Post-Colonialism: Body Painting Performances and Rituals in Great Britain

Post-Colonial Angolan: Body Painting Performances and Rituals in Britain

But, first all I am gone outline the structure which my presentation will be based on:

Angolan History

My Background

What I Investigate in My Practice

Diasporic Artistic Influences

Diaspora Religious Influences

Theoretical Influences

Angolan History

-Nationalist Struggle for Liberation-Independence 1975-Three political groups (MPLA-led by Antonio Agostinho Neto, FNLA-Holden Robert and UNITA-Jonas Savimbi)-Angolan Civil war-Incomplete transition to independence

Angolan Civil warThe impact of the civil in my performance practice.Growing up in Luanda and the damage the war made on my identity.

Three political groups (MPLA-led by Antonio Agostinho Neto, FNLA-Holden Robert and UNITA-Jonas Savimbi)

In 1977 there was an important event in the Angolan history; a group of intellectuals were killed. The killing of the intellectual changed the direction of the Angolan history, because it created the culture of fear; it silenced.The death of Nito Alves and Jose Van-Dunem and a group of nationalist intellectuals made a significant impact in the creative process of the Angolan artists in the British diaspora. In other words, it silence their social and political activism and manifestation in the public space, because of the psychology trauma and fear to speak against authority. However, the legacy of colonialism also plays an important part in this context, because of the destruction of the tradition and cultural values. In Angola the government control all media outlet and journalistic practice and for this reason there is not a freedom of express and open debates.

My BackgroundI was born in Angola, and left at young age as a refugee during the civil war. While in Angola, I grown up in a hybrid environment and creative expression with neighbors from all parts of the country that migrated to Luanda, which made an unique experience in the city. The cultural tradition was mostly highlighted through music, dance, poetry and body adornment and textile use.The carnival is to most expressive and dynamic way that people communicate their rich local and ethnic identity and culture, in a popular street form of celebration.

Chokwe Masks

What I Investigate in My Practice-In my practice I use body painting as a vehicle to explore notions of identity in the diaspora.-I investigate my experiences of post-colonialism and post-civil war from the Lusophone perspective.-However, this manifests in the way I perform/construct performances/engage with an audience, where I normalise feelings of memory, trauma, fear and insecurity.-My work is interdisciplinary, through that I explore religion and spirituality as a reference to creative approach and artistic narrative. -In my practice, in Britain I construct symbolic and fictional ritual and dance to reconnect with the Angolan cultural tradition -Gen Doy (2000) Black Visual Culture ‘Modernity and Postmodernity’ -In the book she describes the contemporary practice of the black artists in Britain as a reflection of their history and culture and the experiences of memory, displacement, belonging and diaspora.

Diasporic Artistic Influences

Rotimi Fani-Kayode

A Nigerian, from Yoruba family and diaspora photographer who lived in Britain in the 1980s; he made a significant impact on the representation of black identity through photography, in his works he explored:- Yoruba religious tradition, culture and spiritual values- Race, desire and sexuality-His images made reference to symbols and iconography of the Yoruba culture, as a diasporic attempt to reconnect with iconography and religious practice.-He explored issues of displacement, dislocation, masculinity, identity and the reception and the reading of black bodies in galleries in Britain.-Through his photography, he narrated the Yoruba traditions of posture and gestures, in a ritual activity of religious power-His images highlight the relationship between the black male body and the Yoruba past. -His exploration of photographs of nude and semi-nude black male models wearing African textile garments with face painting, posing or gazing at African symbols or masks.-Fani-Kayode framed the body in his photos as fragmented, incomplete and erotic which suggests the trauma of dislocation and diasporic experiences he had.

