not only of africa, but also of the african woman, ears of layer more faint, maria, and i wanted to show that i was re appropriating this black female body and showing that it was a body like any other body. a body that spoke on that questioned that denounced her bet, spoke of fulfilment of injury of fragility, but also above all of strength, more of strength and of resilience. samuel cclc to the for the, the foster interview. and that's how i started photography it. nancy don't gazande kumasi off of the lassi. your work has been exhibited all over the world as recently even been included in the permanent collection of the mama in new york. so congratulations on that. i'm. i'm just interested because you have very much a pan african focus as opposed to a focus on your own particular culture. is that deliberate? yes sir. marcy as jose because i'm african ask but also because i believe that for

me the fact of having left very early the distance brought me even closer to my continent to mother earth. no, i have a glendale and that made him well to telegraphy allowed me to reconnect with africa . fulton asked him up, bear me off as a tug or if he also allowed me to reconnect with myself the last remark. there may be not as a 100 percent african but as a woman of the world who lives us, i don't like to say between 2 worlds and them, but rather really one foot in africa and one foot in the west and piano a night for me is a huge privilege because i think i can do a lot here. her being here for africa hospital for fam, booklet ocean is see if i see her all african, i just want to open up to, to the rest of our panelists because to have your thoughts on, on what role arts and artists can play as an engine for social change,

eager as a filmmaker. how does that apply? well, i think that over the course of history and then human existence, i artists have sort of been the i vanguard, you know, we're provided on the roadmap for society. and i don't see that road changing in no, i think that as artist is that our job to point out to society, our societies to do the right direction. you know, so i strongly still believe that i as artists, we have various big responsibilities you know, to, to sort of showed the way, you know, but of our work is they could in a mirror to the society. and then also pointing to the direction that we should go and reflecting that was the difficulties you've also spoken of quite the difficulties, bobby, back over to you because uganda is also making its debut in venice this year. your

thoughts, for instance, i mean, i'm sure governments to a certain degree are finally realizing what an important platform that can be. it's the question of course is to as to who gets selected. but your thoughts on, on the role of art and artists for social change and for sort of feeding these dreams of the national identity that, that is, is self confident. that thank you. i will not be fuss on my from e k. i am indeed like it has been said by our forefathers that i to said the mirrors of society. we are the roof. sions, of what's happening in society, both. ah, vocally and visually. so we are this fox people of society. but in the same way we can be the chief me through present us of so fair to i'm glad you mentioned that. recently, governments are noticing the power of art, and particularly in uganda is

a very big budget that is put aside to compromise artist and have them meet, represent the voice of society. and you can blame that to the rise of artists like myself. i am now these 3 are that may be sooner or later. another artist is gonna pop up and do this, him or even more. so the power of art has been realised. it has been realised by the forces of evil. so i think is fe time are the forces of good also realize how best and how important it is and use it to forward what's good? yeah. stella, your thoughts? yeah, i other time i, i felt better after it's soft power and it is going on me slowly and it's making change all the time. and, and we have those who are the dictatorship in our country whenever we need to

make any event or to organize for any event. it's related to culture. so we have to take permission from the security. and that's why they are have that fear from the culture and from the us because it's chain minds of people. it's raise awareness, it's met, people ask questions, big questions about themself. it's left the people that having that can be to go thinking about their situation and they can analyze what is going on here. so an aware leadership, and i think that that she don't like people to make that raise up off their of that awareness. so may be to resist then. so that's why they are against us. yeah, you can't just another question to you because from your point of view is the, is it being taken seriously enough in a place like nigeria?

i mean, how important is recognition at international events, for instance, like you had yourself at the vietnam at the belly, neither in berlin or the, or the vietnam. the frankfurt book fair. and do those kinds of events and the recognition that you can achieve their do they generate more support at home? yeah, they generate a lot of support at home. again, the, the, the, the job for us as creatives from africa, from west africa, especially from nigeria. 8, to show what is possible and to show that people can dream from wherever they are. you know, and i was born in my village, they moved pretty much most i left my mother when i was 13, you know, and if i can dream, i think is important to promote it so that other people can learn as well. that depends. oh, so jean, i'd like to after speaking to my 4 panelists here on the stage for quite some time

