For many years we have been participating to the cultural life of the African continent: we have been meeting people, getting to know organizations, co-creating initiatives, telling stories and partaking in experiences that, in time, change places and communities, and the ways people interact with each other and perceive the reality around them. And not only that. Every day we read, research and try to intersect the flow of new and antique knowledge that comes from Africa and enters the circulation of the world’s network. This knowledge is probably the biggest asset of lettera27. It has been stimulating and enriching us, always changing the way we see things. So at some point it was only natural to pose ourselves a question as to how we can share and give value to this heritage of dynamic and ever-evolving knowledge. This question inspired and informed a lot of our activities, with which we are trying to aggregate and disseminate contents, debates, events and various critical points of view.
To this day the strongest and purest answer to this question has come in a form of another question: Why Africa?. An open question, sometimes contradictory, which constantly raises other questions and amplifies the possible answers. Why Africa? is an idea conceived by lettera27, which took shape of an editorial column on Doppiozero, our partner on various initiatives. The column has grown thanks to the constant dialogue with Doppiozero’s editorial team. Every month this thought container has been acquiring more defined contours and has been opening new lines of thought, enriching it with new authors and ideas. It has sparked debates and inspired poetic, personal and intimate thoughts. It has even conquered the fondness of those who were initially sceptical and have given us a non-response…
A few weeks ago this space has opened a new window to the world: Doppiozero has launched its International version. From now on every week you can read Why Africa? articles and a selection of Doppiozero’s content on art, culture, literature, music, cinema and philosophy that they have published in the recent years and that is now translated in English. It is yet another way to share knowledge and engage larger and more diverse audiences in a critical debate.
We start with a piece that launched our column a year ago. Do you remember it? A number of authors and influences of the African and international cultural scene have responded to our question Why Africa?Followed by The mother of all dances, one of the most read and loved pieces of our column, in which Simon Njami takes us on his personal journey between lights and shadows that the word Africa evokes. This week Doppiozero International re-publishes two articles that elaborate on the themes of migration, geography and boundaries. The first one is a dialogue between Dagmawi Yimer, film director and a member of Archivio delle Memorie Migranti, and Gabriele del Grande, co-author of On the Bride’s Side, the documentary that following its huge success in Italy and all over the world will be presented on October 15th in London. Together with this double interview we suggest you to read a beautiful piece by Roberto Casati, who questions the conventional ways of looking at geography, which also symbolize the ways of defining the boundaries between cultures and human beings. What if we looked at the world map from a different perspective? Why not try to draw different trajectories and invent new continents?
We leave you to read or enjoy re-reading the pieces in this new space of thoughts and ideas that is called Doppiozero International.
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.
