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Le samedi 30 juin 2018, Kemi Seba tenait sa séance de dédicace suivant la sortie de son nouveau livre « L’Afrique libre ou la mort" chez Moussa l’Africain, restaurant situé au cœur de Paris, à proximité des Halles.

Durant 3 heures, ce fut un défilé constant de sympathisants venus acheter leur copie du livre, parfois deux ou trois, d’un grand frère et icône mondial de la lutte contre l’oppression des afro-descendants et pour la souveraineté de l’Afrique. Dans le plus grand calme et respect, ce temps de dédicace fut rythmé par des retrouvailles, des accolades et encouragements afin de soutenir concrètement l'activiste et auteur Kemi Seba. En deux heures, plus de 500 livres étaient vendus.

Continuez à lire ci-dessous pour notre revue du livre de Kemi Seba:

L’œuvre

"L’Afrique Libre ou la Mort" nous éveille à la résurgence d’un mouvement panafricain dont Kemi Seba est un porte-voix au XXIème siècle; ce combat s’inscrit dans la continuité de la mission de nos aieux qui ont lutté pour la souveraineté de l’Afrique afin de, comme le dira l’auteur, «rendre à notre peuple ses lettres de noblesse ». La résonance du titre à la devise de Thomas Sankara, icône de la résistance panafricaine des années 80 « La Patrie ou la Mort, nous vaincrons » et le choix de la couverture du livre devant la tombe de ce dernier dans le cimetière de Dagnoen au Burkina Faso sont chargés de symbolisme et porteurs d'espoir.

La mission panafricaine pour la libération et l’auto-détermination de notre peuple s’écrit toujours au présent et ses ennemis depuis les pseudos indépendances de l’Afrique, notamment de la zone francophone, ont sophistiqué leurs systèmes de paupérisation de l’Afrique et de son peuple partout dans le monde.

"L’Afrique libre ou la Mort" retrace donc le combat géopolitique de Kemi Seba et d’Urgences panafricanistes et sa légitimité et pertinence dans une ère où le néocolonialisme s’est muté en globalisme ultralibéral. De ce fait, Kemi Seba a su s’entourer de nombreuses figures internationales sympathisantes qui, tout comme lui, s’opposent aux forces prédatrices exogènes du 21^ème siècle, dont sept qu’il a soigneusement sélectionnées pour préfacer son livre, à savoir:

Biram Dah Abeid, l’homme politique mauritanien, figure de proue contre la lutte contre l’esclavage en Mauritanie et dans le monde arabe. Emprisonné à plusieurs reprises, il a reçu en 2013 le prix des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies.

Alexandre Douguine, géopoliticien russe, philosophe, anti-impérialiste, conseiller stratégique de la Douma (parlement russe) et de l’Académie militaire de Moscou. Il est considéré comme l’idéologue le plus influent de la Russie.

Elie Domota, militant révolutionnaire guadeloupéen, indépendantiste, syndicaliste, porte-parole du LKP (Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon, signifiant Ensemble contre la Protifasion en français et secrétaire général de l’UGTG (Union Générale des Travailleurs de Guadeloupe), syndicat majoritaire  de la Guadeloupe.

Pedro Biscay, avocat argentin spécialisé dans le crime économique. Militant péroniste pronant l’alliance tricontinentale, il a été durant plusieurs années le directeur de la Banque Centrale d’Argentine. Il est le fondateur du Centre de recherche et de prévention du crime économique.

Djimon Hounsou, acteur hollywoodien béninois, connu pour ses rôles tels que dans Gladiator, Amistad, Blood Diamond. Il s’’apprête à sortir un film sur le Roi Béhanzin, et un documentaire sur le Vodoun.

Ganiou Soglo, ministre de la culture au Bénin de 2008 à 2011 et fils de l’ancien président de la République du Bénin Nicéphore Soglo. Il est considéré comme le pygmalion de la vie culturelle béninoise.

Nicolas Anelka, anti-conformiste et icône des banlieues françaises, footballeur international et manager qui a joué notamment pour le PSG, Manchester City et Chelsea.

Continuez à lire la revue du livre ci-dessous et acceder aux liens pour commander votre copie du livre en ligne:

Dans cette œuvre, qui succède 3 essais sur le néocolonialisme (Supra Négritude en 2013, Black Nihilism en 2014 et Obscure Epoque en 2016), Kemi Seba offre une grille de lecture pour la jeune génération africaine et afro-descendante, ainsi qu’aux futures générations, dans un langage qu’il veut accessible, pour leur permettre de décrypter l’oppression systémique à laquelle elles font face et afin de les impulser à une citoyenneté agissante se traduisant par l'adage de Kemi Seba « ce que les élites africaines ne font pas pour le peuple, le peuple le fera lui-même".

