News & Events, October '07

Slaves, Black Diamonds & Battles

October marks the 200th anniversary of the 1807 Act to abolish the British trade in humans. Self-congratulations all of over the UK including: the Scratch the Surface exhibition ; Abolition Truth talks on the role of African and Haitian revolutionaries ; feature films, doccies ‘n shorts spanning half a century of filmmaking in Africa ; & the Bring The Noise Music Festival with East & West African musicians performing collabs to live visuals.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, free spending corporate slaves now have a mag – courtesy of Kaya FM. No kidding. It’s called The Afropolitan.

The Serpentine Gallery Pavilion launches with Linton Kwesi Johnson & Edouard Glissant in a poetic exchange in memory of Jamaican poet Michael Smith.

More poets at Kippies Jazz Club in Jozi on October 6: 15th Poetry Slam Jam ; the DMC South African DJ battle and the Fong Kong Bantu Sound won’t stop can't stop.

Propaganda by Monuments

Achille Mbembe wrote words on Biko's Testament of Hope. In memoriam, still, watch out for a new documentary on Che by Argentinean filmmaker Tristan Bauer. Also, El cuaderno verde del Che (The Green Notebook Of Che) poems by Pablo Neruda, Nicolas Guillen, Cesar Vallejo and more collected by Che and hand transcribed in the green, dog-eared notebook he was carrying when shot.

Voices from Syria, Libya, Sudan, Cuba, Iran and other "enemy nations" in Literature from the "Axis of Evil" ; a voiceless exploration of violence in Chris Abani's new novella Song for Night.

Banned Books Week 2007 starts October 1. Check the crazy comprehensive list of items censored by SA's Apartheid government.

Planting Water and other books

New books by Chimurenga people: Sandile Dikeni's Planting Water and Edgar Pieterse's City Futures. Read Pieterse Re-dreaming Kaapstad in Chimurenga Online and more Kaapstad on Sean Jacobs' blog.

Nat Nakasa, Es'kia Mphahlele, James Matthews, Lionel Abrahams and Njabulo S. Ndebele on Soweto poetry ; Pumla Gqola in No Land, No Mother ; and the sprawling African Literature: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory.

Also check: The Ballad Of Sugar Moon and Coffin Deadly & 12 Shooters by Aryan Kaganof and Ahmadou Kourouma's Allah is Not Obliged.

Jack Mapanje's Beasts of Nalunga just nominated for Britain's Forward Prize.

The 11th Poetry Africa goes down in Durban, October 1- 6 and the Word Power: International Black Literature Festival & Book Fair is on in London.

A call out from Kwani for their Poetry Competition: "To Be A Man". Kenyan nationals currently residing in the country can send max 500 word poems that question masculinity and gender to poetry@kwani.org with the subject line "To Be A Man" before midnight October 15. The top three finalists receive cash prizes of USD 300, USD 500 and USD 1000 each. And Issue 10 of Farafina magazine is now out. Check their webvert.

Public Conversations are posting podcasts of their talks. Listen in on Achille Mbembe, Angela Davis and plenty more in the archive.

Conversations, remembering & forgetting at "Amnesia - Imagining Africa without the crisis of historical and cultural memory" in Nairobi, Kenya. Simon Njami & Jimmy Ogonga kick things off on Tuesday 9 October 3.30 pm.

Then check out the report on the Ali Mazrui controversy at Okigbo Conference in Boston in September over at African Writing. Also Rudolf Ogoo Okonkwo's Dispatches from Okigbo Conference , as well as some Okigbo Conference Pictures.

More gatekeeping: Andrew Hussey writes on "the North African novelists at the gates of Fortress Europe". And Henry Akubuiro profiles Festus Iyayi at 60: "I remain a radical". And from ArtHeat: call out to submit links for a forthcoming link exhibition. Best sites on South African, African and global contemporary art win! Links to robertsloon@gmail.com by Monday the 15th October.

Melodifius Thunkish Funk

This year's Ouaga Hip Hop Festival will feature Faso Kombat (Burkina), Fonetic (Togo), Secta'A (Gabon), Mc Anuff (Jamaica), Z'Africa (Brazil), Oxmo Puccino (France), 3K (Ghana), Lexxus Legal (R.D. Congo) and more.

Lokal, Urban Clutch Projekt featuring Ben Sharpa, Kwani Experience, Mak1 and open mics over at the Skate Park Z/6 Pimville, Soweto on October 6 from 1pm.

Tune into African Hip Hop Radio to hear Legit's new album and chats with Shamiel X.

The Blk Jks channel Mars Volta through Jimi Hendrix in their new EP; Kwani Experience are back ; The Buckfever Underground SAVES ; Closet Snare have just recorded a live album – preview their bitchin brew over at LastFM and Pioneer Unit mash-up on Planetary Assault.

Architectural Biennale project 2007 invites Jozi sound producers to submit ideas (music, soundscape, field recordings) to play alongside an exhibition of South African work tracing concepts of private and public space at this year's architectural Biennale in Sao Paulo. No set rules & no financial compensation. Submissions and queries to Duncan Shelwell and Dino Kiratzidas.

New Music Indaba at the University of South Africa, Tshwane from 10-13 October for experimental master-classes and workshops, concerts of new African works, improvisations, installations and videos, and a mini-conference on composition.

Get to SOL(t)O, a solo performance for music & moving image by Angolan musician, Victor Gama & Pangeia Instrumentos. 18 October @ the NGKerk, Three Anchor Bay, Cape Town. More info contact Resonance Bazaar at +21 21 448 6612.