“Don’t you know you’re talking about a revolution, it sounds like a whisper” – Tracy Chapman
“A revolution is never a blast. It starts without even telling its name. Discussions in bars, private homes… People whisper. Without that whispering, which is a kind of a silence, it would not succeed. Revolution also as a notion of return. Not in a Nietzschean sense, but like in the movement of earth revolving. It is not necessarily something that makes empires fall. It may be something very intimate and personal. But it announces changes. After the whisper, the action. People should concentrate more on the whisper.”
This is the framework that our advisor Simon Njami gave to the next chapter of AtWork’s journey. It will take place in Harare, Zimbabwe on July 26-30, implemented in partnership with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe and the curatorial team of Raphael Chikukwa. The workshop will be led by the renowned South African photographer Andrew Tshabangu. Tshabangu’s works have been exhibited at various international venues and festivals, including The Divine Comedy group exhibition curated by Simon Njami. Andrew came into contact with AtWork last December during Addis Foto Fest and we are excited to be collaborating with him for this new Harare chapter.
Tshabangu will conduct the 26 young Zimbabwean artists and art students through the AtWork process, diving into the social and more intimate dimensions of the workshop’s theme: “Can revolution be a whisper?” As a result of the discussion each participant will “whisper” their personal artistic interpretation of the process on a Moleskine notebook, which will be exhibited later in the year at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe.
AtWork format will be part of the celebration of the 60th Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, which for this occasion is presenting a one-year extended program promoting art and education in Zimbabwe and supporting both cultural heritage and contemporary development.
26 notebooks, 26 stories, 26 personal revolutions. “Finally the tables are starting to turn” sings Tracy Chapman. And we can’t wait to see this action and the results that the new generation of the Zimbabwean thinkers and creators will share with us through their AtWork experience.
Claude Bunny Massassa is a contemporary artist from Gabon. She created Bunny Studio in 2016, a start-up dedicated to photography production, which became DWABI Studio in 2021. As an artist, she has represented Gabon in many international exhibitions in Senegal, Uganda, France, the United States, and Italy. In her art, she denounces social stigmas around issues of identity and mental health, and explores themes of traditions and myths.
Executive Director Kimberly Aceves- Iñiguez has been passionately committed for over 20 years to social justice organizing and advocacy efforts that bring voice and power to youth, LGBTQ people, people of color, and working-class communities in the Bay Area. Before coming on as the Executive Director for RYSE, Kimberly served as the Executive Director for Youth Together, the founding organization of the RYSE Center.
Kanwarpal Dhaliwal is one of the co-founders of RYSE and currently acts as the Associate Director. She supports and guides the implementation and integration of healing-centered practices, grounded in racial justice and liberation, and also develops, promotes, and advocates for policies, investments, practices, and research that enliven healing, justice, and liberation. Kanwarpal believes that the purpose of her work and life is to contribute to movements, communities, and legacies of liberation that honor the ancestors who fought for her existence and survival, and to forge a world that is just and gentle for future generations.
Sagal Ali is the founder and executive director of SAF. After a few years in her career in heritage protection in the cultural sector, she decided to develop the initiative to directly support young creatives in Somalia by launching her own foundation. She hopes to bridge the social gaps and inequalities women face in Somalia, both in society and in the arts scene.
Co-founders Catherine Dunga and Marleen Palmaers created Kitambo to bridge the gap between the African diaspora in Colombia and the narratives from the continent. From Kinshasa and Antwerp respectively, they work to connect African artists from the continent and their peers from the Colombian diaspora.
Martha Kazungu is a curator, art Historian and Founder of Njabala Foundation, an organization that curates periodic exhibitions and organizes a public program of activities to create a safe space for female artists to thrive and blossom.
Alicia Hansen is a photographer and teacher from New York. She founded NYC SALT in 2008 and, beyond teaching valuable creative skills to her students, has developed a long-term support system to uplift them through school and into their early artistic careers.