C’est avec le peuple qu’il veut composer et son expérimentation sur le terrain en tant que président de l’ONG Urgences Panafricanistes lui a permis de théoriser une lutte adaptée aux réalités de ce siècle qui peut servir de guide à tout mouvement de résistance panafricain. Selon Kemi Seba, là où l’intelligentsia africaine a loupé le coche en théorisant dans le confort de leur bureau, formatée dans les écoles du colon et omettant de lier la pratique à la théorie, « L’Afrique libre ou la mort constitue à n’en pas douter, le livre le plus important de notre parcours politique, et surtout un guide de réflexion pour la nouvelle génération panafricaniste, très loin des théoriciens qui n’ont jamais vécu le combat qu’ils prônent au clavier ».

L’Afrique ou la mort est publié par New African Cultures Editions et en vente sur Amazon, Price Minister et FIAT LUX EDITIONS.

Voir les liens ci-dessous pour commander votre copie du livre et pour suivre Kemi Seba sur les réseaux sociaux:

After a brilliant performance at "Radiate Windrush Festival" last month in Crystal Palace, Teshay Makeda and Aleighcia Scott  will be performing at Queens II Be on Saturday 28th July 2018 at the Hide Away in Streatham.

They will be backed by the legendary Ciyo Brown & a full live band for a night full of Reggae and Soul Vibes.

To book your ticket and more info about Teshay Makeda, read on:

Radiate Windrush Festival - June 2018

I was delighted to see Teshay Makeda, a talented root soul reggae artist, based in South London, perform at "Radiate Windrush Festival" in Crystal Palace Park on Saturday 23rd June 2018.

See pics below

I met Teshay Makeda in February 2018 while she performed and supported the #iamnot4sale Campaign at the Underground Solo in Camden London to continue raising awareness against modern slavery. It was the first time I was hearing her and I was stunned by her poweful vocals.

See below for info for Teshay's performance and info on #iamnot4sale campaign.

Continue reading below for more info on Teshay Makeda:

Teshay  Makeda has been a singer as far as she remembers. Born from Rastafarian parents, she remembers performing from the age of 7 years old. Teshay began singing at showcases with The Twelve Tribes of Israel (TTI) and joined the school choir, performing at prestigious venues such as The Purcell Rooms and the Royal Albert and Royal Festival Halls as a soloist. At the age of ten, Teshay joined Vocal Zones (VZ) Productions where she received vocal training which greatly enhanced her natural ability to perform to an audience, strengthening her confidence, her stage presence and her overall vocal talent. As part of VZ, Teshay performed at prominent venues such as The Albany, and the Old Vic. In 2005, Teshay was crowned Vocal Zones Under 16 Star, at the Fairfield Halls where she gave a flawless rendition of Minnie Ripperton’s ‘Lovin’ You’.

Between 2005 and 2009, Teshay became the lead singer of a collective of young singers and musicians from the TTI London house. The TTI Youth Band would regularly perform covers songs with messages of strength and positivity, keeping the Rastafari faith relevant to the youth.The group performed with Ras Zacharri, Oli Greety and also opened for Misha B and Everton Blender. They even supported the legendary ‘Queen of Reggae’ Marcia Griffiths at award winning live music venue, Hootananny in Brixton.

In 2011, Teshay started a solo career and also continued to collaborate creatively with band members such as Jemina. They both co-wrote a song called ‘No Longer (Down)’ which was featured on top South London Producer Dice’s mixtape ‘Souled Out’, giving Teshay the opportunity to work with artist such as Rae and Bonkaz, where she featured on both of their projects. She was also featured on ‘No Days Off Volume II’ hosted by Dice where she wrote and completed her first song called ‘Notes Ima Get there too’.

Realising her innate passion for this creative experience, Teshay started writing for herself, as a means of therapy and to channel messages she received from the Most High. Going deeper into her faith she visited her family in Ethiopia in 2013 which provided the divine inspiration for many songs that she has since gone on to write.

Nowadays, Teshay's notoriety has tremendously grown and the opportunities are multiplying.

