MEDI1TV Afrique : Croisements créatifs, Biennale de la photo & Mémoire de Wole Soyinka - 23/11/2024
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00:00It's with great pleasure that we meet you on Media TV for this new Escale Culture in the heart of Africa.
00:16In a moment, we will go to the Biennale of Photography in Mali, which will close its doors on December 14.
00:25Otherwise, we will also talk about the Biennale of Contemporary Art in Senegal.
00:29But first of all, let's welcome our guest of the day.
00:38Today, we have the immense pleasure of welcoming Ousmane El Jadid.
00:42He is an author and many other things.
00:45He is with us to talk to us about this very beautiful event,
00:48the Creative Crossing, an eclectic dance event that will introduce us in more detail.
00:56Hello, Ousmane.
00:58Hello, and first of all, thank you for the invitation.
01:02Thank you, Ousmane, for being with us.
01:05It is true that this project has interested us a lot,
01:09which is dedicated to literature, to the emergence of these pens in Morocco.
01:16How was the idea of this beautiful project born?
01:23First of all, I am the president of the Moroccan Writers' Association.
01:27I see a lot of writers all the time.
01:32We are already friends, we are already colleagues, we work together, we already work in events.
01:38And of course, we saw the success that rap, for example, or theater has already had in being a collective.
01:48So we took this idea and we tried to do it in literature.
01:52And of course, we did this Creative Crossing project, which is both a literary project
01:58and at the same time a collaboration with the ASM, which I am in charge of,
02:04to have a charity project for sustainable development alongside literary projects, of course,
02:16but also to make sustainable change, literary and cultural change,
02:22on a national and African scale, and why not on an international scale.
02:27Since the project is very rich and you are talking about creative crossings,
02:31so crossings in the plural, can you tell us about this diversity?
02:37Of course, for us, the diversity in this project is not only in the genres of literature,
02:45but also in the different cultures of Morocco, because each author represents his literary genre.
02:55There is also his own culture.
03:01We hope that this project will be an inspiration to discover the different cultures in Morocco,
03:07and not only that, but also that it will invite them to other disciplines and other types of art,
03:15for example, music and theater, in the next events.
03:20The first event is of course in Marrakech on Saturday, November 23rd,
03:24and after that there is a very important event on December 7th,
03:27and other cities such as Rabat, Tangier and El Jelida.
03:32And since you are in the middle of this new wave of Moroccan authors,
03:39what touches you the most in this new generation of authors?
03:45Of course, there are many things that inspire me in this new wave of authors,
03:51because our generation in literature is not like the previous generations.
03:58We have a new breath.
04:00Even the recognized authors of this generation have different ideas,
04:05they have a different approach to Moroccan literature.
04:09We represent our country in the most beautiful way, of course,
04:15but at the same time we have our own way of doing it,
04:18we have our own style, we have our own word to say.
04:22And that's what we're trying to promote in this project,
04:27because we have a Moroccan style, a new Moroccan style,
04:31to promote on an African and international scale.
04:36And that inspires me to do not only this project,
04:39but to work to discover new talents in Morocco,
04:43to give them a chance to write,
04:46to give them a chance to make a decision to write here in Morocco.
04:52Being an author in Morocco is not easy, we know that,
04:55but the inspiration here is to choose to be an author in Morocco,
05:01even if there are not many opportunities,
05:03there are not many chances to have a future in this direction.
05:08But we have created these opportunities for the next generation.
05:14And it is your honor, Ousmane, to leave us.
05:17What are, perhaps to simplify for people who are watching us,
05:21the goal, the main objective of CROISEMENT CREATIVE?
05:29The main goal is to inspire, as I said,
05:35the inspiration for the new generation,
05:38children first, teenagers second.
05:40And of course, for the youth, it is to inspire people
05:44to enter the world of literature first.
05:49And of course, the donations of this book, all the books sold,
05:55of course, the goal of this project is to inspire the new generation,
06:02children first, teenagers second.
