“INVISIBLE BORDERS” EN ROUTE TO DAK’ART 2010

The 2nd edition of “Invisible Borders” is set to kick off. IB 2010 sees 11 Nigerian photographers and a filmmaker on a road trip from Lagos passing through Cotonou, Lomé, Accra, Abidjan, Bamako and finally arriving in Dakar. This year’s trip is anchored to the Biennale of Contemporary African Art of Dakar, Dak’Art 2010 scheduled to take place from the 7th of May to the 7th of June 2010. The IB team begins the journey on the 23rd of April and is scheduled to be back in Lagos by 18th of May 2010.

One good thing about the previous journey in 2009 was that throughout its length, we were confronted with all the insufficiencies and unforeseen challenges that comes with such a spontaneous venture – we made note of them. Therefore this year’s phase provides the opportunity to elaborate on a progress already began in 2009. There will be much more emphasis on the journey and its processes than the final destination. Therefore we will spend 2 days in each major city to work with two indigenous photographers from a given city. This way, we will create tangible networks between photographers in every of the cities, while discovering their country through their input. As usual, Adenike Ojeikere and Unoma Geise will be writing all throughout the trip, and these writings and selected images will appear in our blog in real time as the journey. Chuka Ejorh will be in charge of the documentary film and video interviews.

The rest of the participants are: Amaize Ojeikere, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Uche James-Iroha, Charles Okereke, Uche Okpa-Iroha, Chidimma Nnorom and Emeka Okereke.

This journey will be tedious, the road is hard and far, there will be lots of unforeseen circumstances, but we will be consoled by each click of our cameras and by the faces of a every good persons we encounter. As a team, we will support each other and together, face the challenges every mile of the way! This is photography beyond borders!

Source: creativeafricannetwork.com

Senegal's 'Idolatrous' Statue Unveiled

Senegal inaugurated its giant "African Renaissance" monument, brushing aside complaints that the personal project of President Abdoulaye Wade was a waste of money and un-Islamic.

One imam in the mainly Muslim West African state issued a fatwa on Friday condemning the statue, of a man, woman and infant, as idolatrous, a charge dismissed by Mr Wade's allies.



Slightly bigger than the Statue of Liberty, the $28 million (£18.4m) copper monument overlooking the capital Dakar has been criticised as a waste of money in a country with crumbling infrastructure and welfare provision.



More than a dozen heads of state, including Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Ivory Coast's Laurent Gbagbo, attended the statue's inauguration, which coincided with the country celebrating 50 years of independence from France.



"Every architectural work sparks controversies – look at the Eiffel Tower in Paris," pro-Wade senator Ahmed Bachir Kounta said.



Mr Wade, 83, who has confirmed he will seek re-election in two years' time, has said he was personally involved in designing the statue. Critics have said it is more Soviet-style realism than traditional African art form.



The 50m-tall monument has been built by North Korean labourers, another source of discontent in a country where formal employment is scarce.



Many Dakar residents, struggling with increasingly frequent power cuts, disintegrating city roads, rising living costs and scarce formal employment have mixed feelings about the monument.

Source: The Scotsman
By Andy Sullivan