AlterNativeArt

Jay-Z tore it up at Glastonbury on the weekend, silencing critics such as Noel Gallagher who proceeded to rubbish Jay-z’s selection as the headliner. I read and laughed as people wrote into London papers saying how s**t Jay-Z was. First of all most of these people probably couldn’t distinguish between his songs let alone give any reason for using such derogatory/ strong language other that ‘Money, Ho’s and Clothes’ and in Jigga’s words ‘What kind of facts are those?’ Even if you don’t listen to a certain type of music is it right to say it is s**t, I mean a multi-platinum artist like Jay Z???? Most of the bands that play Glastonbury seem only to be big in this little island called the UK and could no way compete in terms of fans or records sold. I mean I understand the festival is meant to be about guitar bands but what about sheer entertainment and showmanship? Well I guessed Jigga showed up and showed off! Now I am no whelly wearer or a camp out side for a gig type of girl but the pr...

April 2—June 29, 2008 Image: Dawit L. Petros, Proposition 1: Mountain, 2007 Flow is the first twenty-first century exhibition focusing on art by a new generation of international artists from Africa. These artists are uniquely conscious of, and responsive to, recent African history, global economics and the idiosyncratic culture of the new millennium. Presenting approximately seventy-five works in all media by approximately twenty emerging international artists under the age of forty, this exhibition will feature models of imaginary architecture, wall sculptures of beads and decorative elements, digital photography, new video, paintings and site specific installations, among other media. The artists, who hail from eleven African nations, reside mainly in Europe and North America and travel to and from Africa regularly. The majority of them have never been included in major U.S. museum exhibitions and are virtually unknown in this country. Modeled after Freestyle, our landmark 2001 exhi...

Original article found at: http://www.frieze.com/comment/article/weighing_the_africa_in_south_africa/ Opinion The morning papers on May 19 recorded a grim scene. A young Mozambican man was pictured on hands and knees, his body engulfed by flames. Set upon by a group of South African youths, the unidentified man had been stabbed and severely beaten before being set alight. Taken in Ramaphosa, an impoverished settlement east of Johannesburg, the photograph forms part of a mosaic of news photographs documenting the ruthless wave of attacks targeting African immigrants resident in South Africa’s townships. Five days after the publication of the Ramaphosa photograph, the deceased man’s identity remained a mystery. On Friday May 23, Johannesburg’s The Star newspaper attempted to honour the man’s life with an obituary, of sorts. ‘They called him Mugza,’ read the front-page headline. The narration was sparse: the man had shared a shack with another Mozambican man, also murdered; the two had o...

The performance was originally featured in the Lift Festival in Stratford and now they are back for a second showing: Theatre Royal Stratford East's Young Actors Company present the story of Jamie Lee, former tough girl in her neighbourhood, who struggles to make a new start while her old mates are involved on the fringes of crime. Running for 2 performances only on Wednesday 2nd July and Thursday 3rd July at 8pm SPEAK tells East London stories that need to be heard. You can book your tickets online at http://www.stratfordeast.com/ or by calling: 02085340310. Tickets are just £6 or £4 for concessions. If you're booking as a group then we can offer 1 free ticket for every 10 purchased. Don't miss this exciting opportunity to see some of the finest young talent Stratford has to offer. I really enjoyed the production and would recommend you go and see it, especially if you have/ are a young person who is dealing with some of the themes in the performance.

This Day (Lagos) Original article from: http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200806230421.html Naomi Campbell: "It is fantastic that THISDAY and Mr Obaigbena are helping improve the positive awareness of Africa as too many people have stereotypical and negative views of the Continent. He obviously had a remarkable vision, a real passion and a special message... The more I found out about his mission to promote positivity and understanding, the more I wanted to be involved going forward with the 'Africa Rising' Festival" GA_googleFillSlot("AllAfrica_Other_Inset"); Nduka Obaigbena: "Right now the international community seems to be dealing with the symptoms not the problems of Africa. The symptoms are poverty and disease, but the problem is lack of social and physical infrastructure. This initiative is to highlight the need to focus sustainable solutions on the problems through massive investment in infrastructure and microfinance in order to rebuild Af...

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Guffaw with God…Four Monks And A Nun return with a new show! ”beautifully performed sketches" The London Lite "A show not to be missed” The Link Are these Christians really funny? Or do they deserve to be thrown to the lions? Only one way to find out...come along. See free sketches at: http://www.myspace.com/fourmonksandanun 25 July 2008 at 7:30pm tickets £7.50

Original article can be found: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/2162846/Italian-Vogue-shows-black-models-only.html Italian Vogue has used only black models for the July issue of the magazine, in a statement against discrimination in the fashion world. More than 100 pages of the issue, including the cover, will feature images of black women taken by the acclaimed New York based photographer Steven Meisel. The pictures will be accompanied by articles on successful black women in arts and entertainment. The move is in reaction to recent anger over the reluctance of fashion magazines to feature black models on their covers. Many industry insiders claim black girls are not used because they just "do not sell". Leading black figures, including models, designers and agents, have now formed a protest group in New York to highlight the problem of racism in the industry. Italian Vogue's editor, Franca Sozzani, said her decision was influenced by the New York g...

