CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTS - Royal African Society

Nakhane performing at Film Africa 2017 - London, UK. Credit: Amos Ruiz.97% of our audience respondents value the importanceof contemporary African arts and culture. The majority(63% and 88% for YouGov and audience respondentsrespectively) also agree that contemporary Africanarts and culture are not just for Africans or people ofAfrican descent.those arts programmers who may not be so familiarwith contemporary African work. That is why we havedevoted the second part of this report to sharing insightsand reflections by experienced arts practitioners – themajority of whom are African – which we hope willserve as a useful starting point.This is an encouraging finding for us to continue thework we are doing. It also confirms our belief that thereis an opportunity for building contemporary Africanarts programmes for all audiences – not just for theAfrican diaspora, though the latter will always be a keyinterested audience.CONTEXT: THE CASE FOR DIVERSIFYING THE UK’SCULTURAL OFFERConversely, it can be argued that there is an opportunityfor building African diaspora and other underrepresentedaudiences for all contemporary arts programmes. Thiswould mean moving to a more inclusive and diversearts programming landscape, which – accompanied byinnovative audience development strategies – wouldattract similarly diverse audiences.We appreciate this is not a simple task, especially for1Next ten-year strategy: Evidence Review, Arts Council England, 2018.It has been widely documented that lack of access,diversity and representation are key issues facing theUK’s cultural and creative industries today and thatinequalities persist throughout British society. Researchby the Arts Council shows that individuals from BAMEcommunities and lower socio-economic backgroundsare less likely to engage with arts and culture thanthose from wealthier, white backgrounds.1People of colour also continue to be underrepresentedin the cultural sector. In publishing, for example,only 8% of people in the industry are from a BAME9

background2 compared to the 16% percentage of thetotal working age population of England.3 With thelong-term trend towards greater ethnic diversity in theUK, there is an urgent need to increase and improve therepresentation of different communities in our culturalprogramming and to expand access for everyone.WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVEWe hope this report will support UK-based programmersin their endeavour to navigate the African creativesectors and will ultimately lead to a greater quality andquantity of African artists being able to share their workwith UK audiences. We also hope it will support Africabased programmers and creatives by shining a light onopportunities for collaboration and connection, bothwithin the continent and internationally. More broadly,we hope the report will prove useful to anyone interestedin African arts and culture, sparking conversations andgenerating further interest amongst the wider public.23The findings and insights from this research will serveas an evidence base for the continuation of the RoyalAfrican Society’s cultural work through Africa Writesand Film Africa, informing the development of boththese festivals into wider arts programmes.CALL TO ACTIONThe results of our research are a clear call to action topresent more audience-led contemporary African artsprogrammes in the UK, based on strong collaborationswith artists and programmers on the continent. Artsvenues, programmers and curators can and should domore on this front and we hope this report serves asa useful resource and enabler for this positive culturalshift.Sheila RuizDeputy DirectorRoyal African SocietyWriting the Future, Spread the Word, 2015.Annual Population Survey 2017/18, Office of National Statistics.How you can help and get involvedThe Royal African Society welcomes your comments and feedback on this report, as wellas ideas for collaborative partnerships around our cultural and education programmes.We are a small charity pursuing a mission of promoting Africa in the UK, providingopportunities for people to connect, celebrate and engage critically with a wide range oftopics and ideas from and about the continent, spanning history and politics through tobusiness, arts and culture.We can only continue our work with the support of our members, partners and funders. Ifyou are an individual or company interested in Africa, we would love for you to becomea member. We offer individual, student and corporate membership packages. We alsowelcome partnerships with organisations in the UK, Africa and internationally whichshare our values and objectives. Through our partnerships we aim to increase the impactof our work and that of our partners’ whilst achieving mutually beneficial objectives. Wewould especially welcome business support through our corporate partnerships. If youmight like to join our membership or support us in any way, please get in touch.10

