Rabby Slo is a Beninese singer, songwriter, performer, producer and entrepreneur who has returned to his native country after 20 years in the United States to reclaim the Beninese music scene. AfroTchink is a style inspired by Benin's traditional rhythms and originates in Tchinkounmè.
Serge Noukoué is a Franco-Beninois, executive director and co-founder of the NollywoodWeek festival, which has become a reference point for Nigerian cinema in France and Europe. He is a cinema and media cultural attaché at the French Embassy in Kenya. Thanks to his commitment and vision, he is essential in promoting Nigerian cinema and creating lasting links between the African and French film industries. Passionate about African cinema, he has set the goal of changing the image of the seventh art on the continent, giving pride of place to the Nigerian film industry, renowned for its high productivity.
Originating in Lagos in the early '90s, Nollywood has evolved into the world's 2nd largest film industry, producing nearly 2,500 films annually. It has emerged as a major economic force in Africa, with its influence reaching far and wide. This year, the Nollywood 10th Anniversary celebration took place in Paris, entering a new era of cinematographic excellence. Over the past fifteen years, Nollywood has experienced a remarkable rise in quality, with increased resources, better production values, and exceptional performances.
Mabinuori Kayode Idowu, a close friend and manager of Fela Kuti at the start of his career, tells us about the exhibition based on his as-yet-unpublished book, "Fela Phenomenal Legacy". It is currently on show at the Philharmonie de Paris and retraces the musician's artistic life. In this interview, Mabinuori Kayode Idowu talks about Afro-music, the birth of Afro-beat, colonialism in Africa, the 'Gentleman' album and its cover, the famous Shrine club in Lagos, the Republic of Kalakuta and France as a host country.
Samuel Nja Kwa is a unique French journalist and photographer of Cameroonian origin. In this interview, he talks about his latest publications, "Africa is music" and "Jazz on my Mind", which focus on his photographic and human encounters with music. From his childhood in France and his apprenticeship in photography to his discovery of jazz in Cameroon, he has never stopped pursuing musicians on all continents.
Bruce Onobrakpeya is a printmaker, painter and sculptor. This remarkable Nigerian artist started drawing as a child and benefited from the creative boil of the independence years. After a sixty-year career, his art continues to appeal to an international and Nigerian buying public. Today, he has chosen to pass on his skills in Nigerian universities through art workshops. Find out all about his exceptional career in this interview conducted by our Lagos correspondent, Sharafa Abagun.
Le Chant sur la Lowé was born thirty years ago from the determination of two sisters, Sophie and Yveline Damas, to honour African music and musical traditions. Since its creation, it has been made up of sixty volunteers, including teachers, doctors, retired people, unemployed people and students. This choir has become versatile and well-known for its live performances worldwide.
The Afromusée is a cultural space guaranteeing knowledge of the history of Africa and its diaspora in Montreal, Quebec. It opened its doors for the first time on 24 February 2022. This space aims to enhance the testimonies of Africans and to fight against discrimination and racism against Africans in Canada.
At this event, some 40 ministers of higher education and 100 students from 50 French-speaking countries gathered to discuss artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship. The first Congress of the French-speaking Student Youth took place, providing an opportunity to participate in the creation of 180 student clubs. Our team was pleased to meet Marina Eyang Mve, a young Gabonese PhD student in economics in Libreville. She is the leader of a student club and aims to raise awareness of environmental issues among young people.
