be cartoons but the ‘Nollywood’ themes are all here so it’s not long before the magic, misuse of power and lineage conflicts show up. ‘Mark of Uru’ tells the story of a girl who is persecuted for having the mark of Uru on her hand. She ends up with a group of adult outcasts who help her grow into her powers. The story is left open for much more tales to come. ‘Enemy of the Rising Sun’ looks at the confused allegiances of children born to Hausa-Igbo mixed relationships during the Biafran War. ‘Business and Pleasure’ is a sampler about a female hitwoman who gets doubly - and probably multiply - crossed by her handlers. Overall the quality of animation in Nigeria is improving but we won’t mention the way the women walk in these ‘toons – watch that for yourself!


~ ‘Sounds of Sand’. Dir: Marion Hansel [Bluebell Films ISBN: 5-051083-012096] “Refugees are people who walk and if they stop walking they die. And when a family member dies they have to keep walking.” As the Sahara encroaches villagers have to cope with declining water supplies. It hasn’t rained for years and with no hope in sight families choose between staying where they are and facing lives decimated by desertification or to uproot themselves from their ancestral homelands and take a chance that somewhere in the distance there might be a place that allows them a viable living. ‘Sounds of Sand’ is the story of two families who make that journey with their household possessions, livestock and camels. Along the way they meet others in a similarly desperate situation to themselves. Meanwhile, soldiers and rebels control access to resources and borders - they may help for a fee, or just rob you, kill you, rape women and girls and take youths for child soldiers. If you survive the trek you may just end up with life in a refugee camp (where power games are still at play) waiting for the next donor handout. Filmed in Djibouti this film reflects the increasingly perilous lives for many across Afrika as water becomes increasingly scarce and resource wars become all too common.


NUBIART DIARY
~ BETTER THAN GOOD present ‘A Spiritual & Political Journey of an Artist: In conversation with Fowokan George Kelly’. The Jamaican born sculptor Fowokan during a visit to Benin Nigeria in the mid 1970’s experienced a spiritual awakening and purpose that led him on a path to becoming one of the UK’s foremost Afrikan artists with work deeply rooted in the traditions of pre-colonial Africa and ancient Egypt rather than the Greco-Roman art of the west. Fowokan will be interviewed by the radical artist Larry Achiampong, with a media presentation of Fowokan’s work narrated by actor, writer and director Shango Baku. On Tues 17 May at 6.30–9pm at London South Bank University, Events Theatre, The Keyworth Centre, Keyworth Street, London, SE1 6NG. Adm: Free. Booking essential. A photographic exhibition of Fowokan’s sculptures will be on display until 18 May 2011. For more info contact: Clem Richards. Tel: 07802 486 191. E-mail: clem@alexandragalleries.com Alvin Kofi. Tel: 07943 437 619. E-mail: Kofi_arts1@btinternet.com Registration: betterthangoodart@yahoo.co.uk


~ AFRIKAN HISTORY FILMS AT LONDON MET These screenings, curated by London Met graduate and English and Creative Writing lecturer Michelle Asantewa, and Black History Walks are of previously censored underground documentaries that illustrate the cultural, social and political plight of communities and individuals of African descent. Showing as part of the International Year of People of African Descent the screenings are free for all London Met students and staff but booking is essential.

- ‘In The Land of the Free’ on Thurs 19 May 2011 at 6.30-8.30pm in Room T11-03
Watch the video clip.

- ‘The Murder of Fred Hampton’ on Thurs 26 May 2011 at 6.30-8.30pm in Room T11-03
Watch the video clip.

More info about Black History Walks here.
Queries and RSVP to Michelle Asantewa: m.asantewa@londonmet.ac.uk/michelleyaa@yahoo.com

~ BLACK HISTORY STUDIES. To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the transition to the ancestors of the Jamaican reggae singer Bob Marley, Black History Studies in association with PCS have scheduled a series of educational film screenings.

- ‘THE PRODIGAL SON’. Dir: Kurt Orderson. Film maker Kurt Orderson retraces the lost history of his great-grandfather, Joseph Orderson. Joseph’s epic journey is followed from Barbados to South Africa in the 1890s. He was part of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, founded by the great Marcus Garvey, father of contemporary Black Nationalism and Pan Afrikanism. These black sailors came with a mission to free Afrikans from white supremacy and followed Marcus Garvey in the Back to Africa movement. The film exposes a previously unacknowledged dimension of the people and the confluence of history in the Cape of Good Hope. On Wed 18 May at 7-9pm at the PCS Learning Centre (Victoria), 3rd Floor, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 1EH. Adm: £4.