06:04And of course, all the youth, to have a career in Moroccan literature
06:10and to have their own Moroccan style, to inspire them in general.
06:16And of course, we are going to do a lot of events on a national level,
06:21why not on an African and international level.
06:25There, or on the spot, we will do events to inspire a lot of people
06:33to make the decision to have a future in the world of literature.
06:37So that's our goal.
06:39And we hope that we will also be successful here in Morocco
06:44and of course internationally.
06:47Inshallah, we will be in touch.
06:49Thank you very much, Asmal Jadid, for being with us.
06:51It was a pleasure to have you.
06:53Thank you again.
06:59And right away, place for this flagship event,
07:02the Biennale de la photo de Bamako,
07:04which opened with the theme of the word in question.
07:07So, the meetings of Bamako celebrate their 30th anniversary
07:11with their 14th edition, which opened on Saturday, November 16,
07:15for two months until January 16.
07:17So, at the Biennale de la Photographie,
07:19organized in the Malian capital,
07:21the major events of the photo on the continent,
07:2330 artists from all over the continent present their works, of course.
07:28And this year, the theme is above all the word.
07:31So, a theme that has been retained, a symbolic and strong choice,
07:35since the 30 artists from all over the continent
07:38are invited to present their works.
07:40They come from Mali, in particular,
07:42with photographers like Moussa John Kalapo,
07:45or Mariam Modeste Nyare,
07:48but also from Morocco, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Niger,
07:52or even South Africa.
07:54We listen to Moussa John Kalapo.
07:58It's a souvenir.
08:00We can keep it for several years.
08:05Because...
08:08it's still...
08:09I don't know how to say it.
08:13It's a reunion of different ethnicities,
08:16of different localities.
08:18It's a process.
08:25Being able to spend about a week together
08:27allows you to see that, in the end,
08:29there is no need to be afraid of the other.
08:31On the contrary, you have to go towards the other.
08:33And that's what allows the journey, the meeting,
08:36to develop a certain openness of mind.
08:39After what the photo can do,
08:41I think we no longer need to show the importance of the photo
08:44in today's societies.
08:48I like to see photos of friends from Kidal,
08:50those from Kao, those from Namboku.
08:53Thanks to these photos, we have a good time.
09:04After observing that African voices
09:06do not have the desirable echoes,
09:08we thought it would be good for artists,
09:10especially photographers,
09:12to invest in the field of discourse.
09:14This is what Lasana Igo-Diarra explains.
09:17Commissioner General and Artistic Director
09:19of these meetings in Bamako.
09:21At one time, the discourse of politicians
09:23was carried more by great creators
09:26like Sekoturi, Kwame Nkrumah or Jean Paz.
09:30But today, are politicians listened to?
09:34This is what Lasana Igo-Diarra asks.
09:37Among the various exhibitions planned,
09:39a tribute must be paid to the centenary
09:43of Amilcar Cabral, born in 1924,
09:45died in 1973, the father of independence
09:47of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde,
09:50and considered one of the founders of Pan-Africanism.
09:53There are very committed parts of the exhibition.
09:56This is what Commissioner General emphasizes.
09:59It is above all a reflection on the word,
10:02on the side of power,
10:04but also on the poetic side of the word.
10:07At the time, it was in our neighborhoods,
10:10the old neighborhoods of Bamako,
10:12like the neighborhoods of Medinapura, Amdalaï.
10:15At the time, they were houses on the ground,
10:18which were beautiful houses,
10:20where when people came in, it was cool.
10:23But due to the degradation during the rainy season,
10:27where often the parents have trouble creeping
10:30the houses every year,
10:32they started making concrete houses.
10:37So nowadays, they break the houses on the ground,
10:42although that's our culture,
10:44that's our tradition,
10:46for generations, for centuries.
10:48And today we see a family
10:50where the houses are broken
10:52for the benefit of cement houses.
10:55While we, at the time,
10:57when we came to the world,
11:00we remember that we were born in these houses,
11:03where they are houses on the ground,
11:06and these are the houses that are cool
11:08during all the seasons.
