freshman edition arts twenty one. artists from africa are setting the agenda for a continent on the move this is important for africa to. use africa through our music and through new generation of africans who are more interested in the future of this gallery. nigeria was only. the first leg of our african journey takes us by bus from lagos in nigeria to the car in senegal it's a traveling art show the mobile museum is a project that's crossing borders. it's been a while since lagos a seen a vehicle like this this old school bus has been converted into immobile museum to roll through west africa. bouncing like a fast moving camel it heads cross-country picking up selected artists along the way. the artist residence on wheels is

a new experience for the only known african on it before. we spend a lot of time in the past on the road and of course it's not easy to work on anything inside the bus but we talk and realize the plans we work out at the next stops like here in miami but in it's the stops by street you know milton's that's from lagos to duck out of the aging buses traveling five thousand kilometers through seven countries over bumpy roads and across deserts during the stops the local youngsters about heart by jumping from sydney specializes in what's made with electric paint it gives signals when it's touch. and i have no idea where we are right now but that's not important you just have to set up an environment where you can be creative i've always dreamt of working with african artists in africa and while it's a unique opportunity to get to know my own continent exploring the continent. in

ghana the bus passengers mingle with local artists and meet verbena ily cam fiancee in a transgender performance he transcends boundaries as a veiled woman documenting the process all the while where i deal with the bodies and deal with that immigration bill see where my christian aswell saw this what's troubling for white culture on a country and also crossing this out to colonial species from the front before but i'm going to look very strong i get. the baskets increasingly cantankerous much of the day is spent with repairs including a whole new engine on top of that crossing borders in west africa involves waiting on an epic scale no baksheesh no entry artistry at both ends the experience into an emotional arc performance. everyone gets what he wants from you. because you want to go all. in and there will not allow you to go on until you give them

something. whatever you have is what you have to give you cannot give what you. so you give you give you gave. you have nothing to give. yourself. three alone weeks and many adversities later they reached the car where the artists take up residence with a german painter here they can turn the impressions they collected on their journey into work for the dark arts festival. we're here in to look out for it and this is the process of working on our own art really gets underway this. is africa's foremost arts festival every artist who's anybody in africa comes here the main exhibition building you know all the old courthouse is a place of great significance a place of life and death decisions people were sentenced to death here people's

births were declared here i mean this is the memory of this country. when i opened the gates i had piles of documents of legal documents there for me they summarize the entire life of senegal sense and dependence. philosophical and political questions dominate the data. slenderly our vast sand pile is titled wasted time not only because whole gives a flying tribute to the heroes of the resistance against the german colonial rulers but within a call my own memory our battle mysteries so it's very important that our voices isn't multiplied and that we're all able to give our own stories. a juvie tells one of the stories of female phoenix and of the campin of the twenty eight team doctor we wanted to tackle the wall africa rising war story if the continent that thrives

it's as africa to have to choose in which. emoji my dear most employees neon mirrors and surveillance cameras to shift viewers into the focus they digitally monitored and at the same time reveal this to mean artist personifies the new pass african artist taking what is happening technology wise on the continent is a leap frog a lot of growth of the art of the show here a branch or a new generation of the africans who are more interested on the future and i guess it's all true apart from this is freedom to be oneself with enough or can come to without having to demonstrate the forms africa dug up venues are all over the city one of the off locations is a city called gucci institute the artist bus is given resoundingly welcome and. that was africa highly concentrated into three or four weeks they were everywhere we've been over thousands of kilometers with left the mark of our art something was left everywhere. all japanese dollars travel photos have been turned into silk

screen collages. re-add bio has set up a. installation in the bronx. and by john performs on interactive canvases. glimpses into a treasure trove of experiences with the mobile museum and all the obstacles came on the way. what happens when africa's creative talents head to europe we check out a major showcase of music and culture the africa festival inverts book. it may be hot in crowded at europe's oldest and biggest africa festival but the concerts are sold out. nearly one hundred thousand visitors have come to experience africa up close and personal and maybe take home a souvenir. art can be

a way to help people to help themselves this crossover fashion is made in senegal. these one dollar glasses are made and sold right in the booth it's a project run by an ngo the festival informs the public about initiatives like these and about controversial issues such as female circumcision. africa is very much in the media spotlight right now german president. makes an appearance in his words cork. india from senegal says the attention is long overdue he served as host and storyteller at the festival for eighteen years now. coming. from africa you can't talk enough about africa good investment even we africans of earned a place in the spotlight but we've earned it. africa was exploited for so long and