- ‘ROOTICAL’ Dir’: Mike Hatzidimou. The story of Charlie Phillips, an Afrikan-Caribbean photographer who documented the social implications of immigration in the 1950’s and 1960’s in Noting Hill. Charlie has experienced much ignorance with regards to the importance of his work. The working class seems to be excluded from the art world. In discussion with Benjamin Zephaniah and the curator of the Museum of London, they get to the bottom of that issue. Following the screening, there will be an audience with Charlie Phillips and the director about his life experiences and photography. On Sun 22 May at 1-4pm at the PCS Learning Centre (Victoria), 3rd Floor, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 1EH. Adm: £4.


- ‘JAMAICA FOR SALE’. Dir: Esther Figueroa and Diana McCaulay. ‘Jamaica For Sale’ documents the environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts of unsustainable tourism development as Jamaica is irreversibly transformed by massive hotel and luxury condominium development. Through a combination of interviews, archival footage, and coverage of tourism-related events, such as work stoppages and community meetings with resort developers, Jamaica for Sale presents a compelling portrayal of an industry in crisis, one that is perpetuating a radically uneven distribution of tourism benefits. On Wed 25 May 2011 from 1-4pm at the PCS Learning Centre (Victoria), 3rd Floor, 231 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 1EH. Adm: £4.

For more info on all Black History Studies events Tel / Fax: 020 8881 0660. Mobile: 07951 234 233. Email: info@blackhistorystudies.com Web: http://www.blackhistorystudies.com

~ CHAGOS REGAGNÉ (CHAGOS REGAINED) The conference is to gather current thinking on the desirability of a small eco-village, science station to house Chagos people and host visiting conservation scientists to be established on one of the outer islands. Major scientists, anthropologists, Chagos representatives and consultants will give brief papers outlining the possibilities and the difficulties of this plan, and the conference will discuss the arguments for and against. This is a quite separate proposal from the legal claims of the Chagos people which will be continue to be pursued in the European Court of Human Rights, without prejudice. The conference will be jointly hosted by the chair and patrons of Committee Chagos. On Thurs 19 May at 10am-4.30pm at The Royal Geographic Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AR. Adm: £30. If you are a Chagossian living in Crawley or Manchester, you may travel to the conference on a pre-booked free coach. E-mail: Info@PhilippaGregory.com

~ BLACK HISTORY WALKS PRESENTS

- African Bodies. A review of the scientific experiments and research performed on Afrikan people to refine various drugs and medical treatments for use with white people. This presentation will draw on Harriet Washington’s book of the same name, various documentation from World Wars 1 & 2, Aboriginal history, Vietnam, US Prisons and Porton Down. It will cover: ‘Radioactive People’ - North Africa and the Pacific’; ‘Birth and Crowd Control - The South African Solution, Project Coast’; ‘National Security Memorandum 200’; ‘Vic Mackie and Congressional Inquiries’; ‘The ‘War on Drugs’ - Haiti and Jamaica’; and ‘The Mau Mau, Kenya and the Brixton Riots’. On Fri 20 May at 7-10pm at DJED Culture House,
10 Adelaide Road, Shepherds Bush, London, W12. Adm: £5. Tel: 07957 919 877 or 020 8743 1985.


- African Superheroes Day. This animation festival for 6-60 year olds will feature a variety of Afrikan-themed cartoons which tell tales of magical Nigerian women warriors, Anansi, the West Afrikan folk hero, the story of Ogun and Oshun, teenage Afrikan superheroes and more. On Sat 21 May at a Secret Hideout, near London Bridge, London, SE1. Adm: £7 / £5 (U-15s). E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk

- Black History Walks in Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s, Notting Hill, Elephant & Castle on 22, 28 and 30 May. E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk


- ‘Secrets of the Haitian Revolution’. Sister Panyin reveals the hidden knowledge of what happened in Haiti before, during and after the revolution. Why was it so important? Who led it after Toussaint? What’s Bolivia got to do with it? Did the Haitians really rescue Afrikans from passing slave ships? What was the Louisiana Purchase and how did it relate to France and the establishment of the USA? Why is Haiti so poor? On Fri 27 May at 8-10.30pm at PMACC, 28 Admiralty Close, Deptford, London, SE8. Adm: £5
Web: www.pmacc.co.uk


- African Animations Forum. This is different from African Superheroes Day as there is no analysis just non-stop cartoons that could not fit into African Superheroes day. Plus Q and A, an Afrikan history quiz and interview with directors/producers. Educational and fun cartoons include: ‘Afroman’ - Kwame lives in New York but has been given superpowers by the ancient Egyptian Auset. He has to recharge his superpowers by studying history and must use them to fight the Media Monster; ‘Bino and Fino’ - produced in Nigeria this brother and sister live in the city and find out about colonialism, Afrikan food and culture in their adventures; and ‘Anansi’ - the spider gets into trouble after betting the Elephant that he’s stronger, plus 6 other cartoons from all over the world. On Sun May 29 at 3.30-6pm at a Secret Hideout, near London Bridge, London, SE1. Adm: £7 / £5 (U-15s). E-mail: info@blackhistorywalks.co.uk

- Black Women and Fibroids. Afrikan women suffer fibroids at double the rate of white women. In the past it was standard procedure to recommend hysterectomy but there are other treatments. We will hear from a woman who got rid of a 10lb fibroid by dieting and from a consultant gynaecologist. On Thurs 2 June 7-9pm at the Dana Centre, Science Museum, 165 Queens Gate Road, London, SW5. Register for free entry on 0207 942 4040 or tickets@danacentre.org.uk

~ AFRICAN ODYSSEYS: ‘A Screaming Man’. Dir: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. A warm and wise parable about male pride and status, inspired by and reflecting the ongoing civil war in Chad. On Sat 21 May at 2-5pm at NFT3, BFI Southbank, Belvedere Road, London, SE1. Adm: £5. Web: www.bfi.org.uk

~ VIRGO FOUNDATION PRESENTS ‘WEDLOCK OF THE GODS’ A radically new production of Zulu Sofola’s award-winning Wedlock of the Gods, thirty seven years on from the play’s acclaimed premiere.
‘Wedlock of the Gods’ is a classical piece of African literature that tackles the subject of taboo and arranged marriages within the traditional context of pre-colonial Afrika. Set in 18th century, rural Nigeria, this tragic drama is a passionate and ultimately devastating exploration of love, superstition and women’s rights. Directed by Wale Ojo, this production features a vintage cast of African British actors, including Cyril Nri, Ellen Thomas, Maynard Eziashi, Chucky Venn, Golda John, Yetunde Oduwole, and Wale Ojo. All proceeds will go to the Virgo Foundation, which works for the active promotion of Afrikan Arts, Heritage and Culture. From 23-28 May at 7pm. Matinees at 3pm on Wed 25 & Sat 28 May. At The Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, London, WC1 4AP. Adm: £20 / £10 concs. Booking: 020 7269 1606. Web: www.cochranetheatre.co.uk More info: www.virgofoundation.org or www.zulusofola.com

~ IMAGES OF BLACK WOMEN PRESENTS ‘LIFE ABOVE ALL’ (12A). Q&A with director Oliver Schmitz. When 12-year-old Chanda learns of a rumour about her family, it has already spread like wildfire through her small, dust-ridden village near Johannesburg. It destroys her family and forces her mother to flee. Sensing that the gossip stems from prejudice and superstition, Chanda leaves home and school in search of her mother and the truth. On Thurs 26 May at 8.20pm at the Tricycle Cinema, Kilburn High Road, London, NW6. Adm: £12. Tel: 020 7328 1000.

~ AAPRP / AJAMU AFRIKAN LIBERATION DAY LIVES, ORGANISE! ORGANISE! ORGANISE!
The West has no right waging wars in Afrika! Speakers: A-APRP, PANAFU (Sierra Leone) and Libyan Embassy (invited). This is a critical time in Afrikan history. Britain, France, the US and others are openly attacking Afrika militarily with the aim of stealing Afrikan resources for multinational corporations. Meanwhile Afrikan people are rising up in protest across the continent including Burkina Faso, South Africa, Swaziland, Kenya, Uganda, Algeria and Mauritania. More than ever, we need to have a clear understanding of why all of this is taking place and how it relates to the situation here in the UK where massive Government cuts are disproportionately hitting Afrikan people. On 28 May at 6-9.30pm Chestnuts Community Art Centre, St Ann’s Road, Tottenham, London, N15. For more information E-mail AJAMU at: panafrica@which.net Web: www.aaprp-intl.org