11:09But today it's a shame to see
11:11that these houses are broken
11:13because they don't have the courage
11:15to make these houses every year.
11:17Even in today's villages,
11:18we notice that the houses on the ground
11:20are broken for the benefit of the houses
11:22that are made of cement,
11:23which are not our traditions,
11:25which are not our culture.
11:26The second circular economy that I want to mention
11:29is the fight against the degradation
11:32of plastic bottles.
11:34Today, more and more,
11:36we see everywhere,
11:37especially in the river,
11:39the river itself is full of plastic bottles,
11:43plastic bags,
11:44and they destroy the environment,
11:46they pollute the environment.
11:47It's really a problem that exists today.
11:50I would like to call on people of goodwill
11:52to be able to clean, sensitize.
11:56Today, as you have noticed,
11:57in all the streets,
12:00the rivers are filled with plastic bags,
12:06plastic bottles.
12:07We have the impression that they are fields,
12:08we have the impression that they are plastics that grow,
12:10they have become like fields,
12:12open-air.
12:13All we can really say today
12:14is to sensitize people.
12:16Don't really throw away these plastic bottles,
12:20plastic bags,
12:22either in the river,
12:23or in the streets.
12:25Photography as a commitment,
12:27Mahalila Bienal of the photo of Bamako
12:30with as a theme,
12:31the word in question.
12:33The theme is therefore very symbolic
12:35in a country that seeks to highlight
12:37its sovereignty and its national story,
12:39Igo Diara.
12:41She also believes that this is precisely
12:42what makes this choice relevant.
12:44It is a fracas or subtlety,
12:46it depends of course on the temperament of each artist
12:49or of each cultural operator.
12:51But I think that the subtle discourse
12:53also has weight as much as the committed discourse.
12:56Freedom of expression goes through
12:58artistic freedom of expression.
13:00And just for fun,
13:01we look right now.
13:05Country invited to honor
13:06the 14th edition
13:07of the African Biennial of Photography
13:09which will last from November 16, 2024
13:12to January 16, 2025.
13:14Morocco has hastened
13:15a strong delegation to Bamako
13:17composed of officials, artists
13:19and art critics.
13:21Traditional partner of this Biennial
13:23through the Royal Air Morocco,
13:25official carrier of artists,
13:27Morocco congratulates itself
13:29on this space of exchange
13:30which allows to discuss
13:32the place and role
13:34of African photography.
13:35The Biennial of Bamako
13:37to open this debate,
13:39this debate around
13:41the African identity,
13:43the history of Africa,
13:45but also the image of art in Africa.
13:49This is what this prestigious platform
13:53allows us to have.
13:56In front of his works,
13:57the Malian photographer,
13:59Seiba Keita,
14:00through his lens,
14:02retraces the condition of women
14:04in his Malenki community,
14:07a community where the word,
14:09the very theme of this edition,
14:11is not always free for women.
14:13In the Malenki community,
14:15women do not have the right to speak.
14:17When you exchange with these women,
14:19during their marriage,
14:20they have jewelry,
14:22animals and many other things,
14:24but they do not have the right to speak.
14:28So we say that women
14:32represent the cornerstone
14:34of our house.
14:35For this 14th edition,
14:37which marks the 30th anniversary of this Biennial,
14:39and to marry the political context,
14:42the organizers wanted
14:44sovereignty to be felt
14:46through the installations.
14:48Under the sign of Malian sovereignty,
14:50because it is a 100% Malian Biennial,
14:52you have seen my motor,
14:54it is made in Guinea,
14:56so we want to give a little more
14:58popular anchorage to the event.
15:02For two months,
15:03more than 80 photographic artists
15:05will amaze the population
15:07with quality clichés
15:09on a dozen exhibition sites.
