By John Owoo

(In Tunis – Tunisia)

An exhibition of paintings by Tunisian artist Mohamed Ben Hédi Chérif inspired by life and ambiances is underway at the the Maison de la Culture Ibn Khaldoun in the Tunisian capital, Tunis. 

Born in the Tunisian town of Sfax, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea, his works abound with Arabic history and literature while conveying messages of love and hope through paintings that boast of diverse shapes. 

A noticeable figure in the Tunisian visual arts scene, his works are rich in verbal poetry,songs and dances alongside a creative spirit and youthful dynamism that has inspired dozens of young artists in Tunisia and beyond.

Employing distorted human figures and abstract forms, Chérif’s work comprise mostly earth colours with bits of blues, yellows and reds that form part of seemingly unending pieces that show a constant sense of movement. 

Largely a self-trained painter, he was simply armed with a passion and motivation, which resulted landscapes, sketches, real and imaginary portraits, which he never believed will be on display in galleries. 

Chérif’s choice of themes and the interaction of colors / light portray canvases that radiate an intense emotional energy, which keeps viewers glued to his pieces as they try to decipher his messages.  

Indeed, some of his works are large scale formats (two metres high) as well are circular canvasses, which are largely considered as symbols of unity and infinity owing to the fact that regular polygons are fully embraced by circles. 

His first exhibition was in 2013 when he appeared in a group exhibition in Tunis, which included acclaimed painters and academics. The show attracted dozens of people and immediately placed him in the public eye. 

By John Owoo

(In Tunis – Tunisia)

A Kuwaiti production titled “Mute” created a semblance of refection and deep thought on the audience after a wonderful performance by a three-man cast at the 4ème Art Theatre in downtown Tunis. 

Directed by Sulayman Al Bassam, the production opened with a moving commentary on the massive explosion that rocked a Beirut (Lebanon) port in August 2020 that killed hundreds and resulted in 300,000 being made homeless. 

Performed by Hala Omran, Abed Kobeissy and Ali Hout, the performance brought to light diverse issues in social and political life through shrewd poetic devices that captured the interest of the audience, who listened with rapt attention.  

Interspersed with drum and oud rhythms, the artists equally lamented on the escalating violence all over the Arab world while calling for the need for a resistance – especially a cohesive one by artists through their craft – as they equally questioned their silence. 

In a related performance at the Mondial Theatre, a Spanish production titled “Afrikan Party” treated the audience to a futuristic performance through dance, which depicted Africa in the 2090s while showcasing the life of the African child from cradle to grave. 

With three performers, Yemi Osokoya, Tebza Diphehlo and Ambrose Tjark clad in boxing-like costumes and powder smeared on the bodies, they portrayed the richness and diversity pf African traditions and culture through various inventive movements.  

The performances forms part of the 2023 edition of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage Festival, which opened on Saturday December 2, 2023. It will feature 62 performances from 28 countries in various venues throughout Tunis and beyond.

Pix – Courtesy of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage 

By John Owoo

(In Tunis – Tunisia)

Théâtre de l’Opéra – which is located in the elegant Cité de la Culture – was literarily set ablaze with a performance of “Jungle Book”, a piece by the American visual director Robert Wilson.

Performing as part of the 2023 edition of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage Festival in the Tunisian capital Tunis, this musical theatre / opera managed to keep the audience at the edge of seats with constant movement and action on stage. 

Comprising diverse elements of the arts – architecture, music, dance, poetry alongside an amazing use of light that often turned the bodies of the artists into silhouettes – the artists presented a charming natural retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s book – “The Jungle”.

“Undeniably, the scenography, acting, singing, rhythms and dancing appear separate and together at the same time. The artists moved severally and jointly thereby arousing the curiosity of members of the audience”, said Pierre Martin, a teacher in France. 

Obviously featuring dozens of light cues, it’s amazing how the technicians managed it, as “human / animal” bodies, shadows and diverse items flowed freely on stage and a giant screen. 

With voices of singers soaring through the air like birds in flight – virtuosity and evil, aggressiveness and hilarity reigned on stage – as formidable poetry engaged the audience in deep thoughts while collective struggles unite some animals in the jungle.

