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Who knows tomorrow?
A spectacular art exhibition in Berlin de-colonializes our view of Africa – By Bartholomäus Grill
On the surface of the table, the outline of Africa can vaguely be made out. Fourteen figures sit around the table, their theatrical gestures frozen in time. They wear European clothes but made of African fabric. None of them has a head. “Scramble for Africa” is an installation by the British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare. The figures are revenants, or ghosts of the past. They resemble negotiators of the European colonial powers who came together at Radziwill Palace in Berlin from Nov. 15, 1884 through Feb. 26, 1885. Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck convened the conference to settle issues of influence and trade in Africa. Today, it would be called a globalization summit where rules for plundering the world are laid out.
Unfulfilled promises
The World Cup brought no economic benefit to South Africa’s poor – By Bartholomäus Grill
FIFA promised that all South Africans would profit from the World Cup. But only the world football federation and big business came out ahead.
There was a time when Sepp Blatter was the most popular foreigner in South Africa – after all, he brought the World Cup to the country. “We love you!” a TV host gushed, and the head of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) was visibly moved. The romance did not last very long. Some South Africans would now probably prefer to deny Blatter an entry visa. And his organization has become just another profanity.
‘Africa needs dreams’
Senegalese pop star Youssou N’Dour is building bridges between Africa and the West – By Jonathan Fischer
Youssou N’Dour is a cultural ambassador and a man with a mission. He is a superstar with a huge fan base in Germany, too.
Africa needs dreams,” says Youssou N’Dour, standing in the cloakroom of the Paris Olympia Theater. “The news always devotes more time to famines and wars than success stories. That’s why I tell my fans – don’t give up! Dream! We Africans have great cultural wealth; but we often lack the necessary self-respect and knowledge.”
The Senegalese superstar is wearing a traditional embroidered outfit, similar to the one he will be wearing in a couple of hours when he and his 14-member band play numbers from his new album “Kingston-Dakar” live on stage.
N’Dour recorded his new songs in Kingston, Jamaica. They pay homage to his idol, Bob Marley and the socio-critical message of the Rastafarians.