In 2017,Teshay released a Demo/EP on the underground UK Reggae/Conscious Scene which led her to perform at Lambeth Country Show alongside Christopher Ellis, the late Michael Prophet, Queen Omega, and Bugle. In the same year, Teshay also opened for Grammy nominated Freddie McGregor at the prestigious Boisdale restaurant / live music venue in Canary Wharf and then went on to perform tracks from her EP at the infamous Rototom Sunsplash Festival in Benicàssim in Spain that summer, sharing the same stage as reggae heavyweights such as Chronixx and Alpha Blondy. In the same year, she also performed at the One Love Festival in the UK alongside the legendary world famous Saxon Sound System.

She is now working on several other projects one called Cycle of Life which was one of the song she sang on Saturday at Radiate Windrush Festival.

To see Teshay perform live, you can catch her at 'Troy Bar' in London, where she hosts an exclusive Reggae Open Mic night every Thursday backed by a live band. She will also be performing in Scotland on 21st July 2018. For more info, see links below

You can  also follow Teshay Makeda's work on Instagram and Twitter.

Winnie Mandela : leader of a nation

Thursday 21st June 2018, on the Summer Solstice day, ushering us into a new season, over 100 leading women and men from across the corporate sector, government and civil society, congregated at the Regent Street Cinema in the West End to pay tribute to Winnie Mandela, who passed on 2^nd April 2018 at the age of 81 years old. The aim of the event organised by Blaksox and Kush Films, hosted by Patricia Lamour (MBE), representing GEEDA (Gender Education & Enterprise Development for Africa), was to educate and empower a generation of young women’s leadership focussed audience for change and to redefine the role of African Women, by extension of Black Women in Society.

See trailer of the movie below:

For pics and more info on the event, continue reading

An after-film discussion followed the screening of the movie with a panel composed of Micheline Ravololonarisoa, independent gender consultant and activist, Advocate Sabelo Sibanda, serving in the Office of the Presidency of the Pan-Afrikanist Congress of Azania (who joined the discussion via video link), Hayley Sarah Jane Mills, (OMD EMEA) a South African National and a strategy manager for EMEA of the global media network OMD and Pascale Lamche, « Winnie »’s film director.

“She was the barometer for the political temperature in the country and brushed patriarchal and conservative conventions aside, within her own culture, by keeping a finger on the pulse of the youth and by leading from the front.”

Pascale Lamche explained that the aim of the documentary was to show how Winnie Mandela was politically neutralised by those who wanted to control the entire transition process of the ANC coming to power once Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years of incarceration on 11th February 1990. In this historical account and perspective of the life of Winnie Mandela, we see how she remained a voice of resistance, never to be silenced, despite the forces unleashed to ban the ANC revolutionary movement, in spite of being demonised by the apartheid regime which used counter revolutionary tactics such as « Operation Romulus » to discredit her and oust her from the political scene. Winnie remained undeterred as a warrior Queen for her people.

For more info on the event, continue reading below:

Panelist Hayley Sarah Jane Mills would portray Winnie Mandela as the soul of the nation and the heroine of South African women who had to be the breadwinners of their households, as drugs and alcohol diabolically flooded South African shanti towns, one of the the many tactics used by the Apartheid regime to wipe out and disempower black men to contribute positively to the economy and development of their communities.

Although Winnie set the tone for the conduct of Black South African women, old and young and was a role model to them, Hayley didn’t consider Nelson Mandela in the same way. Chris Hani, who was in charge of the military section of the ANC, was her choice for president ; she considered Nelson Mandela to be the Apartheid regime’s choice or « The White man’s choice » as she would state. When Chris Hani was brutally assassinated on 10th April 1983, the hopes for important grassroot reforms to be on the top of priorities at the table of the negotiations with the ex apartheid regime were greatly compromised. Nelson Mandela, now isolated from Winnie, whom he eventually divorced prior to running for presidency, was considered to have agreed to too many compromises. The consequences are still visible today as reforms that would empower Blacks are still lacking such as land restoration and access to free education. Chukuma, an attendee, would rightly point out that as we speak 78% of the land is still in the hands of a small minority of white settlers.

For more info on the event, continue reading below

The event was a resounding success ; it touched and inspired all attending.

« I am inspired and empowered to be for my nation and my generation what Winnie Mandela was to hers… a powerful, purposeful and progressive black woman. My life will never be the same » Karen Allen, attendee

Today, the life and struggle of Winnie Mandela, mirror those of powerful ancestral African Warrior Queens, who led nations and stood firm against colonialism, defiant in the face of injustice. It is our LEGACY !! as African, Black women and as a Black nation.