Wilson, who turned 80 last October, focuses on the dangers that threaten nature. “Jungle Book” abounds with songs and stories that intertwine with the performance of the actors, dancers and singers.

Indeed, his set design reaches a crescendo where texts fade into the background in the face of the power of images, colors and geometries in space while his bodies dance as if in weightlessness alongside a choreography that is both rhythmic and frenzied.

Pix – Courtesy of Journées Théâtrales de Carthage 

By John Owoo

(In Tunis – Tunisia)

Journées Théâtrales de Carthage Festival 2023 (JTC) opened last Saturday in the Tunisian capital Tunis with a spectacular performance of “Finale”, a classical piece that employed the use of architectural structures.

Clad in white costumes, the two performers exhibited dexterous movements on the façade of the Municipal Theatre with the support of tight ropes as musicians played pieces from acclaimed classical pieces.

These include “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker” (Tchaikovsky) and “Giselle” (Adolphe Adam), which introduced the crowd to classical dance in a new format while mesmerizing the capacity audience, who watched from the sides of the streets and lawns. 

Produced by Delrevés and performed by Saioa Fernandez and Sheila Ferrer, the piece showcased a charming work that will remain etched in the minds and hearts of the audience, who continuously cheered and applauded. 

Opening the festival, the Minister of Cultural Affairs Hayet Ketat Guermazi, said owing to major humanitarian challenges in the world including the plight of the Palestinians, the 2023 edition of the festival will take place in a sober manner without the usual pomp and pageantry. 

Nevertheless, he added that the festival “remains imbued with the fundamental values of justice in the face of injustice, the culture of life and enlightened thought versus the culture of death and obscurantism”. 

These values, he stressed are rooted in the history of Tunisian theater, where the universal principles and diversity of human nature are its essential elements and will continue to remain so in the present and future.

The artistic director and president of the organising committee for JTC 2023 Moez Mrabet,said the JTC has always been and will continue to be a defender of the causes of truth, justice and human dignity wherever they may be adding that “With theatre we live, with art we resist.

JTC, which opened on Saturday December 2, will end on  Sunday December 10. It will feature 62 performances  from 28 countries in various venues throughout the city and beyond with a selection of 62 shows from 28 countries.

Pix – Courtesy of JTC

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

Acclaimed German saxophonist Stephanie Lottermoser together with GHjazz Collective recently mesmerized a capacity audience at the Goethe-Institut with a tangible and captivating concert that left the audience feeling as if they are in a jazz club.

Accompanied by Bernard Ayisa (saxophone), Victor Dey (keyboard), Frank Kissi (drums) and Gaddiel Amoah (bass), the group displayed a mastery of their craft with interlocking saxophone solos from Lottermoser and Ayisa that drew the attention of the crowd while wondering what was yet to come from the stage.

With energetic improvisations alongside slow, spare and reflective duets between the two saxophonists, the group succeeded in proving the power of cross-cultural collaboration while telling the jazz story of Ghana and Germany.

“The group captivated the audience from the very first note – outstanding musicianship and often beautiful, expressive themes will be an accurate description. Accra needs more of such performances for jazz lovers”, said Yaa Asiedua, a music teacher in Accra.

Indeed, pianist Dey and bassist Amoah provided the confident middle ground between the contrasting elements of jazz and Ghanaian music as the group’s easy combination of both musical influences drew cheers and applause from the enthusiastic audience.

With tunes such as “Bring Your Own Sunshine”, “What Kind of Love Song”, “Ikigai”, “Gotta Do Something”, “Morgen Hamburg”, “These Boots Are Made for Walking”, (Lottermoser), “Urban Safari”, “Tears” (Dey) and “Kukus Them” (Ayisa), the quintet performed with intense passion revealing in the process a superlative artistry and an alluring stage presence.

Also a composer / singer, Lottermoser is one of the most renowned jazz artists in Germany and has been performing at various festivals and clubs. In 2022, she opened the main stage of the ELBJAZZ Festival in Hamburg (Germany) with over 11,000 jazz fans in attendance. Lottermoser has also provided musical accompaniment for several beCAUSE agency events.

