Tuesday, February 12, 2002
6:30pm, free
Donnell Library, 20 W. 53rd St., Manhattan
Issues in Contemporary African Art
Exhibition curator Okwui Enwezor, art historian Salah Hassan, artist Yinka Shonibare, and Ethiopan curator Meskerem Assegued discuss trends in contemporary African art.

Saturday, February 23, 2002
3pm, free
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
The Short Century Music Series
Contemporary Musicians Respond: Val Jeanty
On the occasion of the current exhibition on view at P.S.1, "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994," a four-part series of musical performances takes place in the museum’s café space. This series points to the ways in which contemporary musicians in New York are working with African song, sound structures, instruments, and traditions. Each performance represents a "response" to the exhibition: the exhibition’s focus on contemporary African culture is extended to include a glimpse at what Africa means to emerging New York composers and musicians.
Experimental electronic musician Val Jeanty presents ambient Afro-Haitian percussion and live electronica..

Thursday, March 7, 2002
7pm, free
New York University’s Tishman Auditorium
40 Washington Square South, Manhattan
The Congo: a Witness to African History
African writers, historians, and sociologists discuss issues relating to Pan-Africanism and the federation of African States, using the Congo's liberation movement as a starting point.
Panelists to date: Guy Martin, visiting associate professor of Africana Studies, New York University and Elisabeth Mudimbe-Boyi, associate professor of French & comparative literature, Stanford University.   Additonal panelists to be announced.

Friday, March 15, 2002
8pm, pay what you wish
Titus 1 Theater, The Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan
Film in Africa
MoMA Film Curator Laurence Kardish is joined by Tunisian filmmaker and critic Férid Boughedir and by Director and Founder of "African Diaspora Images" Pearl Bowser in a discussion on the trends in contemporary African film and a screening of Ousmane Sembène’s first film, “Boron Sarret.” (1963, 20 min)

Saturday, March 16, 2002
3pm, free
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
The Short Century Music Series
Contemporary Musicians Respond: Lukas Ligeti and guests
On the occasion of the current exhibition on view at P.S.1, "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994," a four-part series of musical performances takes place in the museum’s café space. This series points to the ways in which contemporary musicians in New York are working with African song, sound structures, instruments, and traditions. Each performance represents a "response" to the exhibition: the exhibition’s focus on contemporary African culture is extended to include a glimpse at what Africa means to emerging New York composers and musicians.
Abdoulaye Diabaté (Buru Djoss): voice, guitar
Lukas Ligeti: electronic percussion
Maï Lingani: voice
Dafna Naphtali: voice, computer processing

Thursday, March 21, 2002
7pm, free
New York University’s Tishman Auditorium
40 Washington Square South, Manhattan
Africa, New York: a Discussion with Africans and African-Americans in New York
Community leaders, artists, and academics discuss globalization trends and African/American relationships to New York City.
Panelists to date: Rashidah Ismaili Abubakr, social activist, Sylviane Diouf, writer and historian, and Mamadou Niang, television journalist and writer. Additional panelists to be announced.

Saturday, April 6, 2002
3pm, free
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
The Short Century Music Series
Contemporary Musicians Respond: DJ Mutamassik
On the occasion of the current exhibition on view at P.S.1, "The Short Century: Independence and Liberation Movements in Africa, 1945-1994," a four-part series of musical performances takes place in the museum’s café space. This series points to the ways in which contemporary musicians in New York are working with African song, sound structures, instruments, and traditions. Each performance represents a "response" to the exhibition: the exhibition’s focus on contemporary African culture is extended to include a glimpse at what Africa means to emerging New York composers and musicians.
DJ Mutamassik (meaning "stronghold" or "tenacity" in arabic) joins traditional Egyptian and contemporary electronic sounds to create unique reconfigurations of African music. She is a producer and dj originating the Sa’aidi Hardcore & Baladi Breakbeats styles: Egyptian & Afro-oriental Roots mixed with the head-nod of hip-hop & the bass and syncopation of hardstep.  She has played with artists such as Arto Lindsay; Butch Morris, Vernon Reid; Joan Osborne and  performs widely in the United States, Europe, and Africa.  Her debut solo album is scheduled to be released soon.

Saturday, April 6, 2002
5pm - 9pm, free
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Afro-Beat Dance Party with DJ Rich Medina
Organized by Jump'n'Funk, this event brings the very popular monthly Afro-Beat party, which usually takes place at the Manhattan club SHINE, to P.S.1 for a celebration of African music within the context of The Short Century.  The museum will stay open until 9pm, and drinks will be served. 

Saturday, April 27, 2002
2-6pm, free
P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Freedom Day Celebration: Dorothy Masuku
April 27th is South African Liberation Day, and this event marks the closing of the exhibition on May 5th and the last colony - South Africa -  to acheive independence.
Co-organized with CrossPath Culture, this event features one of the most significant and popular musicians from Africa, Dorothy Masuku.  Masuka was born in Zimbabwe but soon moved to South Africa, where she met and worked with Miriam Makeba during the 1950s.   She released many top selling records and singles which brought her wide international recognition.
DJ Fumi and drummer Djo Bi Irrie Simon will open the concert event

Saturday, May 4, 2002
7pm
New York University’s Tishman Auditorium
40 Washington Square South, Manhattan
Chinua Achebe
The prominent Nigerian-born novelist Chinua Achebe discusses his work in the context of the history of African liberation.

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Related Exhibitions and Events at The Studio Museum in Harlem

The Studio Museum in Harlem, January 23 - March 31, 2002
Yinka Shonibare
The Studio Museum presents an installation of works by Yinka Shonibare, curated by Thelma Golden. Shonibare, who lives and works in London, grew up in Nigeria and the UK. Juxtaposing themes of colonialism and post-colonialism, he merges irony with the widely accepted stereotypes of 'high art' and 'low art' and the opposition between 'Britishness' and 'Africanness.' Shonibare's sculptures, installations, and photographs, employing African motifs integrated into Victorian scenes and western modes, are documents of paradoxes invoking an investigation of Black British experiences and the larger dialogue on the African disapora and its relationship to Africa.

Africaine: Candice Breitz, Wangechi Mutu, Tracey Rose and Fatimah Tuggar
Africaine, curated by Christine Y. Kim, presents a selection of works by four African artists living and working in the US and abroad. These photo-based works examine the presence and position of the African female body in popular European, American and global imagery.

Monday, February 11, 2002
7pm
The Studio Museum in Harlem
The Artist’s Voice
Yinka Shonibare discusses his work.

Tuesday, March 19, 2002
7pm
The Studio Museum in Harlem
The Artist’s Voice
Wangechi Mutu and Fatimah Tuggar discuss their work.