Mama Winnie, as we call her, is a tribute to African women’s inner strength, their efficiency, bravery and resilience. Winnie Mandela teaches us that it is possible to be political and a woman. GEEDA invites young women to construct their own narrative and map their vision of the future and their contribution to society as leaders. Young women must redefine their reality for a better and a fairer world !!!!

To follow GEEDA’s work, an international consultancy hub of gender and women empowerment experts and advocates, part of the Aspire Education Group Ltd, visit www.aspireeducationgroup.com @GEEDA_blog

Blaksox is an Asset Based Community Development movement committed to social action that is self-determining. They benchmark those organisations that have survived and more importantly thrived, as very few of them are African/Black organisations based in the UK and Europe. For  more info, visit www.blaksox.com .

Kush Films is the UK's leading Marketing/PR and Exhibition specialist of Black Films and is pleased to be celebrating 20 years of the UK's longest running and most renowned urban film club the Kush Film Boutique - Join fellow film-fan professionals monthly at the Regent Street Cinema for the best in black film Entertainment. For more info, visit www.kushfilms.com 

 See links below:

J'arrive à prendre au vol OZAS lors de mon passage à Marseille alors qu'il est en semaine d'ateliers d'initiations au graff avec des jeunes en champ d'insertion; et qu'il vient tout juste de finir de poser une enseigne avec un collègue pour un magasin à Marseille, les deux étant des activités rémunérantes qu'OZAS développe et ajoute à son savoir faire. 

Voir photos ci-dessous:

Continuez à lire ci-dessous pour plus d'infos sur OZAS

L'épopée d'OZAS...........

OZAS, de nom patronymique Jhona Vaz, débute sa carrière très jeune.Le créateur est né au Sénégal en 1985 et s'installe à Marseille à 10 ans. La marque Ozas est crée en 2004. Son élément déclencheur fut en Normandie en 1997 alors qu'il feuilletait un magazine de hip hop avec 4 pages de graffitis. Il commença à développer ses talents de grapheurs qu'il allia au fil du temps à ses études dans le textile afin de créer la marque innovante que l'on connait aujourd'hui OZAS combiné à 99PROD, qui fait référence au matricule administratif français indiquant que Jhona Vaz est d'origine étrangère

Pour plus d'infos sur OZAS, continuez à lire ci-dessous:

En 2008 , OZAS reçoit une double reconnaissance :
- Le Sénat lui délivre le prix Nobel " Talents des Cités " catégorie Émergence.
- Le Conseil Général, le prix " Envie d'Agir ".

Déja impressionnant , le CV de Jhona Vaz ne cesse de s'allonger. En 2009 , il inaugure la première boutique OZAS 99* PROD , situé au 8 rue de l'Arc 13001 Marseille, où notre interview a lieu et qui est le point de RDV de nombreux créatifs à Marseille. Rue de l'Arc conserve aussi l'empreinte de Grapheur d'OZAS, voir la fresque ci-dessous.

Pour plus d'infos sur OZAS, continuez à lire ci-dessous:

En pleine expansion , la marque, aux valeurs traditionnelles et modernes, s'implique notamment auprès des artistes qui savent mélanger la qualité et l'originalité. Sa versatilité et créativité se reflètent dans la variété de modèles et personnalisation qu'il propose à sa clientèle et il travaille à développer la visibilité de sa marque en assistant à nombre d'évènements, foires-expos et en bénéficiant des concepts de boutiques éphémères. Il sera au Grand Littoral à Marseille fin 2015 par le biais des apprentis d'Auteuil et tiendra une autre boutique éphémère rue Vacon dans le 1er arrondissement de Marseille à partir de l'été 2016 jusqu'à l'été 2017.

Actuellement, OZAS travaille à sa gamme pirates qu'il sort tous les 9 jours.. un clin d'oeil humoriste reprenant les supports visuels de marques telles que LEVIS, FILA afin de retranscrire quelque chose d'original. Voir les photos ci-dessous:

Pour plus d'infos sur OZAS, continuez à lire:

Donc au delà de sa boutique, OZAS est aussi pédagogue, meneurs d'ateliers dans lesquels ils enseignent les techniques de graffitis et de sérigraphie aux grands et aux petits..et qui sont grandement appréciés.

Pour plus d'infos sur OZAS, continuez à lire ci-dessous

OZAS est aussi à l'initiative de l'association "Fais moi découvrir" par le biais de laquelle il organise des expos et soirées/journées à thème. D'ailleurs, OZAS travaille actuellement sur un projet visuel de transformation et noircissement de personnes blanches, qui exprime sa volonté et désir de voir un art visuel qui est plus représentatif de sa communauté.

