PROject ARTistery

The Project is an artistic expression of our "patriotism", declaration of our engagement in a structural development that is in the making as well as our responsibility as artistes for change, it is a sincere laboratory experimentation of an existing theory. Our reference points or case study could be coming from dance perspective or photography and cinematography, but its a valid element for development in general using alternative measures.

• Dance/street Theatre: 

The project rallies around Dance which is the centre of attraction here, and as it was showcased mostly in public and private spaces it broke into the frontiers of street theatre. Meanwhile, the Happenings were absolutely un-official; no posters, no info, even we didn't necessarily know where the next performance spot may be just like in ancient travelling theatres. This "piece", more of improvisation is to be an alternative artform to the formal exhibition of dance in the theatre, it creates its own context, since there are few or no ready made theatre venues or audience to begin with, and there is only a few practice of alternative movements in the continent today, the creation of this piece is not to insert a new style into existing buildings or enticing already formed audience away from existing venues but just to be involved in an special broad oppositional art experiment.

This Alternative art movement could be cited as a significant part of, or even an influence on the general cultural and socio-political development of Africa and building of our local market and audience.

• Audio Visual: 

Another part of the research is the documentation which was aimed at capturing the reaction of the "naive" public who audience our performances, seeing the different countries and their different present situation talking about culture and different internal cultural policies which certainly differs depending on their level of acceptability to arts and human tolerance in general, as well as a showcase of Africa in its diversity. The documentary film in its own special way sways between questions, dance, interviews, people, politics and city life, moving into the city to meet people in different realities and with a totally different point of view to arts and culture, from the regular citizen to the executives, politicians and financiers as well as the “culture people” ending it with another phase of meeting with other African creators and operator in the Diaspora.

• Book: 

At the end of the touring phase of the research, while the editing was going on, we went back to the drawing board to begin a completely new phase of summarizing the whole experience into publication, a photographic illustration of the theme "Do we need cola-cola to dance?". This photographic documentary book is accompanied with statements of some important personalities in the city where the research were being carried out, the city in its utmost specificity, the audience in their collective and individual expressions, our own perception and personal point of view and the experiences we came back with during the research and other contributed articles to enhance our preoccupation.