The Act of Breathing: Notes on Fugitivity

10:00: Welcome reception

10:30–11:00: A word of welcome from the curators, Sorana Munsya and Evelyn Simons

11:00–12:00: Véronique Clette-Gakuba — Black Fugitivity in Belgium

Talk and discussion with the audience (In French)

Véronique Clette-Gakuba holds a doctorate in sociology from the Université Libre de Bruxelles and recently published "Épreuves de colonialité dans l'art et la culture - Faire exister un monde noir à Bruxelles" ["Evidencing coloniality in art and culture - Making a Black world exist in Brussels"]. As part of this initiative, she was asked to create a map highlighting Black spaces in Brussels. This work—which draws on both concrete historical elements as well as other, more personal sources—reveals the fleeting and ephemeral nature of Black spaces in the post-colonial context of Brussels. Following the presentation, there will be an open discussion with the sociologist.

12:00–13:00: Sofia Dati and Laura Nsengiyumva — Fugitivity and Language

Panel discussion (In English)

The aim of this discussion is to identify a language specific to Black Fugitivity in the Belgian postcolonial context. Curator Sofia Dati and artist Laura Nsenguyimva discuss the translation of concepts developed in the reference work The Undercommons: Fugitive Planning & Black Study by Fred Moten and Stefano Harney. This translation process will also be explored in relation to "Radical Absence”, a theoretical concept and artistic practice developed by artist Laura Nsengiyumva. At the heart of this discussion and the symposium is a discussion around notions of absence/presence and how they relate to Fugitivity as a method of creation, resistance, and care. 

BREAK 60 min > Complimentary lunch for all participants

14:00–14:45: Valérie Kanza — Fugitivity and Decolonisation

Lecture and Screening (In French)

In her talk focussing on the story of the "Centre International" located at 220 rue Belliard, film director Valérie Kanza draws parallels between the history of the struggle for independence in Africa and the notions of Fugitivity and Pan-Africanism on Belgian soil. Based upon the life of Thomas Kanza and archival documents, the film tells the story of the centre and that of the leading figures in Pan-Africanism, decolonial thought, and African liberation in Brussels.

14:00-15:30: Hamedine Kane and Valérie Kanza — Fugitivity and Pan-Africanism

Discussion and debate with the audience (In French)

During this panel discussion, Hamedine Kane and Valérie Kanza explore how fugitive movements, particularly manifested in the form of exile, shape the possibility of a stronger Pan-Africanist practice. Hamedine Kane's artistic research—dealing with issues of migration and exile and the presence of Black American artistic and political figures in European spaces at the beginning of the 20th century—is brought into dialogue with archival material assembled by Valérie Kanza.

15:45–16:15: Short films by Hamedine Kane

Screenings (In French)

Hamedine Kane presents two of his short films.

Habiter le monde, la Marche [Living in the World, the Walk]. The film follows the routes taken and occupied by refugees: ports, enclaves, deltas and borders, spaces transformed into places of desolation and detention. The work explores the mythology of walking, that of pilgrimages and diasporas as well as wanderings and drifting. Kane unfolds stories of hope, love, play, and despair to reclaim hostile territories and turn them back into fertile grounds for life and creativity.

À l’ombre de nos fantômes [In the Shadow of Our Ghosts] assembles notes on a film to be made or an essay still to be written. On 29 April 2006, a boat with eleven dead bodies on board was spotted off the south-east coast of Barbados in the Caribbean. The ghost ship drifted for four months on the Atlantic Ocean with migrants from Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Gambia on board who had set off from the Cape Verde Islands to reach the Canary Islands. The film draws on the information currently available to try and make sense of the interplay between weather conditions, ocean currents, and state violence and their influence on the boat's course. A second series of shots brings together a walker and his shadow, which in turn confronts him and  accompanies him through both desertscapes and urban spaces.