4/ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis report was researched and compiled by Sheila Ruiz, CaitlinPearson and Marcelle Mateki Akita of the Royal African Society,with substantial input from senior members of the BritishCouncil’s Sub Saharan Arts team. Our most appreciative thanksto all our interviewees and essay contributors, to those who tookpart in our consultative workshop and those who contributed tothis report in other ways: Baff Akoto, Debo Amon, Sammy Awami,Sharmilla Beezmohun, Heather Benson, Thomas Joshua BrookeBullard, Joanna Brown, Nadia Denton, Touria El Glaoui, CarolyneHill, Evan Ifekoya, Nike Jonah, Wanuri Kahiu, Mabel Kebirungi,Molemo Moiloa, Yemisi Mokuolu, Linda Mukangoga, FredrickMolin, Zaahida Nabagereka, Mercy Nabirye, Muthoni Ndonga,Nana Ocran, Lizzie Orekoya, Nadine Patel, Olumide Popoola, TomPorter, Adam Rodgers Johns, Wesley Ruzibiza, Patrick Sam, LolaShoneyin, Nolan Stevens, Shayne Tshabalala, Kenneth UlumuyiwaTharp, Kate Wallis and James Wan. Design by D237.Sheila RuizDeputy DirectorCaitlin PearsonFundraising ManagerMarcelle Mateki AkitaProject Co-ordinatorSource by Daniela Yohannes. Image courtesy of the artist11

5/ METHODOLOGYRESEARCH METHODSWe employed a mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods in preparation for this report, includingsurveys, interviews, commissioned essays and desk-based research.SURVEYSThe statistical audience data presented in this reportwas the result of an analysis of two public surveysconducted between October 2018 and January 2019.We conducted surveys with two main groups to findout about people’s perceptions and knowledge ofcontemporary African arts and culture, how theycurrently engage, and what prevents them fromengaging.The first survey was conducted by YouGov Plc throughtheir daily Omnibus online survey of a nationallyrepresentative sample of 2,000 British adults. Thetotal sample size was 2036 adults. The figures havebeen weighted and are representative of all Britishadults aged 18 . The second survey was conducted byourselves and data partners Survey54 through an onlinecampaign. It included 308 adults, the majority of whomwere based in London. Given the significant variation insample sizes and demographics, the comparison shouldbe taken as indicative rather than representative.However a comparative analysis does yield usefulinsights. You may read more on our research findingson pages 16-21.allowing us to build a substantial body of knowledgeon the subject.We held a consultative workshop with 15 Londonbased arts practitioners to working on contemporaryAfrican arts to present some of our initial findings andgather more insight, which fed into the overall report.The majority of contributors were African or of Africanheritage and they represented the following countries:Germany, Ghana, DRC, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia,Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda and the UK.ESSAYSThe report includes three commissioned essays toenhance and reflect on our research findings, includingan essay on audience development in the UK, a casestudy of contemporary arts festivals in Senegal, andreflections on Black Europe by an ‘Afropean’.BACKGROUND RESEARCHIf you would like to access our research data, pleaseemail ras@soas.ac.uk.We conducted desk-based research on existingpublications relating to our research areas, some ofwhich are included as resources for further reading.The research on contemporary African arts festivals andinitiatives was based on existing knowledge of bothorganisations and supplemented by the British Council.INTERVIEWS & CONSULTATIONSCOPE & LIMITATIONSWe conducted interviews with 16 cultural leaders whokindly shared their expertise and insights on the threekey areas of focus – programming, collaborations andaudience development. Interviewees also provided uswith their views on the future direction of contemporaryAfrican arts and culture, highlighting challenges andopportunities, emerging talent and trends to watch,12DEFINING ‘CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ARTS ANDCULTURE’Contemporary African arts and culture may meandifferent things to different people. We understand theterms are contested, both individually and collectively,and have been interrogated by artists and academics

