Join us on Friday, October 11, from 12-2pm ET, in-person and online, for a pre-launch opening discussion on to be free..., a multimodal experience of art, music, and text, that calls us to pause and reflect on the social foundations of democracy and the pursuit of justice and civil rights in South Africa and the United States.
About the Exhibition:
Conceived as a multimodal experience of art, music and text, to be free is a call to pause and reflect on the social foundations of democracy and the pursuit of justice and civil rights in South Africa and the United States of America. Drawn from the project’s founding concept, Petitions for Freedom, Liberation and Democracy, this exhibition is aimed at sounding the ideas and concepts of liberation, freedom, and democracy as reflected in art. Conceptualized in collaboration by Africa Office of Harvard University Center for African Studies and University of Fort Hare, this exhibition is curated by Nomusa Makhubu based on the art collection of 20th century art by South African Black artists under the stewardship of the National Heritage and Cultural Studies (NAHECS) Centre at the University of Fort Hare. Through this collection, we map the trans-Atlantic pan-African networks of solidarity between Black artists in (south) Africa and the USA.
About the Opening Talk:
The Africa Office at the Harvard Center for African Studies invites you to join the opening talk of the digital exhibition investigating the ideals of the artists during the apartheid regime, and to reflect together on the activism of the artists examining what freedom, liberation, and democracy meant for them at the time of their work compilation versus what democracy has come to mean after 30 years of liberation.
Following the pre-launch panel discussion, there will be a brief reception with refreshments and African food to celebrate the collaboration between Harvard CAS Africa Office and the University of Fort Hare. This collaboration has enabled Harvard CAS to present a pedagogical tool that will strengthen scholarly conversations around South African art, activism, and history.
Location:
Harvard University Center for African Studies Lounge
1280 Massachusetts Ave, Floor 3
Cambridge, MA, 02138
and Online Via Zoom Webinar
Schedule:
12:00-12:15pm: Preview of Digital Exhibition (In-person and online)
12:15-12:45pm: Panel Discussion (In-person and online)
12:45-1pm: Q&A (In-person and online)
1-2pm: Reception and Exhibition Preview (In-person only)
In-Person Attendance Registration: https://forms.gle/eDNt785oCPAhBxyM9
Virtual Registration: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OZ74vz7vSy6f8GHgz28TPg (The virtual portion of the event will take place from 12-1pm ET)
This event is sponsored by the Harvard University Center for African Studies Africa Office and the University of Fort Hare.
LOCATION:Hybrid: Harvard Center for African Studies Lounge and Online via Zoom STATUS:CONFIRMED DTSTART:20241011T160000Z DTEND:20241011T180000Z END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR