Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCAA) will host and convene The Radical Solidarity Summit, its first, week-long online gathering that will address urgent issues, explore alternative futures, and discuss the possibilities that can be forged in the cultural field through acts of radical solidarity.

The event will take place over five days, September 14-18, 2020. It will be an opportunity to connect with other organisations and individuals, artists, curators, activists, writers and educators who are passionate about learning, supporting and collaborating in a spirit of mutual support and who are committed to the continued fostering of the arts from Africa and its diaspora.

Each day of the online event will explore solidarity through a different theme. The summit begins with a discussion on the historic legacies of resistance and the ongoing struggle for black liberation through the context of Pan-African solidarity. Day two examines the development of robust publication cultures including both print and online platforms as well as other methods of knowledge transmission. Day three looks at practices of collaboration and collectivity while day four will ask critical questions related to space, urbanism and mobility and its impact on imaginaries. The event concludes with a review of radical artistic and theoretical practice in relation to solidarity.

The programme will take the form of discursive talks alongside performances, film screenings and readings. In honour of the event, Zeitz MOCAA is handing over the reins of its Instagram account for the duration of the summit to blaxTARLINES KUMASI, an experimental incubator of contemporary art and sharing community based in Kumasi, Ghana.

The Radical Solidarity Summit draws on distinguished and leading figures from across the continent and from a range of disciplines spanning political science, film, visual arts, literature and philosophy. Confirmed participants include: Diana Campbell Betancourt, Frieda Ekotto, Haroon Gunn-Salie, Awa Konaté, Mpho Matsipa, Achille Mbembe, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Bonaventure Ndikung, Rémy Ngamije, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Emeka Okereke, Bukola Oyebode, Marie Hélène Pereira, Edgar Pieterse, ruangrupa, Albie Sachs, Rasha Salti, Tau Tavengwa and Françoise Vergès.

Koyo Kouoh, Executive Director and Chief Curator of Zeitz MOCAA, said: “This summit, the first multi-day gathering convened by our young museum, comes at a pivotal moment for our pan-african cultural community. We are reeling from the effects of a pandemic while witnessing the impact of systemic inequalities. We saw the urgency for this initiative, to debate about mutual support as we collectively navigate unsettling times.

The summit will provide a platform for an incredible group of speakers whose demanding and critical voices will discuss bold strategies and map new realities within the cultural field. We are committed to interdependency and know that it is necessary as individuals and organisations to engage and establish tangible and operational alliances, engagements, functional families, expressions and platforms to address ongoing issues and to forge a way forward.”

The Radical Solidarity Summit is organised and convened by the Zeitz MOCAA curatorial team: Tandazani Dhlakama, Sakhisizwe Gcina, Storm Janse van Rensburg, Koyo Kouoh, Tammy Langtry and Phokeng Setai

September 14–18, 2020

Tickets are available through Webtickets

Full programme HERE

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