Ok so my guilty pleasure is by far contemporary Nigerian music, I just can't help myself- IM OBSESSED! I have decided to pretend I am posting this to promote Made Magazine- Nigeria's answer to GQ magazine, and not putting it up so that I can play it with out having to do a tedious search on Youtube. http://mademags.com/#

Most of the oil in Nigeria comes from the delta area, I spoke about the exhibition at CCA Lagos that I attended on the issue. The issues with crime and fraud started with low amount of money being fed back into the communities and poverty increasing. HOWEVER growing up in the UK I have never felt so afraid of being here in all my life. I feel like the fear epidemic has caught up to me and I literally feel the tension with every step I take. SO as I count down to my move to Nigeria for a one year residency I am preparing to put together some work on migration and on identity. I found this video very interesting as a Nigerian / Black-British-African or what ever box I have to tick. Hope it encourages and challenges you either as artists or as individuals to highlight these type of isssues in your work.

Thursday 26 June, 7-8.30pm Venue: Rivington Place , London, EC2A 3BA Andrew Esiebo, Mahmoud Khaled and Goddy Leye join Gasworks' Residencies Curator Mia Jankowicz for a panel discussion. The discussion will reflect on the artists' projects and working approaches, while the practical hurdles - from visa difficulties to working with their subjects of interest – will be drawn upon as a source of reflection on internationalised and residency practice. Their residency forms part of an exchange in which three UK artists have taken up residencies at institutions in South Africa and Kenya through Triangle Arts Trust . Admission is free, however as capacity is limited booking is essential. To book, phone 020 7749 1240 or email: bookings@rivingtonplace.org

23rd June 2008, 7pm Nigerian artist Andrew Esiebo , currently on an artist residency in London co-hosted by Gasworks and The Photographers' Gallery, will be speaking about his participation in Black Box, a photography collective in Nigeria and his work in London. He will be In Conversation with Nilu Izadi from Photodebut. Free, booking required To book please contact the Information Desk on 020 7831 1772, or email info@photonet.org.uk

The Lift Festival Stratford opened on Thursday night with a house warming party complete with Chinese food, wine and live music. The event saw the return of Lift to it's roots of producing an International Theatre Festival, which it has not produced since 2001. It also saw the opening of their new mobile venue The Lift. The building is quite pleasing to the eye, almost tipi like in structure with a multi-coloured based design over a white backdrop. The structure houses a screen, devoted to a film on how the lift was made and two much larger indoor and outdoor screens. A stage has also been built which continues to platform established and emerging artist throughout the festival. The event makes use of both Stratford Circus Theatre and Theatre Royal Stratford East, the later showcasing the fantastic Dangalnama. Dangalnama is a gripping account of sectarian rioting in India since the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Performed in five languages, with English subtitles the piece...

After spending time with the I am a Think Tank project I feel it is only right to promote Art Activism by directing you to a post from the Guardian Blog, around successful protest! How to Protest- and Survive A poorly planned boycott is pointless, while a badly worded banner can land you in the cells. In this extract from her new book, Bibi van der Zee explains how to campaign effectively - without falling foul of the law Bibi van der Zee The Guardian , Thursday June 5 2008 Article history Direct action Campaigns against the over-packaging of food have jolted supermarkets into acknowledging the need for change, while campaigns against the growth in aviation have kept airlines and the emissions in the headlines. In Wales and the west of Ireland, new gas pipelines have been the subject of unwanted attention. Direct action, done well, is probably one of the best ways of raising awareness and even getting a final concession. Many of these actions have involved breaking the law: criminal da...

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF CELEBRATING AFRICAN DANCE THIS SUMMER AT FESTIVALS AROUND LONDON. BEGINNING IN JULY 2008. THE FEMALE DANCER MUST BE COMMITTED, ENTHUSIATIC ABOUT DANCE AND WILLING TO ATTEND REHEARSALS WHEN REQUIRED AND MOST IMPORTANTLY BE FAMILIAR WITH AFRICAN DANCE STYLES REHEARSALS WILL BE IN THE EVENING AND/OR WEEKENDS. THE PAYMENT WILL INCLUDE REHEARSAL TIME. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AN AUDITION PLEASE SEND INTEREST, CV, PICS AND OTHER INFO ASAP TO: oshunniyibose@aol.com

I found this article from Essence.com interesting: They Weren’t Talking About Me Blogger Gina McCauley tells why she used to dance to degrading rap lyrics—and what made her stop Growing up in the South, I’ve always had a firm grasp on racism. It meant the loss of life, like that of Loyal Garner, Jr., a Black man who was beaten to death while in police custody up the road from me in Hemphill, Texas, when I was 12. Racism had consequences that were concrete and tangible. Sexism, on the other hand, was a fuzzier concept. I viewed it as a mild annoyance. Sexism in hip-hop wasn’t a threat to me when I was growing up because the music was different then. When we danced to “Parents Just Don’t Understand” or “U Can’t Touch This,” we were all invited; the girls were more than mere party favors. The group 2 Live Crew, best known for the hit “Me So Horny,” was considered controversial. So I kept dancing, even as misogynistic lyrics and images crept into the mainstream. When Dre rhymed that “bitch...