Jalada Africa workshop, 2017 - Musanze, Rwanda. Credit: Caitlin Pearson.alike for decades. We tried to arrive at a broad andinclusive definition, which was also clear and timebound, so that our survey respondents and reportcontributors understood we were concerned with thepresent-day cultural production of African and Africandiaspora creatives. The definition we used was as follows:By ‘contemporary African arts and culture’ wemean the creative works, such as film, literature,music, dance, theatre, visual arts, fashion,SURVEY GROUPS AND DEMOGRAPHICSOur research focuses on the ethnic and cultural diversity ofthe existing audiences for contemporary African arts andculture. Our survey respondents were segmented by theirself-identified ethnicity based on current terminologyset by the Office of National Statistics. Correlations andintersections between ethnicity, social class, gender, age,disability and sexual orientation are not explored in thisreport and warrant further investigation.architecture and design, originating from AfricaCONTENT AND CONTRIBUTORSwithin the last 50 years (i.e. since 1968).This report is not intended as a comprehensive reviewof all contemporary African arts programmes andartistic collaborations taking place between the UK andAfrica today. The insights offered by the contributorson best practice programming, successful internationalcollaborations and audience development strategiesoffer a snap shot of current thinking on the subject.Though the report covers the spectrum of contemporaryAfrican arts, the research does not cover sector specificquestions. Lastly, it must be noted that our range ofcontacts comes from our joint networks, which are largebut not exhaustive, and there is a major focus on London,the location of the Royal African Society’s primarynetwork.13We also asked each interviewee to give their owndefinition of the term (see pages 14-15). Some said it wasnot useful or applicable to their work and some queriedit as a term constructed through a binary Western lens,based on the seeming dichotomy of ‘traditional’ vs‘contemporary’ and ‘arts’ vs ‘crafts’. The definition of‘diaspora’ was also contested – especially with regardsto the distinction between ‘originating from Africa’ and‘diaspora’. Today’s mobility and migration flows meanthat the concept of diaspora is much more fluid, whichmakes a clear distinction harder to sustain.

6/ WHAT IS CONTEMPORARYAFRICAN ARTS AND CULTURE?Contemporary African arts and culture may mean different things to different people.We understand the terms are contested, both individually and collectively, and have beeninterrogated by artists and academics alike for decades. We asked each interviewee to givetheir own definition of the term and below are some of the responses we received.“I define it in the same way I would definecontemporary art. For me, contemporaryAfrican art is just any African art madeby African people, whether the diasporaor not. There is no particular topic thatthey should be talking about or justresponding to.”DEBO AMONI always wonder what the difference isbetween contemporary African art andcontemporary art that’s created in Africa. InSouth Africa we look to the outside world forcues on to what we’re supposed to do withinthe arts realm. I want to reverse that oldstatus-quo. Contemporary African art wouldbe us saying ‘this is who we are and this iswhat we’re about’, not in a way that’s askingfor permission.”NOLAN STEVENS“It doesn’t resonate in terms of my individualpractice but it does on a wider conversationallevel, in terms of being in dialogue withpractices on the continent which is somethingI am interested in. I’m a London based artistand even though I am of the diaspora – myfamily are Nigerian, Yoruba specifically, andI was born in Nigeria – I’m also aware thatI’m operating in this context and I’m awarethat this particular landscape impacts thepractice.”“Every time you try and define culture as astatic thing it does a disservice to the newartists, voices and ideas. So ‘contemporaryAfrican arts’ is future-looking: all kinds ofart that there are currently and are yet tobe explored, that are created by Africansand people of African descent either livingon the continent or outside of it. It’s ashape-shifting thing that will continuouslychange.”EVAN IFEKOYAWANURI KAHIU14

“Contemporary African art is anythingthat authentically narrates themultiplicity of African stories.”“Creative practice that is engaged withquestions of contemporary African lifeand negotiates contemporary Africanurgencies in different ways.”PATRICK SAMMOLEMO MOILOA“I don’t feel like the phrase contemporary African arts was invented by us - it’s an ‘other’word, usually applied in the west to describe art from Africa by those who wish to describewhat they consider to be non-traditional/modern art from Africa.”MUTHONI NDONGA“Contemporary is something which is‘of the now’, it is ever evolving, Africanarts are ever evolving. So it’s not aboutdiluting it, we have to know the pillarsthat combine and hold the Africannuance.”MERCY NABIRYE“To take a critical look at this, traditionalAfrican identity is in question. I findthat exciting. There is more opennessto cultures and traditions evolving andchanging. That’s what I think is mostcontemporary; engaging with the pastbut also looking at it through the present”OLUMIDE POPOOLA“In my view ‘contemporary’ would be content that is on a par with similar international work.Contemporary African film would be content that pushes the boundaries of what Africa is,that rightfully grants African filmmakers a place at the table of world cinema and showssomething different that we perhaps have not seen before.”NADIA DENTON15