15:17And right away,
15:18place for the long-awaited
15:19Died Man,
15:20a film inspired by
15:21Yole Soinka,
15:23a Nigerian poet and playwright
15:25born on July 13, 1934
15:27in Abuekuta,
15:29in the state of Obud, Nigeria.
15:31He is particularly recognized
15:32for his use of theater,
15:34poetry and prose
15:36to address issues of politics,
15:38culture and freedom
15:39in African society.
15:41Let's watch an excerpt
15:42from the trailer.
16:02But that would require
16:04placing a hold on secession.
16:06And that is the sticky point, Wole.
16:32Why?
16:48Wole,
16:49speak all the grammar you want,
16:51but this,
16:54this is not the way to go about it.
17:02Supporting the evils against this nation
17:04does not look like a decision
17:06an intelligent Obama like you should make,
17:08because...
17:31Do you know what I see?
17:33I see this nation.
17:36Have you heard the story
17:37about the red ants
17:38and the black ants in the jar?
17:40You know, they're all
17:41going about their business,
17:42you know, doing their thing,
17:44until someone shakes the jar.
17:46And then the ants,
17:47they start to fight each other.
17:49Now, why the red and black ants
17:51are fighting is a secondary issue.
17:53The urgent question is,
17:55who shook the bloody jar?
18:01The Man Who Died
18:11The Man Who Died,
18:12a film inspired by Wallace Winkler,
18:14who has always been
18:15a virulent critic of corruption
18:17and bad governance in Africa,
18:19using his feathers and his voice
18:21to promote human rights
18:23and social justice.
18:25It must be said that his life
18:26and his work are essential
18:28to understand the struggles
18:29and aspirations of African peoples
18:31in 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War.
18:34He was arrested and imprisoned
18:36for 27 months,
18:37most of which in isolation,
18:39for criticizing the actions
18:41of the government.
18:42It is this period of his life
18:43that is related,
18:44in particular,
18:45to a play,
18:46autobiography,
18:47The Man Who Died,
18:48which will be released
18:49on the big screen
18:50in July 2024.
18:52The film explores the themes
18:54of survival, perseverance
18:56and resilience.
18:57It stars Wally Ojo
18:59in the role of Wally Soinka.
19:01The film, directed by Awam Ampka
19:03and produced by Femi,
19:05will be released in July,
19:07coinciding with the 90th anniversary
19:09of Wally Soinka.
19:11The film adaptation of The Man Who Died
19:13features several Hollywood stars,
19:15including Shidi,
19:16Mo Keme,
19:17Sam Dede,
19:18Norbert Jung,
19:19Francis Ornwege
19:21and Edmond Henapé.
19:23It is a film that we will have the pleasure
19:25to watch and analyze with you.
19:34And before we leave,
19:35small stop on the side of Senegal,
19:37which currently hosts
19:39until December 7,
19:40the 15th edition
19:41of the Contemporary Biennale d'Art.
19:43More than a hundred artists
19:45from the continent and the world
19:47are exhibited at the former
19:48Palace of Justice,
19:49but also in several galleries
19:51of Dakar,
19:52Djibril Drame,
19:53notably Senegalese photographers
19:54and one of them
19:55was selected for the Off
19:57and chose, for example,
19:58to exhibit in the open air
19:59on the cornice of the capital.
20:01Four photos,
20:02large format,
20:03four representations
20:04of divas,
20:05singers like Nina Simone,
20:06Hama,
20:07Hata,
20:08Aïdou
20:09and Oum Keltoum
20:10in his exhibition
20:11Forgotten Icons.
20:13The 36-year-old artist
20:15revisits in his own way
20:16the legacy left by these
20:18three legends
20:19and claims
20:20to want to bring his art
20:21to life in the public space.
20:22Here is an example
20:23of an artist
20:24exhibiting until
20:25December 7
20:27at the Contemporary Biennale
20:28of Dakar.
20:29And we have reached
20:30the end of
20:31L'Afrique en Culture.
20:32Thank you for being
20:33with us
20:34and we'll see you
20:35next week.
20:36Until then,
20:37take care.