Afropollination

The world today is one in which people frequently oscillate between perceiving steadily increasing complexity and reverting to simplification, binary thinking, demarcation and populism. It is all the more important, therefore, that we embrace possibilities of empathetic encounter and diversity in order to jointly address global issues and mutually generate ideas and inspiration.

“Afropollination” vividly symbolises this mutual fertilisation. The project by Piranha Arts in Berlin in cooperation with the Boutique Foundation / Nyege Nyege Collective in Kampala plans to invite a handpicked group of individuals – music and dance artists from six African countries and Germany – to participate in a transnational laboratory for acoustic exploration. The aim is to create a safe, experimental space where participants can develop new works, points of view, insights and new realities.

The project places particular focus on the inseparability of music and dance, which are all too often detached from one another in the genre-oriented international scene. It recontextualises music by means of dance elements and integrates contemporary dancers and choreographers to provide modern interpretations of classical and cutting-edge aesthetics. “Afropollination” encourages collaboration between the German participants, who are mainly established in the electronic music, and artists and producers of innovative, urban and fringe electronic music scenes from the African continent together.

Project partner: Boutique Foundation / Nyege Nyege Festival, Kampala / Jinja, Uganda (www.nyegenyege.com (external link, opens in a new window))
Further partners: CTM Festival Berlin, MS Stubnitz Hamburg, Festsaal Kreuzberg Berlin, Cosmo Radio Köln

Artistic director: Nyege Nyege Collective (UG)
With: Afrorack (UG), Astan Meyer (DE), DJ Paypal (DE), Decay (UG), Violaine le Fur (CM), Sarah Ndele (CD), Chrisman (CD), Zora Snake (CM), EXOCÉ (DE), Zakente (AO), Astan KA – Mali/France /Germany, Binghi - Rwanda, Bloomfeld – Ivory Coast / Germany, Debmaster – France / Germany, DJ Diaki - Mali, Exocé – Congo / France / Germany, Jay Mita -Tanzania, Jessica Ekomane – Cameroon/ France / Germany, Limpe Fuchs - Germany, Menzi – South Africa, Miziguruka - Rwanda, Phatstoki – South Africa, Zai and Nana -Tanzania, Zoe Mc Pherson – Ireland / France / Germany

15.09.2022 – 18.09.2022 Nyege Nyege Festival, Jinja – Residencies / Concerts / Performances