nobody here ever cared about it because now at long last i think the time. com and and the so by. the motto of the festival's thirtieth anniversary is afro deutsch or afro german bar yama and her band are here from paris the singer songwriter's family comes from several african and european countries so she finds the time afro german a bit limited. our budget is at the front there are people who call themselves after a pianist and that place is europe and africa at a level that i see is far more correct and then there are a fraternity that's a concept that designates people of the african diaspora who feel at home in the various major cities of the world it means people who are at home in new york or in

lagos and that reflects a certain reality this she gets on a day at. the festival itself is a reflection of that reality. or a comes from ivory coast twenty years ago she fled to marsay to escape the civil war in her country she want to grammy in two thousand and nine and has been in demand internationally ever since. her performance can be described as african tradition meets urban cool. her daughter is with her on this tour for her there's no question about combining kids and a career. here up the african women carry this image of the powerful warrior inside them up again it's all business strong women and so forth that they do many things that once they work and raise their children at the same

time. but not just african women all women of european women have this strength as . well i want to show the strength that women have. aside from the show the new zick contacts are also important. that. afro german presenter beric reflects on her experiences. the question of her own roots long preoccupied her. untimely washes of german parts of me the food and how do i fit them all together. these are biography is that make up a life of the examination of various topics divisive topics maybe but all the more exciting questions. on. the divisive topic of the refugee debate takes a back seat here here inverts board it's the african spirit that occupy center

stage like every year at the festival. from europe back to africa. is a powerful voice for social justice in mali her latest album is simply breathtaking . to deal with wants to carry on molly's rich musical heritage her songs are smooth blend of folk and modern sounds and they're taking the music world by storm they're also political i couldn't you release centro before means i have something to see. i have something to say when i say. they were present african in

a generation i was presenting african. i represent us going to china just. tearing me deals with migrating and losing the home and losing loved ones a fate suffered by many africans. then he. thought to herself left mali as a young woman to escape an arranged marriage the movie molly blues follows her judie back it's a touching documentary showing how music can lend a voice to freedom. in her home village to broke a taboo by singing about female genital mutilation. to . i'm trying to to to fight the for the positive side to change the more entirely

off my generation because every single generation needs a somebody to song to to take a part of the things we have to to be able to talk about i was touring. mali is wracked by social tensions corruption and terrorism but that often obscures its deep rooted cultural traditions. people don't know who knows africa is a room went to africa one sees life then you can see i have seen them have touch and people haven't been eating their food the smell. of the two bridges worlds and continents she's convinced that music can have healing powers i think this new africa can try to reach a people through the middle east or through our our music you know it's our job on mali has created its own style of blues that to be

a wara says blues is what happens if you stop crying and starts. instead. the nigerian metropolis is one of the world's fastest growing urban centers. it's a city that's booming and. well. this guy marty he is. only. the nikkei art gallery houses thousands of works it's a treasury of contemporary nigerian art madame nikkei as the founder is known is a landmark of the lagos art scene she opened her first gallery fifty years ago.

so when they get it. is going to be home because this is the biggest. in the whole fifty four country right now. is the city of both tremendous promise and extreme wealth and poverty exist side by side the city of twenty million is growing faster than any other urban center in africa it's plagued with corruption and mismanagement but blessed with entrepreneurial spirit and creativity those contrasts are mirrored in its art same. page she says works featured at the first nigerian pavilion at the venice biennale ali she openly addresses social issues such as child marriage. here her figures are covered with pain relief pills so this this work is called the . unconscious struggle i need. the narrative

or the. child bride. i know how. it's talking so sometimes i wonder why no one is looking no one is near them and they have a movement to check themselves will be be inflected their actions or introspective about what they do i always wonder what. so it's true one men need to go. to other to say has many projects going on at once she's working with a foundation to train connect and empower young artists she wants to revive the dying art of pottery but she doesn't expect help from politicians they disappointed the people too often. do is amazing in nigeria the shocking thing is that we import every ceramic ware into the country. to.

bring everything in from china right it just doesn't make economic sense. in a country where where we talk about creating jobs. and we can make the pleats. i think mass craze. also hopes to bring about change through his art his studio is on the outskirts of town away from the noise and exploding rents in central lagos. so much. of the city is so inspiring yes. in some way that is you know kind of a very. for you to.