. now we do have another special guest in the audience who is no stranger to our global media forum. and i'd like to go over and see him now big and gets his thoughts. i'd like you to give a warm round of applause and welcome to acting body, acting v one of africa, known photographer born in od. quick nigerian rule is a self professed wandering ambassador between cultures and this is really a very much a philosophy. you can see here in the pictures of his work behind his work, he's also a recipient. we're very proud of this of germany's prestigious good to metal back in 2016. and here he is. next to me i came by there. it's so nice to see you again . thank you for joining us here in von. i just like to, to ask you, what are your thoughts after hearing to your colleagues after listening to your colleagues here on the panel about the impact that art can have the it's potential

for, for social change to day in iraq. and i thought so really very um, so of i've been revitalized so to speaker, so very, very happy or, or what you heard today really very, very good or for your questions to as well. and um, yeah, it's, we are moving, you see it moving forward and hopefully upward as well. and things will improve eventually. it's interesting because we're seeing a lot in, ah, europe, that there's a lot more focus being put on the artist as activists are, even at the documentary, for instance, ends and africa being, being more included at the b annella. maybe not as much as we'd like. what do you see? you see the necessary to see momentum heading in the right direction? that is, for instance, different from when we, when we 1st spoke, when you and i 1st met you that mean the momentum has increased. yes, getting more and more. but it has been there even before i would say from the 60s,

seventies, eighty's bobby wine mention fella. but as also i'm writers, filmmakers from all over the continent and their mom were coming up. so it's really a very good time. and from the continent, these are really beautiful things are moving and also mentioned the works traveling . this is, it is a wonderful, a wonderful our sort of in the image because you exhibit all over the world, your works travel widely, but so do you yourself, you cheats you to rate widely. and you were adjuster on the jury for a photography prize yesterday. what are the dreams and aspirations of young artists that you encounter around the world in your classes? what, how and how do you try to inspire them they want to achieve? and we, we, the other mentors, the teachers are the facilitators. we really try to encourage them. um it's, it's, it's for many very tougher, especially as a creative person, a young person. you,

i mean, you earn very little what we really encourage them. and um, it's step by step, moving forward, or one thing i really want to stress. you have to be passionate about what you're doing, which you are and also, um they do, they should do research. so you are, you can literally be creative about anything you wanted to eat via cooking, photographing butterflies, but do it with a real passion and with really intent and research. and then you come full to collection. and are they actually most of the people that you're talking about, for instance, if you've got some, some people in your mind, are they, are they hoping to make it at home? i mean, they want to achieve but, or are they being forced with this? with this a tough decision of do i have to have a fee? do i have to leave? i have to go somewhere elsewhere though. well, this possibly better conditions. the majority of stay, okay. this is something people who don't be fully realize messages are getting through. oh definitely, and the most human being steer where they were born of or, or their region in their car on their continents. and this is better than much the

case um and um she was being select plants and so we have roots so, so as a router, very much a where you were born or where you go up. so we grow up and then again, and now is much, much easier, especially the digital age or social media thought. so you can really do your research well so, so very important to be very grounded. and then up, you grow a or someone you talk about research, research is really are up your daily bread. you're constantly travelling all over the place and the capital cities in metropolis is of africa. i really, your, your at stomping grounds, interest in contemporary art, as i just mentioned earlier, from africa has dramatically increased also within africa itself. your so often in places like by michael lagossi or gully. can you tell me, do you see positive developments there in terms of the actual yes, i do infrastructure and support for all it's on location. um i do see um for the 2

things to to, to encourage a younger artists in some countries is much less. yeah. other countries is more we're talking, you have a huge continent. yeah. we've had been coming before. so i was just last year in november in compiler in bobby wines. oh, oh. oh town. and they you know, to said the encouragement is not very, very strong. especially for those who really want to be creative and a critical of what is happening on the ground exam. but um it's, it's, it's growing, is it cost of growing or is it pushed out for all the time and trying to yeah, to move forward and upwards as well. and there isn't there's, there's growing inspiration, narrow down here, and very much, very much. one thing i must see is the music scene is very, very dynamic invite or all over the continent so well, w really very well done. thank you very much for those insights. i can, i can add a nice bottling line for one infrastructure that has achieved global