~ SCREENING AFRICA AT THE AFRICA CENTRE: ‘I See the Stars At Noon’ by Saeed Taji Farouky, followed by a director Q&A session. On Sun 29 May at 6pm at The Africa Centre, 38 King Street, London, WC2E 8JT. Adm: £5. RSVP Sheila Ruiz on: sheila@businessofculture.com

~ PAMBAZUKA PRESS AND THE AFRICA CENTRE INVITE YOU TO ‘WOMEN AND SECURITY GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA’ Book launch and panel discussion with the authors. This important new book argues that human security cannot be achieved without placing women at the centre of the policy agenda. Panel to include: Funmi Olonisakin, director of the Conflict, Security and Development Group at King’s College London; Awino Okech, doctoral fellow and lecturer with the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town; Ecoma Alaga, co-founder and director of programmes of the Women Peace and Security Network Africa (WIPSEN-Africa) based in Accra, Ghana; and Ekaette Ikpe, research associate with the Conflict, Security and Development Group at King’s College London. Chaired by Patricia Daley, Lecturer in Geography at the University of Oxford. On Tues 31 May at 6pm at The Africa Centre, 38 King Street, London, WC2E 8JT. Adm: Free. For more info tel: 01865 727 006. E-mail: info@pambazukapress.org

~ MAX KANDHOLA: THE SEVEN WORDS OF CHRIST

Image: Max Kandhola. ‘My God,
my God, why have you forsaken
me’ (Mark 15:34 / Matthew 27:46)

Autograph ABP in collaboration with Reverend Dave Allan at St Clement’s Church present Max Kandhola’s work ‘The Seven Words of Christ’. Kandhola is a photographer and head of photography at Nottingham Trent University. His approach is philosophical, photography used within a cultural discourse, critically observing and questioning the complexity and relationship of the human condition and the politics of representation. Kandhola’s work is an allegory to a series of self-portraits by Frederick Holland Day (1864-1933) titled ‘The Seven Words of Christ’ (1898). Kandhola re-contextualises the meaning of Day’s tableau by photographing a black man as Christ, upon his observation that the iconography of the Christ figure has been colonised stereotypically especially concerning his racial characteristics. This work is both a provocation and an enquiry into issues concerning ethnicity and the representation of Afrikan & Asian people within contemporary Western Art, to address stereotypes and misconceptions and to recognise the political and pictorial significance behind iconographic symbols of religious belief. Until 31 July 2011 at St Clement’s Church, King Square, Clerkenwell, London. Contact Emma Boyd Tel: 020 7729 9200. E-mail: emma@autograph-abp.co.uk Web: www.stclementfinsbury.org

~ TINEI MASHAYA: SCULPTURES FROM ZIMBABWE. Using the knowledge and skill of his ancestors, Mashaya carves vivid and inspired sculptures from the many fine stones found in his native country. His art lingers between sensualism and spirituality - each piece speaks of the yearning to break free from the stifling needs of the physical body. He says his inspiration comes from his uncontrollable desire to solidify ideas and feelings. Tinei owes much of his training and encouragement to his brother, Passmore Mashaya, and to Euwitt Nyanhongo, who are renowned artists in their own rights. Until Thu 30 Jun at Riverside Studios Gallery, Hammersmith, London, W6. Adm: Free. E-mail: mashayatinei@yahoo.com Web: www.tineimashaya.com

~ REEL TRINI fortnightly screenings. The new rendezvous for local film aficionados on Sundays at 5pm at Trevor’s Edge in St Augustine, Trinidad. Tel: 744-4956.E-mail: caribbeinginc@gmail.com

~ WILFRED THESIGER IN AFRICA: A CENTENARY EXHIBITION. Wide selection of photographs and some collected objects relating to his life and travels in Africa. Until Sun 5 June 2011 at Pitt Rivers Museum, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PP. Tel. 01865 270 927. Fax: 01865 270 943. E-mail: prm@prm.ox.ac.uk Web: www.prm.ox.ac.uk

Contact Details

Kubara Zamani, Afrikan Quest International, PO Box 35165, London, SE5 8WU. Tel: 07811 494 969. E-mail: afrikanquest@hotmail.com Web: www.southwark.tv/quest/aqhome.asp