Media + Research

Lacina Coulibaly, a cloud burst of water and light in "VinNem," MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA: a story of an art form in four acts.

Nora Chipaumire, as her father in the film NORA, lies in stillness as flowers fall around her.

Souleymane Badolo, in NORA, as the policeman who attempts, but fails, to remove young Nora and her brother from their home.

Souleymane Badolo, in NORA, wooing the heart of Nora with flowers and poetry.

Beatrice Kombé & Nadia Beugré performing "Geeme" ("Together"), in MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA: a story of an art form in four acts.

Nora Chipaumire returns to the red clay and vast sky of her Zimbabwean youth: the opening shot of NORA.

In an echo of her childhood, Nelisiwe Xaba performs a pas de deux with her doll, "Debonee," in "Correspondances," VOICES OF STRENGTH.

Kettly Noel in a riveting moment of "Correspondances," VOICES OF STRENGTH.

Voices of Strength (2012)

Inspired by conversations with, and work created by, contemporary women choreographers living and working on the African Continent, Voices of Strength, was curated by the Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium as a mini-festival featuring four different performance pieces. The festival toured the United States including: Dance Center at Columbia College (Chicago, IL), New York Live Arts (New York, NY), Seattle Theatre Group (Seattle, WA), The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts (Washington, DC), The Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA). In addition to performances, MAPP International arranged for master classes and workshops, and lecture demonstrations. In its taped interviews and essay, the Center for World Arts contextualized and introduced these voices to new audiences. The works included: Correspondances, a duet created by Kettly Noël (Mali & Haiti) and Nelisiwe Xaba (South Africa), Madame Plaza, a group work by Bouchra Ouizguen, Sombra, a solo by Maria Helena Pinto (Mozambique); and Quartiers Libres, a solo by Nadia Beugré (Côte d'Ivoire). The artists' dance-theatre works, transposed traditions into cutting-edge performances reflecting satirically on cultural conventions, unpacking complex political and social themes, to embody women's struggles for empowerment with humor, poignancy, and courage.

Building Enduring Partnerships (2011)

Click here to read Building Enduring Partnerships by Joan Frosch.

Dialogues Across Culture: A Model for Building Enduring Partnerships (2011)
The video is a companion piece to "Building Enduring Partnerships" and introduces the work of a selection of artists discussed. The video was screened during the two-day symposium Dialogues Across Culture: A Model for Building Enduring Partnerships, presented by MAPP International Productions and The Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium (TACAC) in partnership with the Museum for African Art, Institute of African Studies Columbia University, and the George Clement Bond Center for African Education, Teachers College, Columbia University. To view the video, click here.

NORA (2008)
“Nora” is based on true stories of the dancer Nora Chipaumire, who was born in Zimbabwe in 1965. In the film, Nora returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly-moving poem of sound and image. The result is a film about family dramas, difficult love affairs and militant politics, which moves back and forth between the comic and the tragic, the joyful and the mournful. It is a film about a girl who is constantly embattled - struggling against all kinds of intimidation and violence - but who slowly gathers strength, pride and independence. Shot entirely on location in Southern Africa, “Nora” includes a multitude of local performers and dancers of all ages, from young schoolchildren to ancient grandmothers, and much of the music is specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music - Thomas Mapfumo. To view the trailer of the film, click here.

Movement (R)evolution Africa (2007)
In an astonishing exposition of choreographic fomentation, nine African choreographers from Senegal to South Africa tell the stories of an emergent art form and their diverse and deeply contemporary expressions of self. Stunning choreography and riveting critiques challenge stale stereotypes of “traditional Africa” to unveil soul-shaking responses to the beauty and tragedy of 21st century Africa. Among the artists appearing in the film are Company Kongo Ba Téria(Burkina Faso), Faustin Linyekula and Studios Kabako (Democratic Republic of Congo), Company Rary (Madagascar), Sello Pesa (South Africa), Company TchéTché (Côte d'Ivoire), Company Raiz di Polon (Cape Verde), Company Jant Bi (Senegal) and Kota Yamazaki (Japan), Nora Chipaumire (Zimbabwe), Jawole Willa Jo Zollar and members of Urban Bush Women (USA). This feature-length documentary is produced and directed by Joan Frosch and co-directed and edited by Alla Kovgan. To view the trailer of the film, click here.