importance. and of course, a claim is the nigerian film industry. it's better known as natalie wood. and i will take a quick virtual trip to lagos, just to learn a little bit more about it. ah, lay ghost, the heart of nigeria, still brandt. and normally would, as it's called, is the world's 2nd largest film industry after india's poly wait with the stories from people's daily lives. whether it's feature films or complex animations. normally what has long spread out from the african market. the big players enable them to reach an international audience. netflix has shifted its focus to nigerian series and blockbusters, and advertises for normally would productions fantasy. so this is adria with

iq is looking at me, knows the next coming question is coming to him. the streaming giants have discovered the massive potential of the african markets. we are all aware of this. anybody who has an amazon prime or netflix account sounds like a good time to be a filmmaker in nigeria. yes, it is eyes. yeah. it's, it's a. yeah, i'm in it's nigeria is still an emerging market in all facets, but it's actually a wonderful time to be a filmmaker right now in the jury. there's so much that is available now. first of all, the social media for instance, has kind of democratized for making the retelling. using a motion picture has sort of ticking a totally different dimension. and then i've been studying it for quite a bit. and i noticed that in the nearest future, amused that generated content is actually going to lead on the way. because with

most people having smartphones and to play able and part of what we've been involved, this teaching how to use smart phones too to tell stories. so basically smartphone filmmaking, it's something that was developed in your actually giving workshops then. so yeah, yeah. the magic of social media that said that if you could just mentioned, i know that it has made a huge difference. can you tell us just what social media has meant for the impact of, of your arts in your particular situation, where i'm talking about social media. it has been actually the major out late because i'm talking to you. i'm standing here as an abolished artist, baffled by home, where my music is abolished. i'm not supposed to stage a concert and neither is my music supposed to play on radio or tv. but social media has been our biggest fall platform of communication. unfortunately, all a saw on facebook is now banned in uganda,

and he switched off since the election. however, somehow. yeah, the young people especially, are due to their creativity, the managed to bypass, abandoned that faithful can use them. he really is. and now at the platform, so social media is not just a major platform, but them only way that young people communicate since adam may be as at god and that certain forms of, of art can actually get out there and, and reach your audience. yeah. social media transformed at? yeah. stella, you, your work has been hailed by critics, but also infrastructure and social media. little bit a little bit different, difficult in sudan. but you've been giving me a voice to, to this situation of exile and, and, and showing the realities of the one country to the other and living in exile here in germany. i know that your activism even more urgent. so before we actually just get your opinion on that and how social media might be helping you, let's have

a quick look at what you're doing. ah, stella gaetano, started writing in elementary school. she writes about war fleeing being displaced, but also about hope and great expectations for her home. stella has been fighting for freedom and democracy in sudan and south sudan for many years. with other like minded people, she founded initiatives to support the lives of displaced persons and victims of violence with food donations. but also with the book donations. stella is convinced that with the right words the pen is mightier than the sword. since the project started in 202015000 books have been donated. when she fled car to men early 2020, to stella herself, donated around 700 books. the sudanese capital was no longer safe. she had been

threatened and arrested multiple times through the writers in exile scholarship program by the writers association pen. she has been living in common, a little town in north rhine westphalia, since march. but her children are still with her ex husband and sudan. she hopes that she can sing be reunited with her 3 boys in germany. i think every mother here in the audience is feeling with you right now and ask you how tough or tough is yet to ration for you in exile as a mother. but also as an artist too, who has this ever intensifying inner call to change things? yeah. um, what we are doing, it's really need to we supposed to be as strong because we know the

consequences of that. and we really have clear vision about what will happen if we are doing this or that. so like we were, but he bad enough about that to be ready though anything could happen. and also i, you meant it i and make my children in also already that i'm a mother in risk. so any time any, think what happened to me so you're supposed to depend on yourself and that met me is strong and met them also is strong. so now we and yes, going in very tough situation, but we can just go with that. your children are very strong indeed. i mean they even encouraged you like to get why fi and they encouraged me, mom don't think about us to be, we'll be okay. so you can go and be said somewhere and also what really