Fela KutiFela a legendary Nigerian musician who invented the Afrobeat, an African contemporary style of music that revolutionised African music in postcolonial times; I was captivated by the dynamic of his live performances.-He expressed his concern about social life, people suffering in poverty and the political malpractice in the government in Nigeria-His dances painted their - Pan-African postcolonial philosophy and political radicalism-His performances and his band devoted to the celebration of the Yoruba religions and cultural tradition through music, dance and ritual- His recalling of the Nigerian ancient roots- paying respect to the Yoruba spirits of Shango, Ifa, Eshu and Ogun; the same great spirits that are found in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Haitian and Caribbean cults and in North America in voodoo.- he sacrificed a chicken as a form of blessing his music-the chicken represented the power and cross connections between the visible mortal world and the invisible immortal world, the chicken was the means and avenue between the two worlds

Guillermo Gomez-Pena and Coco Fusco-Couple on the Cage piece-Western perception of indigenous culture-Reverse anthropology-Fusco and Gomez-Pena use a golden cage as a metaphor to bodily challenge to white supremacy ideas of discovery, race and civilisation; as well as attitude in wanting to control world history and people-The satirical comments of issues of colonialism, Christopher Columbus voyager and discovery of North America -Darwinist theories of racial hierarchal and ideas of race dominate the interaction with non-western artists in a performative context-created the cage performance as a metaphor to attack the display of the bodies of the indigenous Americans as the exotic ‘other’ within Western culture-Latin American issues of migration and border cross

Diaspora Religious Influences

Maya Deren-Film, The Divine Horseman-Haitian ritual practice, where she shows the expression of the African religion the gods and the cross-road.-Deren’s work has giving a substantial contribution to the diasporic understand of Haiti tradition and religion.

Katherine Dunham

-A diaspora pioneering of Caribbean and African dance. Her strong influence in the exploration of body technique and the Haitian voodoo dance and rhythms.

Candomblé in Brazil

-Afro-Brazilian ritual practice and religion-Carnival celebration-Capoeira martial arts-Samba music (Brazil) and semba music (Angola)-Slaves taking from Angola/Kongo kingdom

Santeria Religion in Cuba-Afro-Cuban identity

Carnival in the Caribbean-Trinidad and Tobago-Cultural expression-Diaspora identity and the culture of resistance against imperialism and colonialism

Kobena MercerBooks: Welcome to the Jungle (1994)and Exile, Diaspora and Strangers (2008)

Molefi Kete Asante-Works on Afrocentricity-The History of Africa-The Encyclopedia of African Religion (2009)

John Mbiti-Introduction to African Religion (1991)-African Religion and Philosophy (1990)

Robert Farris Thompson-Flash of the Spirit (1984)

Jose M. Murphy-Working the Spirit (2003)

Theoretical Influences

References

Asante, Kete Molefi (2012) African American People: A Global History, New York: Routledge

Doy, Gen (2000) Black Visual Culture: Modernity and Postmodernity, London: I.B. Tauris publishers

Graft, De Joseph, Roots in African Drama and Theatre, In: In: Paul Harrison, Victor Leo Walker II and Gus Edwards, eds., (2002) Black Theatre: Ritual, Performance in the African Diaspora, Philadelphia: Temple University press, 18-38

Harrison, Paul, Praise/Words, In: Paul Harrison, Victor Walker and Gus Edwards, eds., (2002) Black Theatre: Ritual, Performance in the African Diaspora, Philadelphia: Temple University press, 1-10

Mercer, Kobena, Introduction, In: Kobena Mercer, ed., (2008) Exile, Diasporas & Strangers, London: Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva), 6-27

---- Adrian Piper, 1970-1975: Exiled on Main Street, In: Kobena Mercer, ed., (2008) Exile, Diasporas & Strangers, London: Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva), 146-65

Moorman, Marissa, (2008) Intonations: A Social History of Music and Nation of Luanda, Angola, from 1945 to Recent Times, Ohio: Ohio University press

Newitt, Malyn (2007) Angola in Historical Context In: Patrick Chabal and Nuno Vidal, eds., (2007) Angola: The Weight of History, London: Hurst & Company, 19-92

Oyebade, Adebayo (2007) Culture and Customs of Angola, London: Greenwood press