The Opening Week of the Biennale de Lubumbashi is accompanied by several Forum Days that offer arenas of exchange between local and international scholars, thinkers and artists. In an effort to decenter the production of knowledge about Africa on the continent itself, the Biennale wishes to attract to Lubumbashi various expertises with different geopolitical origins. Importantly influenced by the phenomenon of the Ateliers de la Pensée de Dakar, the Forum Days will develop several thematic axes through a series of guest lectures and roundtables that will ramify with the artists’ practices presented in the exhibitions.
Saturday 26 October 2019 — Forum Day 1
10:00 Introduction and welcoming words by Sandrine Colard (Artictic Director, Biennale de Lubumbashi)
10:15 New Genenalogies of the Arts
Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi (MoMA, New York) and Henri Kalama (Directeur Académie des Beaux-Arts de Kinshasa) in conversation with Sandrine Colard
Artists: Dorine Mokha, Guy Woueté, Pathy Tshindele
Moderator: Elaine Sullivan
12:00 Anthropocene, Geo-Capitalism and Indegenous Knowledge
Elizabeth Povinelli (Columbia University, New York) and Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu (Ghent University, Belgium) in conversation with Sammy Baloji
Artists: Filipa César & Coletivo Cadjigue, Uriel Orlow, Ghislain Ditshekedi
Moderator: Filip De Boeck (IARA, KULeuven, Belgium)
15:00 The Restitution Debates
Sarah Van Beurden (Ohio State University, USA) and Augustin Bikale (Programme Culture UNESCO-Kinshasa)
Moderator: Maureen Murphy
Monday 28 October 2019 — Forum Day 2
10:00 Introduction and welcoming words
10:30 Urbanisms and Architecture in Africa: Lubumbashi, the Congo and Beyond
Yves Robert (Faculté d’Architecture La Cambre Horta, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) and Marcel Yabili (Musée Yabili, Kamalondo, Lubumbashi)
Artists: Mega Mingiedi, Sinzo Aanza
Moderator: Filip De Boeck (IARA, KULeuven, Belgium)
12:00 Global African Feminisms
Round-table discussion with the artists Gosette Lubondo, Pamela Tulizo and Hadassa Ngamba
Moderator: Aude Tournaye (assistante curatoriale Biennale de Lubumbashi)
Tuesday 29 October 2019 — Forum Day 3
11:00 History of The Congo in Photographs
Donatien Dibwe Dia Mwembu (Université de Lubumbashi), Maguy Watunia (Université de Likasi)
Artists: David Shongo, Georges Senga
Moderator: Pedro Monaville (New York University Abu Dhabi)
12:30 Forum Days Conclusions
The Forum Days are organised with the support of Africalia, Institut Français, EUNIC and the universities KU Leuven, UNILU, Université Libre de Bruxelles and Ohio State University.