Theme 5: Break the Mold

#Anataban is an arts initiative in South Sudan, founded in 2016 by a collective of young visual artists, designers, poets and musicians. Tired of the violence and insecurity, poverty and hunger resulting from the conflict between opposing political factions (Ana taban means “I am tired” in Arabic), the group aims to promote greater understanding and solidarity between communities by creating a platform for South Sudanese citizens to speak out about their common economic, social and political problems.

In 2018, #Anataban joined other civil society groups in launching the #SouthSudanIsWatching campaign that was retweeted by influential political and cultural figures during the Addis Ababa edition of the HLRF (High-level Revitalization Forum). It reminded the politicians representing the warring factions that they were answerable to the citizens of South Sudan. More recently, the group has created informational campaigns around Covid-19 to spread awareness and combat misinformation about the pandemic.

Born in Monrovia, Liberia, Taki creates towering painted canvases reflecting his childhood experience during the Liberian Civil War. Revealing the complexities of war, as well as of power, femininity, and identity, Taki brings a raw yet warm sensibility to his canvases.

Taki came to the United States from Africa by way of the Ivory Coast at the age of ten. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rhode Island in 2008 and is currently based in Santa Barbara, California. He has exhibited with the Robin Rule Gallery in New York and at Boulder Art Week in Colorado and is part of private collections in Los Angeles, Miami and Las Vegas.

Ally Jape is a tourism professional, storyteller and videographer from Tanzania whose work focuses on the cultural aspects and heritage of the Stone Town, Zanzibar, a UNESCO heritage site which maintains much of its authentic architecture, socio-cultural, and ecological patterns. 

At the age of 17, Ally Jape started his professional career in tourism as a graduate of Kawa Training Center, an educational institution preparing Zanzibari Youth for a career in the tourism industry. He acquired many of his skills through specialization courses in marine life, heritage and preservation, as well as by self-learning and teaching. With over six years of experience as a tour guide in the Stone Town and as a graduate of a one-year course at the State University of Zanzibar, Ally’s quest for innovation is constantly evolving.

Sona Jobarteh is a musician, composer, singer, social change activist, and educator of international renown. A member of a griot lineage, she was exposed to storytelling accompanied by the music of kora—a string instrument native to The Gambia and neighboring parts of West Africa—from  an early age. Breaking with tradition that dates back to the 13^th Century, where kora playing has been exclusively a male activity, she has learned to play the kora at a virtuoso level, mastering several European instruments along the way. Her formal studies began at the Royal College of Music and the Purcell School of Music in the UK, and culminated with a degree at SOAS, the University of London. Yet it is from her brother and father that she learned about truly expressing herself with music; about being real even if not perfect. Jobarteh is the Founding Director of The Gambia Academy, a pioneering institution aimed at providing world-class education in skills required for success in 21st-century Africa, with a curriculum centered on African music, history, and culture.

Ravneesh Hans is the founder, CEO and principal designer of Zivansh, an emerging eco-friendly design studio in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Born and raised in Arusha, Tanzania, with roots in the Punjab, India, her inspiration emerges from fusing the two, rich cultures in the aesthetic of avantgarde design. Her work primarily focuses on contemporary art and fashion with more recent branching out to consultancy for hospitals, private residences and architectural firms. Together with a team of up-and-coming designers, she takes traditional African art, crafts, prints, and patterns a step further through research, style analysis and hi-tech solutions. Her passion is to build a platform for the community of extraordinarily gifted local artists, artisans, graphic designers and digital solutions specialists and share the unique impressions that Zanzibar has to offer with the world.

Nujuum is a registered nurse by training and a self-taught artist. Her creative practice focuses on producing community-centered artworks as well as helping to incubate the careers of other creative practitioners. She has participated in arts development projects hosted by the European Union and has served as an art instructor at Elman Peace, a non-profit organization, founded in 1990 and is dedicated to promoting peace, cultivating leadership, and empowering the marginalized brackets of society to be decision makers in the processes that ensure their wellbeing.

Hambeleleni “Hem” Matsi is a young fashion designer and entrepreneur from Namibia. With a degree in Medical Technology from Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town, South Africa, Matsi also consults for the Namibian Institute of Pathology, where she is responsible for running the nation’s HIV rapid-testing quality system. She is a founder of Victims2Survivors, an organization that educates young women and girls on gender-based violence and works to empower young people to be constructive members of the community.  

While her fashion labels have attracted a distinguished clientele, Matsi has also created work centering around social themes such as violence against women and child marriage. Matsi’s Fashion Against Women and Girls’ Abuse collection was showcased in Ghana after winning the Global Women Awards for Innovative Designs in April 2012.

Born in 1992 in Harare, Zimbabwe, Kresiah Mukwazhi is a multidisciplinary artist working across photography, painting, sculpture and performance. She studied visual arts and photography at the Zimbabwe National Gallery School of Visual Art and design in Harare, and the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mukwazhi had her debut solo exhibition, Bedroom Interview with SMAC gallery in Capetown, South Africa in 2018. Her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, recent shows include: Five bhob–Painting at the end of an era at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (MOCCA) in Cape Town, South Africa in 2019 and African textures at Osart Gallery in Milan, Italy 2020.

Alaa Satir, born in 1990, is an artist, activist and illustrator from Khartoum, Sudan. She graduated in Architecture from the University of Khartoum and is currently pursuing an MA in illustration and visual media at the University of the Arts, London, UK. Her first solo exhibition, Morning Doodles (2017), explored feminism, social media and politics. In 2018, her work was shown as part of a group exhibition promoting women’s rights and challenging gender-based violence. She currently works as an independent graphic designer, illustrator and cartoonist.

Native of the city of Arlit, Niger, the film director Amina Weira graduated in video editing from the Institute for Information and Communication Techniques (IFTIC) in Niger’s capital Niamey; this was followed by a Master's degree in creative documentary production from the Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis, Senegal. She debuted with the film titled Film Music in 2011, gaining international renown five years later for her whistle-blowing documentary Anger in the Wind (2016), dedicated to the health and environmental effects of uranium mining.