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A new batch of articles is now available on the Africultures English website. Check out the exclusive interview with Nobel Prize winner, Wole
Soyinka.

Fespaco 2001 : "Woman, a liberating figure" by J-S Bakyono, film reviews by Olivier Barlet and J-S Bakyono, "Music, a multiform character" by J-S Bakyono (from issue 37).

MASA 2001 : the Editorial from issue 38, "A eulogy to transparency", two dance interviews : with Sylvain Zabli : "You wouldn't believe it if you saw the room we rehearsed this show in!", and "They didn't think that we represented the Congo", interview with Durand Boundzimbou.

Also : recent news from Tanella Boni, our correspondent in Abidjan.

Cannes 2001 : Interviews with South African film-maker, Oliver Schmitz and
actors from his latest film, "Hijack Stories" will also be online in the
next week or so.

Don't forget to keep checking the English homepage for new translations from previous issues http://www.africultures.com/indexbis_engl.htm.

CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
- Edouard Glissant: Session on his works of fiction for the ICCL conference to be held in Martinique from 7-9 November 2001. [email protected].

- Africa and Latin America: Call for essays. Interdisciplinary symposium. Plattsburgh Studies in Foreign Languages, Literature and Culture, 5 October 2001. [email protected].

- Francophone Africa: Journalism Contest, French-speaking Africa. The contest is divided into three sections for press, radio and photo journalism and will be awarded for the best coverage of a news event from June 2000 to May 2001. www.rfi.fr, www.rsf.fr

- Morocco: Ecrits de Femmes, 15 November, Casablanca. One-day seminar and workshop on Moroccan women's literature. www.limag.com/Nouveau/Colloques/GrefecCasablanca2001.htm.

- South Africa: Film and History Conference, 6-8 July 2002, University of The Cape, Rondebosch, The Cape. The conference aims to encourage research on the African film industry. Papers presented will cover such topics as Africa in the film industry, the problem of historical representation of films, historical controversy about Hollywood, the history of television and more. Papers should be sent by 1 July. [email protected], [email protected]

- 2002 Claude Ake Memorial Awards Program competition, run by the Africa-America Institute and the African Studies Association and funded by the Ford Foundation. The Claude Ake Memorial awards Program seeks to encourage young and mid-career African scholars-activists to carry out research, reflection and writing about their ideas and activities. The award is intended for Africans who are engaged in knowledge-based and reality-informed problem solving to address the continent's development challenges, in the tradition of Claude Ake. Applications may be downloaded from http://www.aaionline.org. Applications must be received in hard copy no later than 16 July 2001.

CONFERENCES

- Spain : The Institute of Trans-regional Studies on the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia is holding a conference on " The Maghreb, from the past to the future : Knowledge and activites. ", 30 May - 2 June, Cordova. www.irmcmaghreb.org/actu/index.htm, [email protected].

- Switzerland : Kua and Himba - two traditional peoples in Botswana and Namibia at the dawn of the new Millennium, 4 April - 16 September, Geneva. www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/ethg.

- Switzerland: The Queen of Sheba - Bilqis - Makeda: a black and gold legend, to 28 June, Museum of Ethnography, Geneva. Once upon a time there was a black queen who visited Salomon .... Archeological excavations in Arabia, sacred texts in the three monotheistic cultures, royal Ethiopian, Western and Oriental storytellers, artists and poets throughout the ages have been influenced by the legendary Queen of Sheba.

FINE ARTS

- Check out the Africultures exhibitions online at http://www.africultures.com/expo/expos.htm

- For information on exhibitions at the Musee National des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, consult www.musee-afriqueoceanie.fr

