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Creative Practices and Social Imaginaries: the 8th São Tomé and Príncipe Biennial of Arts and Culture
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Abstract(s)
The main aim of this article is to analyze how the São Tomé and Príncipe Biennials of Art and Culture, and in particular, the eighth edition—the Festival N’Gola—have contributed to the creation of new social imaginaries through the innovation of artistic practices in the specific socio-historical context of the island. To this end, I have chosen to analyze projects which were undertaken at the eighth edition of the biennial or which were initiated there before being expanded into a broader context, and which involved artists working directly with communities in São Tomé and Príncipe, with the aim of encouraging social transformation. These projects are 1.) Água Grande (figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), a tapestry designed by Dutch designer, Nikkie Wester, and made with the participation of about 25 Santomean weavers over a period of three years, 2) O Mundo das Voltas, collaboratively carried out by several Santomean participants during a workshop given by Nigerian artist Emeka Okereke, as part of the trans-African Invisible Borders project (fig. 6), 3) FACA—Fábrica das Artes, Ambiente, Cidadania Ativa, a project based in an old palm oil factory in the Roça of Água Izé ((fig. 7), and 4) the Reino Angolar project by Santomean artist, Kwame Sousa (figs. 8, 9 and 10). The term “roça” refers to a form of rural property, usually of monoculture—cacao and coffee—reaching its height at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries). Through a comparative analysis, I shall address some of the questions that arise from the different notions of “social transformation” articulated in each of these case studies. I will also attempt to decipher some of the dynamics involved in the implementation of social projects in the context of São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as the ways in which creative practices can decolonize social imaginaries.
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Keywords
Creative practices Social imaginaries
Citation
Nolasco, A. (2021). Creative Practices and Social Imaginaries: the 8th São Tomé and Príncipe Biennial of Arts and Culture, Field. A Journal .of Socially-Engaged Art Criticism, (University of California San Diego), 1–17. http://field-journal.com/issue-17/creative-practices-and-social-imaginaries-the-8th-sao-tome-and-principe-biennial-of-arts-and-culture