BREAK

16:45–17:45: Magali Elali and Kenny Mala Ngombe — Fugitivity and Spaces

Discussion (In English)

Moderator: Rachael Moore

Curator and activist, and founder of The Constant Now in Antwerp, Magali Elali, opens a discussion with artist Kenny Mala Ngombe, whose paintings attempt to unravel the fictions surrounding the notion of otherness and the mechanisms that create “the Other”. This session explores how Fugitivity is linked to the need for (safer) spaces, inclusive practices, the power of intermediaries, and the role (and responsibilities) of the institutional cultural landscape which, to this day, continues to contribute to structural racism in society.

17:45–18:30: Sorana Munsya and Evelyn Simons — Open discussion with the audience and conclusion of the panels

21:00–22:00:  M I M I— Hybrid Live Set

Brussels-based DJ and trans-disciplinary artist Maria Muehombo AKA M I M I will present a sonic performance, part live soundscape, part ritual, inspired by the discussions and concepts raised throughout the day. Her work is rooted in a constant conversation with nature, drawing inspiration from the boundaries between the natural world and the human-built environment, with a particular focus on the impact of the Anthropocene. Exploring classical music, club music, and experimental soundscapes as well as the percussion and rhythms of her African (and more specifically Angolan and Zambian) heritage, the artist seeks out the healing power of sound by creating a meditative environment for the audience.

22:00–22:15: Nick Coutsier — Performance

The practice of dancer and choreographer Nick Coutsier is inspired by human exchanges and interactions, and particularly by physical intuition and individual or collective instincts. Following a self-initiated residency at Charleroi Danses in August 2023, Coutsier presents a new performance for Notes on Fugitivity, in which he outlines notions of assimilation and (in)visibilities, in three acts.

22:15–23:30: Nkisi — LIVE set

An acclaimed musician and producer, Nkisi develops a distinctive sound influenced by ancestral Kongo rhythms, beat-based noise, the planetary electromagnetic grid, and experimental improvisation. She recently launched the record label INITIATION, as well as The Secret Institute, a research platform exploring the secrets and mysteries of vibratory rhythms, rituals as socio-political tools, invisible sonic gestures, and strategies of trance. Inspired by the research into Black Fugitivity, she will contribute sonically throughout the day with improvisational pieces. In the evening, she will follow up with a set that draws on the myriad musical influences underpinning her practice, as well as the natural ecosphere.

Nick Coutsier is a contemporary dancer. He studied at the Royal Artesis Plantijn Conservatory in Antwerp. In 2019, he took part in Beyoncé's Spirit video and was involved in her Black is King film. He currently collaborates with the artist Yseult and for various fashion houses as a movement director. He works regularly with the choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and his company Eastman. Coutsier is presently on tour with Cherkaoui's new piece VLAEMSCH (CHEZ MOI), in collaboration with artist Hans op de Beeck and designer Jan Jan Van Essche.

Véronique Clette-Gakuba is a sociology researcher at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)’s METICES research centre. Her work focuses on issues of coloniality, negrophobia, and processes of Black resistance at the intersection of artistic production, political activism, and community research. Her doctoral thesis (ULB) is entitled "Épreuves de colonialité dans l'art et la culture. Faire exister un monde noir à Bruxelles" [“Evidencing coloniality in art and culture. Making a Black world exist in Brussels”]. Véronique Clette-Gakuba is a member of Présences Noires, a collective involved in the struggle against racism.

Sofia Dati is the visual and audiovisual arts curator at Beursschouwburg in Brussels, where she has curated exhibitions by Ève Gabriel Chabanon, Sina Hensel, and the Black(s) to the Future collective, alongside several film programmes. She was part of the WIELS, Brussels curatorial team in 2019-2021. Dati studied literature at the Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, cultural sciences at KU Leuven and curatorial studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. She has written for magazines such as Po&Sie, Arshake and Conceptual Fine Arts.

Magali Elali is a Belgian curator and activist whose work is dedicated to amplifying the voices of under-represented artists. She holds a master's degree in art history and founded The Constant Now in 2021, a network and experimental platform that supports racialised artists. Elali's curatorial approach defies traditional exhibition formats and nurtures partnerships with institutions such as Hof van Busleyden and S.M.A.K. Beweegt. As part of The Constant Now's POC POC programme, Elali supports emerging artists by creating inclusive spaces in which to develop and present their work.