SUMMARY OF EXHIBITIONS ALREADY PRESENTED

- France : " Arts d'Afrique ", to 30 June, Musee Dapper, Paris.
- France : " Dessins d'Afrique et d'Asie ", by Andre Maire, Musee des annees 30, to 4 August, Boulogne-Billancourt.
- France: Nicholas and Anderson Mukomberanwa, 4 May - 15 June, Maison des Sciences de l'Homme, Paris. Stone sculptures by reknowned Zimbabwean artist, Nicholas Mukomberanwa and his son. www.art-e.net.
- Belgium : Exit Congo Museum, to 24 June, Tervuren. www.africamuseum.be
- Austria : Painters from Congo 1990-2000, to 1 July 2001, Museum fur Volkerkunde, www.ethno-museum.at.
- Switzerland : 5000 years of human figures, 2 April - 15 October, Geneva.
- Ethiopia : Exhibition of works by Ethopian artists at the Taitu International Art Centre in Addis Abeba.
- USA : Uganda's International Art Renaissance, 1 May - 31 March 2002, The Art Room, Fine Arts Center for East Africa, San Francisco.
- Online exhibition : Works by 35 African artists from around the world. www.africaserver.nl/kunstcultuur/index_uk.htm.
- Switzerland : Afro-Pfinsten Festival, 28 May - 4 June, Winterthur. www.afro-Pfingsten.ch [email protected].
- France : " la Faune et la Flore de l'Afrique ", 8 April - 17 June, Oasis-Galerie, Tremor. Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Photos by Gilles Petetin. [email protected], www.passions-africaines.com

FRANCE
- Paris: Sculptures by Guinean artist, Oppo, 3 May - 30 June, Galerie Allaire-Aigret.

- Paris: Claude Makelela, to 15 June, Espace Rives inedites. Painter, Claude Makelela's origins - she comes from South-East Congo - have strongly influenced her work. She uses techniques learned from village craftsmen to depict characters and symbols in an abstract, nostaligic style.

- Audincourt: "Ma petite ONG" [My little NGO] by Jean-Baptiste Audat-Toure, to 24 June, Audincourt Public Library.

- Chinon: "Etats Negres" [Negro States] by Cameroun artist Njulienne Ngaleu, to 30 June, Musee des amis du vieux Chinon.

ELSEWHERE
- USA: Uganda's International Art Renaissance, 1 May 2001 - 31 March 2002, The Art Room, San Francisco. East Africa's visual history is redefined y international expansion of Uganda's post-war art renaisance. Leading artists of this movement offer renewed perspectives for their growing global audience in the 21st Century. Featured artists include James Kitamirike, Dan Sekanwagi, David Kibuuka, Bruno Sserunkuuma, Fred Makubuya and Derek Kaggwa. Exhibited works are scheduled to change periodically during the exhibition. www.theartroom-sf.com

- Germany: From Douala to Berlin, to 3 June, 2yK Gallery Berlin. With Cercle Kaspiki, Blaise Bang, Salifou Lindou, Jules Wokam, Herve Yamguen and Herve Youmbi.

- Italy: The 49th Biennale in Venice will host "Authentic/Ex-centric: Africa in and out of Africa", curated by Salah Hassan and Olu Oguibe, 6 June - 4 November. The exhibition will include works by Willem Boshoff, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Godfried Donkor, Rachid Koraichi, Berni Searle, Zineb Sedira and Yinka Shonibare.

- Spain: Africas: the artist and the city, to 15 September, CCCB, Barcelona. This exhibition aims to show the vitality of contemporary African art and takes a look at how this vitality is related to the steady urbanisation of the African continent. Includes works by artists from Dakar, Abidjan,Harare, Lagos, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Paris and London. The exhibition is one of the main events in the Barcelona Art Report. Debates and other cultural events will also be held throughout the summer. www.cccb.org, [email protected].

INTERDISCIPLINARY

- France: Afrique 2001, to 31 August, municipal libraries, Paris. For further information contact [email protected]

- France: Racines d'esclaves. Esclavage technologique [Slave roots. Technological slavery], to 29 June, Centre culturel du Theatre de l'air nouveau, Pantin. Works by Baala Samba (Guadeloupe). http://perso.club-internet.fr/theanou.

- France: Les Dogons du Mali, 8 June - 8 July, Paris. The co-op shop, Anthropo, has organised this exhibition including sculptures, beads, weaving and photos.

- France: La Goutte d'Or en Fete, 30 June - 8 July, Paris. This interdisciplinary festival is held in the Goutte d'Or neighbourhood in the 18th arrondissement in Paris (which has a large African population). It is run by local associations and inhabitants and will host a number of African guest artists.

