June 3
Welcome coffee with africologne team.
June 3 and 4 (afternoon)
Workshop with Shari Asha Crosson
A workshop around queer-feminist and non-white pop cultures, as well as references to pop culture in postcolonial theatre and performance.
And one-to-one sessions with Shari Asha Crosson on individual projects.
Shari Asha Crosson is a director, actress and author. She studied acting at the State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart. As a theatre actress, she performed at Maxim Gorki Theatre, Schauspiel Köln, Staatschauspiel Dresden, Schauspiel Leipzig and Theater Oberhausen. She also develops her own productions such as the performative evening Beyoncé Gives Nick Carter a Slap and Marries Herself at the Volkstheater Wien, the collective work Bitch Perfect or Alice im Wund-air-Land at the Lofft Theatre in Leipzig and Mermaids and I Wanna Be a Boiband at Theater Oberhausen. This was followed by the productions also at Theater Oberhausen, I Wanna Be Loved by You at Theater Dortmund and as an author Diary of a Lonely Black Woman at the Schauspielhaus in Vienna.
As an actress, she appears in the Grimme Award-winning film Nichts was uns passiert, the series Fett und Fett and the feature film Get up.
© Marina Rosa Weigl
June 5
Guided tour of the series of exhibitions I MISS YOU: About Missing, Giving Back and Remembering at Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum.
June 6 (morning) & 12 (afternoon)
Spoken Word Workshop with Joanna Peprah and Phyllis Quartey
Spoken Word is much more than the spoken word - it is an artistic form of expression that transforms personal stories, political perspectives and emotional depth into performative power. In this intensive workshop, spoken word artists Phyllis Quartey and Joanna Peprah invite to develop writing and performing skills, while gaining new impulses from personal artistic practices. Were explored creative writing processes, working with voice, rhythm and language.
And one-to-one sessions with Phyllis Quartey on individual projects.
Phyllis Quartey is a spoken word artist, activist and educational speaker with a focus on anti-racism and decolonisation. In her poetic works, she processes personal experiences and social injustices to promote awareness and empowerment. Her performances combine powerful language with profound messages that inspire reflection and action. In addition to her artistic work, she leads workshops on racism and colonialism. Through her art and educational work, she creates spaces for marginalised voices and social change.
Joanna Peprah is an author, moderator, diversity manager and winner of the Miteinander Award for Democracy and Diversity 2023 in Cologne. She is passionate about empowerment and diversity and is involved in anti-racist initiatives. Together with her sister, she has published the empowerment learning and colouring book Big Hair, Big Dreams, which teaches children self-confidence and joy in a playful way.
Phyllis Quartey © Kinzner Photographie
June 12 (morning)
Workshop with DeLavallet Bidiefono, Florence Gnarigo and Dina Mialinelina
Dance workshop by the artistic director of Sorcières / Kimpa Vita, presented at the opening of the africologne festival, with dancer Florence Gnarigo and singer Dina Mialinela.
DeLaVallet Bidiefono is a Congolese dancer and choreographer.
Born in Pointe-Noire in the Congo in the early 80s, in a context where the word “contemporary art” did not exist. In 2001, he moved to Brazzaville and began his career as a dancer, taking part in the Ateliers de Recherches Chorégraphiques organised by the Centre Culturel Français, before setting up the Compagnie Baninga, which gained him international recognition in 2008. Nourishing his work with influences from Africa, Europe and America, he has worked with many artists, including David Bobbée, David Lescot and Dieudonné Niangouna. DeLaVallet Bidiefono was invited to perform at the Festival d'Avignon in 2013, and has been a guest artist at a number of leading cultural venues. He now lives between Paris and Brazzaville. Since 2015, he has been a driving force in Brazzaville, with the construction of Espace Baning'art, the first independent space dedicated to artistic creation in the Congo.
© Ph Lebruman
June 14 (morning)
Feedback session and meeting with festival artists, Nadia Beugré and CommonLAB 2023 artist Saphir Belkheir.