Hamedine Kane is an artist who explores the notions of exile, wandering, heritage, and the awareness that comes from the post-independence political experiences of certain African countries, as well as the notions of Afro-nostalgia and Afro-utopia. He co-initiated the School of Mutants collaborative platform in Dakar in 2018. His work has been exhibited at biennials, museums, festivals, and fairs (Palais de Tokyo, Centre Pompidou, 12th Berlin Biennial, 14th Dakar Biennial). He is a resident at the Villa Medici in Rome for 2023-2024.

Valérie Kanza has been conducting research for over 20 years on the pivotal period spanning the 1940s to the 1960s in international relations and the processes that led to decolonisation. Through writing and multimedia, she pursues the task of remembrance in relation to the issues of the postcolonial worldview. Granddaughter of Daniel Kanza (ABAKO) and niece of Thomas Kanza, she has studied the furtivity of information exchange and mutual aid networks during the colonial era. Specifically, she has endeavoured to reconstruct the forgotten memory of the International Centre, which was set up by Présence Africaine in Brussels (1958-1960).

Nkisi is a London-based artist working in the fields of visual art and music. She co-founded NON Worldwide, a label and network that uses the web to combat the invisibilisation of Black and African cultures. She produces intense and powerful sound creations and installations influenced by ancient Kongo rhythms, noise rhythms, and experimental improvisation. She recently launched the label INITIATION and the research platform The Secret Institute, exploring the secrets and mysteries of vibratory rhythms, ritual as a socio-political tool, invisible sonic gestures, and strategies of trance.

Laura Nsengiyumva is an artivist, architect, and researcher. Through her interdisciplinary practice, Nsengiyumva explores themes such as the diasporic experience, hidden histories, North-South relations, and empathy. Her artivist actions, such as PeoPL and Queen Nikkolah, are part of her research project "Shaping the presence of the African diaspora in Belgium". Nsengiyumva is affiliated to the KASK Conservatory / HOGENT and Howest as an artistic researcher. She won first prize at the Kunstsalon in Ghent in 2011, and second prize at the Dakar Biennial in 2012.

Maria Muehombo aka M I M I is a Brussels-based DJ and transdisciplinary artist. Her work is driven by a constant conversation with nature, drawing inspiration from the boundaries between natural worlds and the Anthropocene. Incorporating her Afro-European cultural heritage alongside shamanic practices in a variety of ways, she blends genres, palettes, and textures to create a unique and avant-garde sound. She has performed internationally on renowned platforms such as NTS Radio, Red Light Radio, Boiler Room, Electrafrik (SEN), Nyege Nyege (UG), Eurosonic (NL), and more.

Kenny Mala Ngombe is an artist who explores the representation and perception of the human body through painting, drawing, and sculpture, as well as video, animation, and sound creation. His practice examines the way in which the fictitious nature of otherness infiltrates our reality and our society. Inspired by the Afro-surrealist Manifesto, Mala Ngombe seeks to disentangle the invisible world from the visible world in which we operate, in order to rethink our forms and bodies. In 2022, he was in residence at MINO in Antwerp. He collaborated with Ancienne Belgique for Black History Month in 2021 and has taken part in numerous exhibitions in Flanders and Brussels. He is co-founder of Customs & Borders, an artists' collective active from 2021 to 2023, which sought to widen access to Afro-centric contemporary art.

Rachael Moore is an LGBTQIA+ activist, facilitator, and diversity and inclusion expert based in Brussels. In 2018, she co-founded the Rainbow Nation association, which works to promote the visibility and artistic, cultural and civic expression of racialised LGBTQIA+ people. She currently sits on the Bisexual Representatives Steering Committee of the International Lesbian and Gay Association-Europe.

This event takes place at the first floor of K1. Unfortunately, this space is not accessible for wheelchair users. We are deeply sorry for this inconvenience and are working on this aspect for future events.