- France: Nuit Metisse, 29-30 June, Venissieux. This annual festival is based on the theme of "citizens of the world" with concerts and a humanitarian village. Stands will be grouped by continent and will include workshops (boomerangs, lotus flowers and calligraphy), photo exhibition, traditional crafts, food and drink tastings, and a storytelling area with Anne Kowalesky (with tales from the five continents). [email protected].

- France: Les Orientales, 22 June - 1 July, Saint-Florent-le-Vieil. www.festival-les-orientales.com.

- Germany: The Short Century: independence and liberation movements in Africa, 1945-1994, to 29 July, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. Works by around 50 African artists. Okwui Enwezor (Nigeria/New York) is curator and will also head the next Documenta de Kassel. The Short Century is considered one of the biggest exhibitions on this subject to be held in Germany and will be accompanied by film, theatre and music events. Check out the full programme on www.hkw.de and www.theshortcentury.com. Article in the next Africultures issue.

PHOTOGRAPHY

- "Les Dogons par les Dogons" [The Dogon by the Dogon], to 9 June; "Guinna Dogon" by agnes Pataux, to 16 June , Fnac Montparnasse, Paris.

- Morocco: Re Soupault, to 7 June, Al Manar Gallery, Casablanca. In collaboration with the Goethe Institute in Rabat. Erna Meta Neimeyer, known as Re Soupault, was of German origin. Her work was heavily influenced by the Bauhaus movement, and she was a friend of Fernand Leger and Man Ray and wife of Soupault. These works capture the Paris of the 1930s and colonial Tunisia (Soupault was sent there to set up a radio station to counterweight fascist propaganda) with images of garden cities, secret worlds.

- Tanzania: 4th Zanzibar International Film Festival 29 June - 14 July, Zanzibar. The 4th festival of the Dhow countries is being held in Zanzibar this year with around 100 films and half as many performing arts groups, exhibitions, seminars, workshops and a women and children's programme. Guest artists include The National Dance Company of Mozambique, Andy Brown + The Storm (Zimbabwe), Culture Music Club (Znz), DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra (Tz.), Mr II (Tz.), Nadi Ikhwan Safaa (Znz), DJ Rita Ray (UK), Rukiza Okera (Guyana/UK), Salim Ali Amir & Ngaya (Comoros), Tyoussi Mad (Morocco), Zein l'Abdin Trio (Kenya), Asia El Kindy (Oman), Pops Mohamed (S Africa) & Zena Edwards (UK), Remmy Ongala (Tz), Channel O DJs (South Africa), Hukwe Zawose (Tz), Chiwoniso (Zimbabwe) and many more. [email protected], www.zanzibar.org/ziff.

- USA: Encounters with the Contemporary, to 6 January 2002; Recent Acquisitions, to 7 October; Beautiful Bodies: Form and Decoration of African Pottery, to 6 January 2002; In the Presence of Spirit: African Art from the National Museum of Ethnology in London, to 14 October. Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. www.si.edu.nmafa

FILM

- Togo: A plan of action was devised for a seminar held from 21 - 22 March by the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie to try and boost the country's film industry. The plan of action covers everything from providing training for technicians to replacing old equipment and refurbishing abandoned movie theatres in the capital. Industry professionals also recommended building more movie theatres and ticket offices and a national cinema centre. [email protected]. Source: Africa Film & TV News Flash N° 113.

- South Africa : " Encounters " South African International Documentary Festival and Laboratory, 22-31 July, Capetown and 3-9 August, Johannesburg. www.bigworld.co.za/encounters , [email protected]

- Germany: Afrikanisches Kultur, 9 June - 8 July, Osnabruck. www.osnabrueck.de/afrika

- USA: Denzel Washington will direct his first feature film, "Searchlight", this autumn with Fox studios. The screenplay is based on the autobiography of Antwone Fisher, a psychiatrist who tries to comes to terms with his traumatic childhood. Denzel Washington will also play the psychiatrist.