7/ HOW DO UK AUDIENCES ENGAGE?SURVEY GROUPS AND DEMOGRAPHICSWe conducted surveys with two main groups to find out about people’s perceptions and knowledge of contemporaryAfrican arts and culture, how they currently engage, and what prevents them from engaging. The first surveywas conducted by YouGov Plc through their daily Omnibus online survey of a nationally representative sampleof 2,000 British adults. The second survey was conducted by ourselves and data partners Survey54 through anonline campaign. It included 308 adults, mostly London-based and from the African diaspora. Given the significantvariation in sample sizes and demographics, this comparison should be taken as indicative rather than representative.However a comparative analysis does yield useful insights.YOUGOV POLLAUDIENCE POLL National representative sample of 2036British adults Ethnically diverse group of 308respondents, mainly based in London 52% women and 49% men 75% women and 25% men 40% aged 55 , 17% aged 45-54,17% aged 35-44, 15% aged 25-34,11% aged 18-24 12% aged 55 , 11% aged 45-54,15% aged 35-44, 47% aged 25-34,12% aged 18-24 84% identified as White British; only 5%identified as BAME 45% identified as Black African/British/Caribbean or Mixed, followed by WhiteBritish (15%) and White Other (10%)What do we mean by ’contemporary African arts & culture’?This term is contested, but for the purpose of polling, we gave the definition:‘Creative works such as film, literature, music, dance, theatre, visual arts, fashion, architectureand design, originating from Africa within the last 50 years (i.e. since 1968).’16

What do audiences mean by ’contemporary African arts &culture’?YOUGOV POLLFrom the 2036 Brits surveyed, 1694 (83%) responded to this open question asking them to cite an example ofcontemporary African arts and culture. 63% respondents said they could not think of an example; 19% respondentscould name one example; and only 13% gave an example that aligned with the stated definition. Common answerswere ‘about’ Africa rather than ‘from’ Africa (eg. Hollywood produced films rather than films made by Africans) andmany examples related to African literature, visual arts and music.AUDIENCE POLLFrom the 308 Audience members surveyed, 60% could name a specific example of contemporary African arts andculture that aligned with the stated definition. Given how this sample was created (mainly from our Africa Writesand Film Africa festival audiences), there was a wider range of examples and art forms in the responses given incomparison to the Yougov Poll responses. The most common answers were writers Chimamanda Ngozi Adichieand Chinua Achebe, followed by Fela Kuti, Afrobeat/Afrobeats music, Nollywood, and the 1-54 Art Fair in London.17

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE AND PERSPECTIVESThe results of our polling surveys demonstrate that public knowledge of contemporary African arts and culture islimited, but there is a clear openness to learn and engage more. A significant proportion (57%) of the British publicand the majority (97%) of our Audience respondents believe in the importance and value of contemporary Africanarts and culture.This means there is a huge opportunity to programme a much wider range of contemporary African arts andculture in the UK, increasing awareness and deepening the British public’s understanding of Africa and its richcreative diversity.Major exhibitions and events, such as the annual 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and El Anatsui at the RoyalAcademy, and high profile contemporary thinkers like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie can have a lasting impact onpublic perceptions. Contemporary African literature, visual arts and music seem to have filtered into the mainstreammore than other art forms. These popular art forms can be leveraged to reach wide audiences, becoming gatewaysinto to other lesser known art forms.Because of the current lack of public knowledge and understanding, it is imperative that programming ofcontemporary African arts and culture is contextualised, linking to the cultural, socio-economic and politicalenvironments of the arts represented. Our survey

to the cultural, socio-economic and political environments of the arts represented. African Literature, music and visual arts can be leveraged to reach wide audiences, becoming gateways into to other lesser known art forms. High-profile exhibitions and events can have a lasting impact on public perceptions of contemporary African arts.