A lecturer at the Bavarian State Youth Jazz Orchestra, she studied Cultural Sciences at the Ludwig-Maximilians University and Jazz Saxophone at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater (Munich, Germany) and received a Bavarian Art Prize / scholarship for the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (France).

Formed in 2013, GHjazz Collective possesses the ability to swing and it’s noted for an uncanny intensity that genuine jazz lovers simply embrace. Undeniably, all members have recordings under their names and have made significant contributions to the development of jazz in Ghana.

The group has performed with saxophonists Godwin Louis, Benjamin Boone and Salim Washington as well as guitarists Colter Harper, Barry Finnerty and Vasti Jackson (USA). Others are trumpeter Teus Nobel, singer Zosia El Rhazi and guitarist Lucas Meijers.

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

La Gallery in Accra is currently hosting an exhibition of works by Patrick Tagoe-Turkson that comprise a dramatic transformation of discarded flip flops into artistic representations thereby providing them with a fresh breath of life.

Employing largely flip flops, plastics and other materials, he turns them into spectacular colours that vary significantly from their original forms, thus inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the ever-degrading environment.

An apostle of the art of sustainability, Tagoe-Turkson’s work encompass a close examination of the concepts of identity, memory and waste while subtly showcasing an interplay between creativity and environmental consciousness – a move that has seen his works being exhibited in various parts of the world.

A masterful craftsman, he transforms flip flops collected largely from beaches into elaborate embroideries that recall the skills of ancient Asante kente weavers. Interspersed with bold colours, his works encompass diverse sizes and shapes.

Tagoe-Turkson’s themes revolve around tradition, sustainability, renewability and the relationship between art and day-to-day activities of humankind. His pieces highlight formidable visual narratives that reflect Ghana’s rich traditions and culture while addressing contemporary issues.

Trained at the Department of Painting and Sculpture, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Kumasi), his work has been exhibited in France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Japan, China, Austria, Mexico, Senegal, Nigeria, Haiti, South Africa, Romania, Hungary and the United States.

Currently a lecturer at the Department of Industrial Painting and Design and Sculpture Technology (Takoradi Technical University), his works are in private and public collections including the Royal Ontario Museum (Canada) and the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum (Italy) among others.

Tagoe-Turkson is also the director of Aesthete Ghana, which organizes workshops and exhibitions on nature art and a curator of the annual Paint Sculp Art Jury and Exhibition at Takoradi Technical University.

Titled “Generations Woven – The Art of Sustainability”, the exhibition ends on Sunday December 30, 2023.  

By John Owoo

(In Accra – Ghana)

An exhibition of works by French artist Alice Raymond that interpret the processes of observation and adaptation to spaces, ended on Friday October 6 at The Mix Design Hub in Accra.

Employing the use of maps, she explores new territories, which take shape in personal cartography – thereby representing the impact of places and perception of the environment – from a physical, social and temporal point of view.

With a deep interest in the concept of Anthropocene, she investigates possible signs that have been neglected in landscapes, which would repair the links of agency between the living and the elements of the world.

Titled “Pendant Que Les Champs Brûlent” – Raymond employs the use of card boxes – some of which have rugged edges. Undeniably, her work is both methodical and playful while forcefully expounding a visual vocabulary that bears direct witness to the web-like links she knits. 

In other works, she marshals straw mats while incorporating woven cloths in various colours alongside simple shapes and lines that complement the pieces, which hung on giant transparent glass, which act as boards.

Undeniably, her research addresses issues of displacement, migration, habitat, ecology and language through codification methods.  Again, her work expresses itself in a wide range of techniques as they explore abstract artistic expressions through installations and participatory proposals.

These works end up with collective ideas, documentary photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures that she describes as linguistic documents and texts – a practice that favours raw and reinvested materials as well as a palette from the local context.

Born in France, Raymond grew up in Germany and chose to develop her nomadic practice in Sweden, the United States and Ghana. As a result of her travels, she was naturally interested in geographical maps – the way in which they make it possible to apprehend a territory – and how it translates to the world.

Her works, which are in private and public collections, have been shown in galleries and arts centres in various parts of the world. These include Nubuke Foundation, Foundation for Contemporary Art (Ghana), MoCa Museum of Contemporary Art of North Miami, ICA Institute of Contemporary Art, BoxHeart Gallery (USA) and Innovation and Creativity Center of FRAC-Méca, Cité musée Frugès-Le Corbusier and BIEN Textile Art Biennale in Kranj, Slovenia.