most now it's my, we're respectful and that ground a was an activist being that keep all on the ground and helping people have that initiative. so because i'm thinking that we supposed to break this chain somewhere to help bobby, to become that president we are dreaming about in africa. we supposed to work with the dentist and that can help bobby some day. so that's why that's why i'm thinking about how we can help donation a store by tools that the supposed to make that self education to be aware, to be open minded, to be, is stronger in their soul and their mind. so, as dreaming about countries,

it's not enough, we have to work and we have to build our fitness, then we can build our countries. that's why thirdly, support there. just one more quick question because you talked about your initiatives, what, what happens now? how can you support continue to support your various initiatives from here? you have 3 years now to, to be in germany, to, to basically reorient what, what's next? yeah, fortunate the when i, when i make this initiative, i was working with people and they are really very great volunteers and also i, i did that with them that i'm not the that, that need to be speak on on the yeah. on them and like doing that and big,

i told them that every one of you is a leader and this is and you, she did, it's not. mine is not my my name. and it is for all people, it is for you and for you and, and also they get people of sudan. they are like support this initiative by continued donation of books. so that way this initiative is not connected with me, but it's connected to with people and they're, they're wheeling because they need that change. you will come, it'll education and self bobby wian. i know that your family has wished you would do it a number of times. i've never any thoughts of eating. you're gonna have to worry elsewhere. yes and no, yes. and no. yes, because it's the best way to guarantee that out their life. but not because it will be a betrayal betray of my sales people in your family, my people,

and you would not make practical sense at the end of the day. because the tyrants that, ah rule of some countries in africa are empowered with national budgets. they can be cute from any part of the wild and kill you and they are very many stories of this im, so other than making it hard for my people, they would rather kill me for more. my de one, make it expensive for my family to carry my body from wherever and take it back home. thus you vendors when born and it's where i'm going buried at the end of the day. if you my work is there. yeah, yeah. your work is there if you were to when the next election, what would you do to promote culture? what role would you give it in society? well, i would, yes. ensure that this freedom if this freedom gotcha, can float flesh, you know, culture lake, all other trades. yeah. we just need freedom. you know, our art is not asking for anything from government. if the government cannot help

at the government, you just lit at to be an at will be yes, i can hear you are feeling those words. you talked about it finding a way to let people dream in their own country. the idea is let people my great because they want to my great and not because they're being forced because they're being forced by economic circumstances or political issues and all of that that we young people of africa. we are tired of all of these old narratives about africa. we know what we said. there's no need to keep running away from the continent. we want to stay in the continent and fight if you know how many of us are they're going to kill. you know, we want to fight it. we have 3 boys right now and they are growing up. i wonder the kind of nigeria that they would go into and it would,

i would be very ashamed of myself if my boys grew up and meet the same kind of things that were complaining about and even if yeah. and and, and it really a really, really fear for that day where do ask questions and it would be like that, what did you do about this, you know, did you just talk about it? and so we've stopped talking about things we've gone with footed our, you know, sleeves and we're in the changes we're trying to make it work. it's not easy. but we know that we can again, the magic of the people, we just went to awaken the magic of the people and get this thing to don't visit well supposed to went for theater. because really it's a shame. and i would like to say that we spent a lot of time in africa because we they didn't give us a chance to look for them, weren't problems. we just focused on our daily,

our yearly problems. and so for all of these are stuff happening in africa, we need really to lift out and africa. we really contribute to the word problems. so we looking for that we need really to contribute to what is happening there was and helping humanity in all the world. shaving to morrow now is the. * motto of our global media for our men we've seen here. we've heard today from 5 people about the real potential and the boundless energy of that art for our to impact society. and to give young people a perspective such that they can actually have the choice of whether to stay or whether to stay in their countries and not be forced to leave. thanks to all of my panelists here for being here today. or jayla. bobby wyatt, who delegate sano and ego over here on my right to akin body in the audience. and

we're going to leave you with the sounds of our ghetto president here because i seem to think somebody has delivered an instrument. bobby, i'm just going to get up and we don't get you here every day and we certainly don't take it for granted that we can help with. okay, bottom line, ladies and gentlemen. i with with a what people call me night. no wonder why with

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