On peut dire qu'OZAS veut partager son savoir, être un déclencheur, faire scintiller une étincelle autour de lui. OZAS concluera notre interview avec les mots prononcés par Nelson Mandela lors de son investiture  "en faisant scintiller notre lumière, nous offrons aux autres la possibilité d'en faire autant", paroles inspirées du poème de Marianne Williamson "Our Greatest Fear".

Rhalis tells me that his family name "Cangou", originates from the word Kongo, such as the Kingdom. As long as he can remember, Rhalis has always lived in an environment proud to teach about its origins. His father explained that they all came from the Congo. They immigrated to Guadeloupe when manpower was needed to take over from Africans who had been reduced to slavery, once slavery had become illegal in the French West Indies. Workers came mostly from the Congo, Senegal and Guinea.

Rhalis Cangou wondered about its origins since the age of 7 years. "Who am I? Where I come from and where I go? "Adult, it will remain his permanent quest of source of identity, both from the Caribbean and Africa, which he expresses through his art specializing in their cosmogonies. According to Rhalis Cangou, without culture, without identity, a human being is nothing. Its objective is therefore to speak through his paintings in retracing the triangular relationship between Mother Africa and its diasporas. This knowledge needs to be transmitted to our children and children's children as the transmission of the Afro Caribbean cultural heritage is increasingly threatened. He also seeks to enable young people, whatever their origins, to discover African cultures and Afro-Caribbean cultures, Africa being the cradle of humanity, through participative workshops.

Rhalis frequently exposes in PACA region such as for Bank of Afrika In 2012, Afrodizact Festival in 2013, a dojo for reo in 2015, art and cultural awareness in 2016 and more recently in Paris....

He is currently working on acquiring a pop up store with other artists residing in Marseille which will be dedicated to African and Afro-Caribbean Art.

To contact Rhalis Cangou, see the link below

To follow Rhalis Cangou and see more of his art, continue below:

This piece is hosted by LIFT, London Premier Festival of International Performance, at the Place 17 Duke's Rd, Kings Cross, London WC1H 9PY. See below for Link

In Search of Dinozord is a very intense political piece touching on the violence of the Congo Regime since the years of Sese Seko Mobutu up to now. It is an immersive and intimate experience which gives a face and a voice to Congolese nationals who have fallen in the trap of being statistics, whose sufferings are invisible to the international community.

Different stories are told; one of a friend who no longer is and dreamt to change African litterature; one of Vumi who was emprisonned with other political prisoners in Congo, who escaped and is now referred to, in the piece, as the last seed. "Seed, I am the last". This story is not fictional but real and it is documented with photos projected on stage while actors dance and mourn the absence of their friends, yet refusing to let go of the torn dreams for a better Congo.

Faustin Linyekula starts the journey alone with his face painted in white clay which for the Bantou people is the color of death and the other world. He delves into his childhood memories attempting to make sense of the agony of his people and to resurrect from the ashes hope and a new man.

The dancers from Studios Kabako master the dance technicality of Central Africa in a contemporary fashion, its codes, giving the sense of a continuous flow of life through the circular movement of their hips amongst ruins, violence and loss. It will conclude in a solo piece, fusion of jazz and blues, where the dancer would evolve effortlessly through breakdance and popping into a new man. The powerful Live vocals by the South African singer and actress, Hlengiwe Lushaba, embody the search of meaning and freedom through art of an African nation "once" in chains, desillusioned, forced to adapt and rebuild their lives in a forced exile. She sings from the depths of her soul.

"Where day meets night, agony meets birth"  these words can be read on the screen.

As Faustin Linyekula and Vumi would conclude in the talk following the piece, "Congo is an open market for everyone and it belongs to multinational companies today. It is convenient to keep Congo as a war zone and messy so that they can get cheap minerals. We should all be concerned...

The last performance in London is tonight at the Place, not to be missed.

 Rhalis de nom patronymique « Cangou», qu’il aime rattacher à la racine du mot Kongo, tel le royaume, est artiste peintre plasticien. Depuis son enfance, son environnement et fabrique familiale lui ont toujours enseigné ses origines. Son père lui expliquait qu’ils venaient du Congo. Ils avaient fait le déplacement au temps où la main d’œuvre qui devait prendre la relève en Guadeloupe des personnes qui avaient été réduites à l’esclavage venaient majoritairement du Congo, du Sénégal, de Guinée.

Rhalis Cangou s’interroge sur ses origines depuis l’âge de 7 ans. « Qui suis-je ? D’où je viens et où je vais ? » Adulte, il restera dans cette quête permanente de source d’identité, tant caribéenne qu’africaine, ce qu’il exprime entre autre par son art s’inspirant et se spécialisant dans les cosmogonies africaines. Selon Rhalis Cangou sans culture, sans identité, un être humain n’est rien. Son objectif est donc de faire parler le dessin en retraçant notamment le parallèle existant entre l’Afrique mère et sa diaspora. Et c’est un code de valeurs qu’il transmet également à ses enfants et valorise car de nos jours, il estime que la transmission du patrimoine culturelle afro-caribéen est de plus en plus menacé. Il cherche également à permettre aux jeunes, quelque soit leurs origines de découvrir les cultures africaines et afro-caribéennes, l’Afrique étant le berceau de l’humanité, au travers, notamment, de chantiers participatifs.

Rhalis expose fréquemment en région PACA tel que pour Bank of Afrika en 2012, Festival Afrodizact en 2013, Un dojo pour Réo en 2015, Art et Conscience culturelle en 2016 et plus récemment à Paris....

Son projet en cours est d’occuper un espace éphémère ou permanent avec d’autres artistes résidant à Marseille qui sera dédié à l’art africain et afro-caribéen.

Pour contacter Rhalis Cangou, voir le lien ci-dessous

Pour suivre Rhalis Cangou et voir plus de son art, continuez ci-dessous

Ne Kunda Nlaba, Congolese filmmaker, talks to me about his journey producing films during a coffee break in Brixton Lounge

While his passion for art has been evolving from young, it is in 2007 that Ne Kunda Nlaba chooses to focus on cinematography. According to him, filmmaking is the fusion of all the arts such as music, dance, photography, acting and others. Yet, his experience in Kinshasa, Congo, was that " creativity was there but resources were scarce". Creative Africans were confronted with the fact that although rich in ideas, investors did not support them financially. Ne Kunda observes that there is a work of valorization of the African cinema which is necessary in order for African investors to understand the value of producing films as an art and industry which could, in turn, encourage its development. According to him, the old paradigm needs to change. Since cinema has existed in Africa, the sources of funding almost came exclusively from Europe and filmmakers solely relied on foreign grants to carry out a project. This culture must change and we must apply different economic models to attract local investments..

Therefore, it is a year after his arrival in London that Ne Kunda Nlaba would have the opportunity to achieve his first short film. See below for the complete filmography of Ne Kunda Nlaba:

1. "The next" (2009), short film
2. "The Steel Pan" (2010) documentary
3. "Living without living" (2011) Documentary of 16 min
4. " Honey Bondowe" (2012), his first long-fiction film
5. "Abeti Masikini: The Battle of a woman" (2015) Documentary film
6. "Kimpa Vita: the Mother of the African revolution" (2016) documentary film

A committed artist, Ne Kunda Nlaba is often inspired by his own experiences and environment;  as for example the documentary Living without living, which speaks of Congolese refugees waiting for regularization of their stay in England; or Kimpa Vita, the mother of the Kongo resistance to the western invasion and colonialism, yet occulted by history. He would say "Through this documentary, I wanted to trace the life of the mother of the African revolution" Kimpa Vita" her fight for freedom, against slavery and the massacre and deportations of the people of the Kongo, as well as the restoration of the Kongo kingdom …" Ne Kunda Nlaba is a filmmaker who wants to use art for change.

For more info on the project Afro Beat, please continue to read below:

Ne Kunda Nlaba's new project "Afro Beat" is a long-fiction film in pre-production in which he is the producer, director and screenwriter. With Afro Beat, Ne Kunda wanted to work on a project representative of the African diasporas in England. Afrobeat is a musical genre that is increasingly gaining fame and notoriety and which is in phase with a younger public. Through Afro Beat, Ne Kunda brings a message tackling racism, discrimination, the difficulties that the minority communities may face in order to find a job at the height of their qualifications or ambitions, which often lead them to pursue other professional activities to make a living. And such is the plot of the film. Mala, a law graduate is destined for a career as a lawyer but chooses dance and choreography after failed attempts to find a job in Law firms. By borrowing money to Cahsman to start his business, he will confront  impossible situations orchestrated by the latter in order to compel him to sell drugs for him. His only way out: win a great competition of Afrobeat to reimburse Cashman.

Ne Kunda Nlaba invites us to take part and contribute to this project through crowdfunding. Afrobeat is a movie of positive representation of the Afro Community and which puts to contribution a young talented cast. The objective of the campaign of Crowdfunding is to raise £30,000, which represents less than a quarter of the budget of the film amounting to £100,000.