Raymond moved to Ghana with the aim of developing the artistic connections between tradition and contemporary evolution while observing the way things flow. Through a diversity of practices, she questions our relationship to the environment, the way we adapt to it and perhaps the way in which we should integrate into it.

By Francis Kokutse

(In Accra – Ghana)

The multi-talented Ghanaian born German, Inusa Dawuda, who turned from boxing to music has released his latest album, Waka Waka, with 10 tracks which he said is a cross-over of contemporary Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Afrofunk, Highlife and reggavibes in general term.

Like his past songs, his friend for many years, the Ghanaian journalist, Francis Kokutse, has again wrote one song, “Turn Back The Clock” on the latest album.

Inusa said, the title “has nothing to do with Shakira’s ‘Waka Waka’ because she hadn’t even heard of it, at the time it was released,” he said, adding that, “Waka Waka Day & Night” was the first song I recorded live in the studio with my band. It was created in collaboration with my former bassist, brother, and friend from Warri, Nigeria, Lisbon Bolowei Simon, who is unfortunately no longer with us.”  

This is Inusa’s eleventh real album and about 100 single releases and he said, the word “Waka Waka” came to being and used on his first album “Just Natural” in the mid-90s. The song is called “Waka Waka Day & Night” with my international staffed band called, INUSA’s Groove Factory. Inusa said Lisbon used to tell him about his days with Fela Kuti‘s Band, and he was “important in my career and I thank him for the Afrofunky style”.

“From the word ‘work’, we decided to change it to “Waka Waka” in Pidgin English. “We work day and night and are still suffering. We sang how many Africans in the diaspora felt”. Inusa started off as a semi-professional in the mid 90’s is celebrating his 30th anniversary in music and still going strong with thirst for more till the bones are rotten.

Reacting to which song is favourite for all the years he has spent in the music industry, he said, “it’s difficult to pick out a song as a favorite because they are like my children. Each song has its purpose. Some are easy to listen to, and some work really well in live performances because they get people dancing, for example, “Going Back To My Roots,” “Waka Waka Day & Night”, “All I Need Is To be Loved,” and “Don’t Look any Further” played a bit faster than recorded.

Among the captivating songs on the album are the pre-released singles “One Love,” “All I Want Is to be Loved,” and the instrumental piece “Bimbia” which have already gained popularity and earned spots in various playlists. The album’s title, “WAKA WAKA,” is inspired by Inusa’s early composition “Waka Waka Day & Night,” an Afro funk song recorded with his Groove Factory back in the mid-90s.

The album starts with the fresh 2023 afrobeats-highlife version of Lamont Dozier’s “Going Back to My Roots”. The album also features reimagined covers of “Don’t Look any Further” by Denis Eduard and “Wild World” of Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens with a fresh twist.

For those who appreciate heartfelt and romantic lyrics, “Believe and Feel” offers a beautiful blend of Afro, RnB, UK Garage, and soul. On the other hand, “Turn Back the Clock” presents a captivating soulful song with deep lyrics that will make you introspective about your relationships.

Inusa originally from Ghana,  was born in Accra, Ghana, and as a teenager moved with his parents to Hamburg, Germany. He learned to play the saxophone during his youth, and he was also actively involved in sports. During the early 1990s he was a multiple boxing champion in Hamburg in the light heavyweight division.

For 2009 -10, Inusa was acknowledged as “Russia’s Most Successful Foreign Artist”, where to-date,  his single Rumours (Digi Digi) has received an excess of over a million radio plays, beating a stream of fellow foreign artists in a category that included Lady Gaga and David Guetta.

The first successes in the field of music came to Inusa in the mid 1990s, when he travelled and played with several bands, playing cover versions of favourite hits from James Brown to Bob Marley. His primary musical influences include Manu Dibango, Fela Kuti and Grover Washington Jr.

By Alfred Tamakloe

(In Berlin – Germany)

The entire premises of Theaterhaus Berlin, located in the Mitte district of the German capital, hosting the third edition of Kuyum Dance Festival, was a tapestry of visually captivating dance moves, drawing wild cheers and applauds from the audience.

