#chimurengasf

[sfmoma]

"Culture is essentially dynamic: in other words it is both rooted in the people and orientated toward the future." -- Pan-African Cultural Manifesto, Organization of African Unity: First All African Cultural Festival, Algiers, July/August 1969

There are only a few more days to check out the multimedia installation, Chimurenga Library, on view at the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library. Delve in to the history of FESTAC '77, as the library is transformed into a book, with guided paths to uncover stories from the largest Pan-African arts festival.

Bonus (art) points if you make it over to Gorgeous, next door at the Asian Art Museum!

[photo credit: Andria Lo]

[sfmoma]

Installation of Chimurenga Library is in progress.

The San Francisco Public Library is in the process of temporarily becoming a giant book that will uncover stories about the origins and legacies of FESTAC '77.

The temporary exhibition, on view May 24 through June 29, has been created by the newspaper, Chimurenga, based in Cape Town, South Africa. It is organized by SFMOMA and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in partnership with the library.

So, what is FESTAC ’77, you might wonder..

FESTAC ’77 was the Second World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, which was a pan-African cultural festival that took place over a month in Lagos, Nigeria in 1977. It included visual arts exhibitions, music and dance performances, and an extensive scholarly conference that featured the major black intellectuals of the day. It was a life-altering experience for many participants and attendees, but very little has been written about it.

The exhibition is designed to investigate why that is, and to link the story of the festival to the Bay Area, and to many other stories.

Follow the project on Tumblr→ here

Photo credit: Chimurenga Library; Platform 1 installation, photo: Andria Lo.