For more info, see the link below:

Ne Kunda Nlaba, cinéaste congolais, me parle de son parcours en tant que cinéaste lors d'une pause café à Brixton Lounge. Alors qu’il évolue depuis son plus jeune âge dans le milieu du théâtre, de la musique et de la danse et qu’il est conscient des ses talents artistiques depuis l’école, c’est en 2007 qu’il choisit de se focaliser sur le cinéma. Selon lui, le cinéma est la mise en commun de tous les arts. En effet, en réalisant un film, plusieurs éléments sont associés tels que la musique, la danse, la photographie, l’interprétation et autres. Pourtant, son expérience à Kinshasa était que « la créativité était là mais il y avait peu de moyens ». Les créatifs africains étaient confrontés au fait que bien que riche d’idées, les investisseurs ne soutenaient pas financièrement les projets cinématographiques.

Ne Kunda observe qu’il y a un profond travail de valorisation du cinéma africain qui est nécessaire afin de faire comprendre la valeur du film en tant qu’art et industrie ce qui pourrait favoriser son développement. Selon lui, il est nécessaire de changer le paradigme car depuis que le cinéma existe en Afrique, les sources de financement venaient quasi exclusivement de l’Europe et les cinéastes s’appuyaient uniquement sur ces subventions pour mener à bien un projet. Cette culture doit changer d’où l’utilité d’inciter les investisseurs africains à investir dans leurs propres films et de leur proposer des modèles économiques différents en vue de tirer un profit.

 C’est donc un an après son arrivée à Londres que Ne Kunda Nlaba aura l’opportunité de réaliser son 1^er court métrage. Voir ci-dessous pour la filmographie complète de Ne Kunda Nlaba:

1. « The Next » (2009), court métrage

2. « The Steel Pan » (2010) documentaire

3. « Living Without Living » (2011) documentaire de 16 min

4. « Chérie Bondowe » (2012), son premier long-métrage de fiction

5. « Abeti Masikini : Le Combat d’une Femme » (2015) film documentaire

6. « Kimpa Vita: La Mère de la Révolution Africaine » (2016) film documentaire

Artiste engagé, Ne Kunda Nlaba s’inspire souvent de faits qui le touchent de près comme par exemple le documentaire Living without Living qui parle des réfugiés congolais en attente de régularisation de séjour en Angleterre ou Kimpa Vita, grand personnage occulté de la résistance Kongolaise à l’invasion occidentale et au colonialisme. Il en dira « à travers ce film documentaire, je veux retracer la vie de la mère de la révolution africaine « Kimpa Vita » en faisant découvrir sa lutte, son combat pour la liberté, la restauration du royaume Kongo et la lutte contre l’esclavage, le massacre et les déportations du peuple Kongo… » Ne Kunda est un cinéaste qui veut apporter le vent du changement et il estime que c’est un des rôles de l’art.

Pour plus d'infos sur le projet Afro Beat, continuez à lire ci-dessous:

Son nouveau projet « Afro Beat » est un long-métrage de fiction en pré-production dans lequel Ne Kunda Nlaba est producteur, réalisateur et scénariste. Avec Afro Beat, Ne Kunda désirait travailler sur un projet représentatif de la diaspora africaine en Angleterre. L’afrobeat est un genre musical qui prend de l’ampleur au niveau de l’industrie musicale et qui est en phase avec un public plus jeune. Par ce biais, Ne Kunda apporte un message concernant le racisme, la discrimination, les difficultés auxquelles les communautés minoritaires peuvent faire face pour trouver un emploi à la hauteur de leurs qualifications ou ambitions, faute desquelles elles se redirigent dans d’autres domaines pour survivre. Et telle est l’intrigue du film. Mala, diplômé de droit se destine à une carrière d’avocat mais se réorientera vers la danse et la chorégraphie pour gagner sa vie. En empruntant de l’argent à Cahsman pour démarrer son affaire, il se verra confronter à des situations impossibles orchestrées par ce dernier afin de le contraindre à devenir un dealer de drogue. Sa seule issue : gagner une grande compétition d’afrobeat afin de rembourser Cashman.

Ne Kunda Nlaba nous invite à prendre part et contribuer à ce projet par le biais d’un financement participatif. Afrobeat fait partie des films à représentation positive de la communauté afro et qui met à contribution de jeunes acteurs talentueux. L’objectif de la campagne de crowdfunding est de pouvoir réunir £30,000, ce qui n'est même pas un quart du budget du film qui se chiffre à £100 000.

Pour plus d’infos, voir le lien du Crowdfunding ci-dessous.

Just back from Angelique Kidjo's Live performance at the Royal Albert Hall. Angelique Kidjo is a firecracker and so are her musicians. She has such a mesmerising energy and stage presence, it's breathtaking!!!! She is  an amazing and powerful singer, entertainer and she has some unique sharp dance moves ..... my friend and colleague Noel McKoy and I looked at each other and smiled when Angelique Kidjo hit the stage with some MJ moves like the King himself!!!

Angelique Kidjo's interpretation of Talking Heads- Remain in Light is a complete success. It has so much more rhythm and I love the horns of the album. I particularly loved Angelique Kidjo's performance of "The Great Curve" and her emphasis on our need to take care of Mother Earth and women, the givers of life. It was electric, got us all out of our seats dancing. In fact, Angelique Kidjo was totally in control and we would sway from "seat down" to "get off of your seats", "seat down", "get up"....She was so luminous and energetic ..so much so that she invited her audience to join her on stage. Did I go? Oh yes, I did and there we were about 40 of us on stage jamming with the musicians and the Diva herself. These moments of sheer joy are just unforgettable. It was Angelique Kidjo's aim that we all leave the concert boosted and uplifted and she totally succeeded in doing so.

Her legendary interpretation of  Mama Africa for which the public became the backup vocals was top notch.

continue to read below about the after show and Angelique Kidjo's foundation Batonga

Now Angelique Kidjo to me is a legend; my father is from Benin too and when I see her, she is nothing short of an auntie in my eyes. In my days growing up, we had many Afro Americans that stood out as talented people but we didn’t have many proud Africans. Angelique Kidjo always stood tall. I totally respect the fact that most of her repertoire is in Fon and Yoruba, as well as including European languages such as French, English and Portuguese. In her video clip, African symbols and imagery are ever present and underlie whatever she does. She presents Africa as her major source of inspiration and then fusion its rhythm with other genres of music. 

Angelique Kidjo is a key ambassador for Africa. An African woman showing us  how to carry ourselves with dignity and love for our motherland. I desperately wanted to interview her to relay her advice to our young artists on the continent who are aspiring to an artistic career and I was really privileged to attend her aftershow and private talk about the work of her foundation.

First of all, I had the opportunity to meet her musicians backstage, amazing drummers, saxophonists and trumpetists. They got talking with Noel McKoy, who was part of the James Taylor Quartet in the 90s and is a well-known British Soul singer who toured in France and all over the world.

Continue to read below for more on the work of Angelique Kidjo's foundation Batonga

Angelique Kidjo’s contribution to this world is more than music, although she often concedes that « music is my weapon for peace ». She is also a voice to the voiceless. Her Grammy nominated award Eve in 2015 is an album dedicated to the women of Africa, to their resilience and their beauty featuring 100 African women who sing in their native African languages.

Therefore, after such a powerful performance, Angelique Kidjo naturally chooses to center her talk on the work of her foundation Batonga. On stage, she urges us to do good. Backstage, she speaks of the young African girls she tirelessly supports and empowers in different parts of Africa such as Mali, Benin, Sierra Leone and more...Her foundation tag line is "transforming Africa one girl at a time"

See link below for more info. on the Batonga Foundation. Continue to read below for more info on Angelique Kidjo's work as a goodwill ambassador

Angelique Kidjo will recall how she started her work in 2007. Despite all the opposition she faced, she was determined to succeed. Acknowledging the scale of the challenge, she would respond "if it's easy why bother".

She decided to give a scholarship to girls to access secondary education and worked with grassroot organisations to tackle the causes of early drop outs. Angelique Kidjo sees secondary education as the greatest weapon to ensure that these young girls do not fall prey to child marriage, early pregnancies nor being subjected to female genital mutiliation. She empowers these girls to be "game changers in the community, the country and globally" and she also wants men and boys to be part of changing mindsets in Africa to ensure girls are not objectified. As a goodwill ambassador for Unicef, she would only support the song project "Say no to children's marriages" if both men and women artists were involved and singing in all the local languages of Benin so that the message of the song could reach grassroot people.

Angelique Kidjo is determined to see these young women know dignity and be empowered to choose their fate so that in turn they can support men in the making to play their role in society, investing in their family, their community and raise the GDP of the country and of Africa globally.

As Angelique Kidjo reinvents 'Remain in LIght", she definitely brings us hope, shines bright and inspires us to be a light too in whatever we set out to do for Africa.