Featuring diverse neo-contemporary African dance from the African continent and its diaspora, the dancers, and choreographers’ pieces mirrored themes of personal experiences in life, challenges in the environment in which they practice their profession, spirituality, reflections on current global challenges, resistance, artistic language that embodies both trauma and the ecstasy of liberation and the urge for freedom and identity, among others.

The highlight of the festival was a conference that touched on the “Embodiments of Dance Transformation,” where participants discussed among others; how the living body produces its own knowledge and stores its memory while providing dance expressions that are embedded in its own corporal experience, rather than being imported.

The dancers and choreographers also touched on how they can conceive a future of African dance that empowers and is empowered by a progressive global dance knowledge versus colonial and racist thinking that creates false hierarchies and discrimination between forms, content, practises, origins, and embodiments.

Daphne Brunet, who was at the festival, participating in the workshops and as an audience, observes that, it was a rich and intimate experience with deeply personal works by very talented artists, providing opportunities to engage with the artists about their various performances, and practices in the workshops.

“I have seldom experienced such high-quality art in such an accessible program, financially for all, including for people with disabilities. The festival team, did a tremendous job of bringing together and highlighting artists from the African continent and its diaspora in a relaxing and friendly environment in which culture and personal connections could be cultivated.”

“I think the festival Director, Felix Dompreh, also proposes an important dialogue on African dances and how to position them within a Eurocentric dance scene, which increasingly appropriates from them, a practice common in most of the so-called modern arts, exemplified in the works, fame, and fortune of Picasso and many since.”

“Such positioning is an important question of access to certain funding and venues restricted to the so-called “higher arts”. It is a matter of addressing and increasingly dismantling structures of exclusion and exploitation within the art world”, she emphasised.

Kuyum Dance Festival aims to present new forms of African dance or neo-African dance, raise awareness, and stimulate debates around a new transfer of knowledge in the dance field that primarily emerges from dance practitioners and extends to bridge the gap of discourse between dancers in Africa and the diaspora, as well as those operating in the larger field of dance globally. The fourth edition is slated for September 2024.

It received funding from Hauptstadt Fonds under the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Senate Administration for Culture and Social Cohesion. Cooperating partners include Berlin Mondiale, Tanz Fahig, Taz and Theatrehaus Berlin Mitte.

Pix – Thabo Thindi

By Alfred Tamakloe

(In Berlin – Germany)

An annual festival dedicated to the performance and promotion of neo-African choreographies by artists of African descent is underway in the German capital.

The five-day dance festival from 6^th to 10th September, dubbed Kuyum Dance Festival, being hosted by the Theaterhaus Berlin Mitte, is featuring more than 20 artists from within and outside Germany. Artists of non-African descent who integrate neo-African dance practices into their work are also participating.

In his opening remarks, the Director of the festival, Felix Dompreh, a Ghanaian contemporary dance choreographer based in Berlin, noted that, “Neo-African dance, sees itself as a form of contemporary dance that draws on techniques, aesthetic principles and choreographic elements that can be found in the movement language of dancers of African descent and flow into their choreographies”.

The aim of the festival, he says, “is to offer these artists, a platform on which they can present their neo-African dance works to a broad audience, free from attributions and clichés”. “In addition, the festival provides a forum for the artists to network with each other, exchange ideas artistically and establish partnerships. The Kuyum dance platform can act as a catalyst for a new perception of African dance forms in the diaspora”.

The festival takes place on an open-air stage and in two barrier-free indoor theatre rooms. In addition to dance performances, workshops will also be offered, including an accessible one aimed at young people.

The festival is an inclusive one, promoting diversity, embracing the deaf and blind community to participate, both as artists and audience. The highlight of the festival is a conference on neo-African dance facilitated by Nora Amin, an Egyptian author, choreographer, and director based in Berlin.

Kuyum Dance Festival is supported by Hauptstadt Fonds under the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, Senate Administration for Culture and Social Cohesion. Cooperating partners include Berlin Mondiale, Tanz Fahig, Taz and Theatrehaus Berlin.

Pix – Thabo Thindi