The Sounds Of Africa exhibition is back for a new edition but this time they will be using technology to create an immersive 3D and virtual experience. This year’s theme will be Women in African music, and the exhibition will be using powerful imagery to highlight, celebrate, and of course, empower women in the African music industry.
This exhibition is put in place to celebrate, showcase, and archive the best of African music with different materials such as photos, artefacts, and music. With its displays going from iconic costumes to instruments and photographs, the exhibition is lifting the culture to the fore and has become an important part of the African music wave that is sweeping the world.
The event will put forward women artists such as Angelique Kidjo, Fatoumata Diawara, Tiwa Savage, Yemi Alade, Aziza Brahim and Nhlanhla Nciza, Niniola, Becca, Victoria, and way more artists.
It will showcase their fire and flame, smooth sounds as well as undeniable rhythm in order to display the essence of these performers.
It is also important for the exhibition to not just celebrate what we can see on the scene but also what is behind. So many women are involved in the process and it is something to be reminded of, it goes from the backup dancers and singers to agents, costumiers, managers, and, of course, fans. All these women are making it possible to transform the African music scene into what is today a globally appreciated phenomenon.
This year’s exhibition will also be dedicated to three amazing female artists who passed away in 2020: Kodak – a talented dancer, Nicole Thea – a 24-year-old YouTube star, and Drey – dancer from the famous D3 Dancers.
The idea isn’t to only show the numerous talents across the continent but also to acknowledge the hard work behind the scenes because this is the unseen factor that allows us to see this result, dance, song, and sound that is uniquely female artistry.
The exhibition will provide this virtual journey thanks to the studio house of Michael Tubes Creations. With photography, Michael Tubes was able to carefully curate and document the African music scene present around the world for almost a decade. He has been hailed as one of the best contemporary documentary photographers in the UK but is also renowned for capturing the essence of motion.
However, this virtual journey will not be all that the exhibition will offer. Some crucial topics will be covered with a panel of discussions, namely tackling ways of enhancing the visibility of women and their work on the music scene.
The topics will cover different issues such as women in leadership in African music, creating equal opportunities for female artists in a male-dominated music industry, and strategies for having more female decision-makers in African music.
This year’s exhibition will be an online event running from May 1 to May 31, 2021, and you will be able to attend it here.
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