- Italy: Prize list for the 2001 Milan Festival of African Cinema.
Feature Films
ENI 1st Prize: "Little Senegal" by Rachid Bouchared (Algeria); 2nd Prize: "Lumumba" by Raoul Peck (Haiti); 3rd Prize: "Ali Zaoua" by Nabil Ayouch (Morocco). The Diocesi Prize for the Best Debut Film went to "Dole" by Imumga Ivanga (Gabon).
Short Films
ENI 1st Prize: "One Evening in July" by Raja Amari (Tunisia); 2nd Prize: "Une Femme pour Souleymane" by Diane Gaye (Senegal/France); 3rd Prize: "Chemin de Traverse" by Malika Ten Fiche (Algeria/France).
Video
1st Prize: "Letter from New York" by Mamhamat Saleh Haroun (Chad); 2nd Prize: "El Batalett-femmes de ma Medina" by Dalida Ennadre (Morocco); 3rd Prize: "Doomu Adama" by Alhandou Sy (Senegal). www.festivalcinemaafricano.org.

DANSE

- France : 2nd International Capoeira Festival, 9 April - 29 June, Nantes. www.paubrasil.org

- France: Taagala, le voyageur - Salia Ni Seydou dance company., to 9 June, Theatre de la Ville, Paris.

- France: "Vies d'ebene", choreography by Norma Claire, to 10 June, Theatre du Gymnase, Paris. Created in 1998 for the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery.

- France: Montpellier Danse 2001, 29 June - 11 July, Montpellier. Including "Musique et danse", Maitres Tambours (Burundi); "Colourful Black and White", Jiri Kylian (Netherlands); "La danse des masques", ritual masks from the Boromo Ko community; and much more. www.montpellierdanse.com

- On tour around France: Yelemba dance company, June - July.

MUSIC

- Check out the Africultures web site for details of latest releases http://www.africultures.com/actualite/sorties/sorties_fr.htm

- For news on concerts around France, consult the www.africultures.com/actualite/concerts/concerts_fr.htm

- France : Visa Francophone, 6-15 July 2001, Villefranche de Rouergue (near Toulouse). Each year, this summer camp hosts around 200 French artists, singers and musicians from around the world. Participants are offered full board during the festival and the organizers try to find concert bookings around France following the festival.

- France: villette Jazz Festival, 29 June - 8 July, La Villette, Paris. Each year, this festival includes a number of African artists.

- France: Y'a d'la banlieue dans l'air, 9-23 June, Bondy. This year, this suburban festival is co-hosting miniature neighbourhood festivals with the local councils. Events will include dance, concerts, games, barbecues and more with performances by numerous African performing artists.

- France: 9th Festival des Hauts de Garonne, 23 June - 15 July, Hauts de Garonne.

- On tour around France: Kassav, Stomy bugsy, Soriba Kouyate, Les Lascars contre le sida, Boukakes, Mapuka, Herbie Hancock and Marcus Miller, Omar Pene et le Super Diamono de Dakar, Ray Lema and Tyour Gnaoua, Cheb Mami, Ye Lassina Coulibaly, Rokia Traore. For full details and venues consult www.africultures.com.

- Madagascar: World & Malagasy Music Festival, 21 June, Parc de l'Isalo. To coincide with the total eclipse.

- Ghana: Music highlife. To 6 June, Accra, Ghana. The Alliance Francaise is running a project to rediscover forgotten Ghanan music.

- Senegal/Cote d'Ivoire: Ateliers Croises - Afriquipop in Dakar and Abidjan. [email protected]

- Germany: Africa Festival, 1-4 June, Wurzburg. The 13th International Afro Music Festival will host numerous big names and up-and-coming artists. Last year the festival had 100,000 visitors. Events will include a craft market, food tastings, workshops, children's programme, exhibitions, dance and music with Patrice, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Africando, Guem, Daara-J, Sara Tavares, Nder & le Setsima Group, Lokua Kanza, Papa Wemba, Mahotella Queens, Miriam Makeba and others.

