What excited me initially was not only did the film promise to showcase some of the finest and most progressive African contemporary dancers and choreographers, but that the film also featured Nora Chipaumire, a dancer and performer that already earned my admiration during her film "Nora", which I blogged about previously. One of my previous daily drawings was inspired by her and the beauty of her film and movement.
The film raised some important points that resonated with me and confirmed things that I've experienced in my journey as an artist, a woman, and a multi-cultural Black person with ties to both the U.S. and Nigeria.
-- African dance, or rather African art forms and expressions in general, are not acknowledged in the Western media or world view as being progressive, changing, or contemporary. When one mentions African art forms, it usually conjures up images of village life and traditional expressions. Not that tradition is unimportant, but to deny the existence of contemporary voices and expressions is only contributing to the idea of a static, "primitive", monolithic Africa.
-- It's rare that we get to see contemporary African stories being told by African themselves, outside of stories related to poverty, disease, and a position of lack. It is not because these stories do not exist or are not being told. It's just that these stories do not get acknowledged or highlighted in Western media.
-- African art forms are always qualified as "African." While it is important to note that these forms are uniquely and distinctly African, they should be included in the overall contemporary art narrative, and not pigeonholed in this "other" box.
I encourage my readers to take a moment to look at the film's website to learn more about the artists and about why films like this are so important.
Artists include:
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