The 33rd FESCAAAL will host the seventh edition of Africa Talks entitled Visual Africa: creativity, prospects and changes in the visual arts, a special event organized and promoted by Associazione COE and Fondazione EDU. This edition will delve into the new trends in the African artistic landscape, exploring how visual arts can challenge and redefine stereotypes about the continent.

Since 2017, the Africa Talks format has investigated trends and opportunities that are revolutionizing various sectors in Africa to actively contribute to the continent’s future economic development. Every year, the event features a round table discussion with international experts and speakers, followed by a special screening of a themed film selected in the FESCAAAL program.

The seventh edition returns to portray Africa, this time focusing on the importance and impact of visual arts in redefining the continent’s image.

Following the free screening of Over the Bridge (2023) by Tolu Ajayi.

How to participate

The event will take place on May 7th, 2024 at h. 6.30pm at Cineteca Milano Arlecchino in Milan.

At h. 8.00pm, buffet.

Followed by the screening of the film Over the Bridge at h. 9.00pm 21.00

Admission is free until seats are filled. Please note that the film is only available in the cinema.

Speakers

At Africa Talks 2024, four international guests from the continent or from the diaspora will help us to get to know some expressive forms of the visual arts of contemporary Africa.

The Film

Over the Bridge by Tolu Ajayi | Nigeria | 2023 | 99′

Businessmen in modern Lagos. Folarin Marinho can consider himself a lucky man: a gorgeous wife, a highly successful career as an Investment Banker and all the trappings of wealth and power. His intentions are grand and noble: “A level playing ground for all” is his mantra. But, the road to hell is often paved with good intentions and Folarin is breaking down under the pressure of an increasingly corrupt and ruthless society. The cast includes the Nigerian stars Ozzy Agu and Segilola Ogidan.

Creativity, prospects and changes in visual arts
(by Maria Pia Bernardoni)

For some years now, the art world’s attention has concentrated on production from the African continent. Many artists and works have achieved international fame through the opportunities of cultural exchange offered by international fairs and festivals. Thanks also to the new means of communication and sharing on social media, young creatives and artists can also present and make their work known at global level and consequently influence other artists all over the world. In this context, the visual arts have played a preponderant role, giving rise to a creative movement that has involved not only the artistic sphere but also graphic design, cinema, virtual design, and fashion.

These artists do not merely reproduce the clichés of traditional African art but seek to explore new forms of expression and deal with contemporary topics such as globalization, urbanization and identity. Contemporary African visual art often has to face the question of representation of the stereotypes linked to the African continent, mainly perpetuated from external viewpoints. Contemporary African artists try to challenge and debunk these stereotypes through their works, reasserting the complexity and diversity of the continent’s cultures The works of contemporary African visual art question the dominant narrations and offer alternative points of view, inviting the public to reflect critically on the prejudices and reductive visions that dominate the global imagination.

In this context, contemporary visual art plays a crucial role in promoting greater awareness and understanding of the complexity and wealth of African cultures, contributing to challenging and deconstructing preconceptions commonplace ideas which often characterize the representation of Africa in the global context.