- A New World Buzz exclusive interview with Hanitra Ranaivo can be listened to on www.newworldbuzz.cjb.ne

- Female singer Cherifa from the Middle-Atlas (Morocco) is now on
http://www.azawan.com/tamazight/cherifa/ . The Amazigh (Berbere) culture is incredibly rich and diverse and has produced a variety of music styles over the past 1000 years. Other Berbere singers on Azawan include Ait Menguellet (Kabylie, Algeria), Ammuri Mbark, Izenzarn (Southern Morocco), Markunda Aures (Algeria), Tartit (Mali), etc.

LITERATURE

- Kenya : Nairobi International Book Fair, 26-30 September 2001. Organised by the Kenya Publishers Association. Contact : [email protected].

- The first literary and film prize of the "kingdom" of Redonda was awarded to South African writer, John Michael Coetzee.

- Algerian novelist, Marie Cardinal has passed away. She is known for "Les mots pour le dire" which won the Littre prize in 1976.

- Just out: "Changing Men in Southern Africa" (Global Masculinities Series) by Robert Morrell, University of Natal, Zed Books. This publication is the first in a new series on understanding masculinity in its local and global contexts. New ethnographies of masculinity in the South are lacking - this timely book fills a gap. www.zedbooks.demon.co.uk.

- France: 7th Salon euro-arabe du livre [Euro-Arab Book Fair], to 17 June, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris. This year the Salon will also involve information technology and multimedia. The prize for the best translation from and into Arab will be awarded for a work published during the last two years. Palestinian poet, Mahmoud Darwich, will close the Salon. www.imarabe.org, [email protected].

- Germany: World Festival of Literature, 14-24 June, Berlin. With Ken Bugul, Boubacar Boris Diop, Veronique Tadjo, Tahar Ben Jelloun, Yvonne Vera, Nadine Gordimer, Abdourahman Waberi, and others.

- Italy: Afriche e Orienti, a new cultural magazine takes a look at issues such as immigration, development, aid, multiculturalism and human rights. [email protected].

- Menaibuc publishes and distributes numerous African works, in particular works from publishers such as Donniya, Unirag/Tyanaba, Fest'Africa and Publications Universitaires Africaines. For further information or their catalogue contact [email protected]

FASHION
- Senegal: 5th Simod, International Fashion Week, 9-17 June, Dakar. Held during the 4th Carnaval of Dakar. http://sites.metissacana.sn/simod_2001.

MEDIA

- The CNN African Journalist of the Year Prize went to Sam Rogers, producer of the variety programme, "Third Degree" (on e-tv) for his story on rape survivors, and Jacques Paux, executive producer of the SABC's "Special Assignment" for a segment on the Rwandan bishop jailed for participating in the genocide (he was released later).

- Prize for community works: The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association is running its first ever awards for "social action" programmes in radio and television. Programmes can be television and radio news bulletins, documentaries or information spots on subjects that may benefit the community such as Aids prevention, environmental issues, poverty, etc. Videos (PAL or NTSC), and audio tapes or CDs should be sent to the CBA Secretariat by 1 July. www.cba.org.uk/programmeawards.htm.

INTERNET
- Transversales: Each year, the Transversales association organises authentic group and a la carte trips to lesser-known destinations such as Mali, Burkina, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Senegal, Central Africa and more. Their website also has classified ads for travel companions. http://perso.wanadoo.fr/voyages.transversales/.

TELEVISION
- Check the Africultures television pages for details: www.africultures.com/actualite/television/page_tele.htm (in French).

- New news channel in Swaziland: Channel Swazi is a new satellite channel set up by Ultimate Television Productions (ULTIPRO) and started broadcasting from Mbabane in March 2001. Programmes will be transmitted via the PanAmSat satellite in Ku frequency and broadcast by DSTV and the Vivid decoder to 17 Central and Southern African countries, including 14 members of the SADC (Southern African Development Community). Source: Panafrican News Agency.

- La Boite a Assos is a 39-part series on RFO that enables Overseas Associations based in the Paris region to have their say. It is broadcast on Fridays at 21:40 and Sundays at 22:25.

RADIO
- Check the Africultures radio pages for details: www.africultures.com/actualite/radio/page_radio.htm (in French)

Full or partial reproduction in newsgroups of items from this newsletter is authorised as long the source is mentioned. Africultures newsletter. www.africultures.com (online archives). Month x/2001.