Proslava Dana Afrike

U bašti Muzeja afričke umetnosti je 27. maja održana manifestacija Dan Afrike, čija je zemlja domaćin bio Alžir, što nije slučajno, budući da su od 28. maja do 1. juna bili održani i Dani alžirske kulture u Srbiji. U organizaciji sa ostalim ambasadama afričkih zemalja u Beogradu – Angole, Gvineje, Egipta, Konga, Libije, Maroka, Nigerije i Tunisa – i ove godine je u Muzeju afričke umetnosti obeležen Dan Afrike, godišnjica potpisivanja sporazuma OAJ – Organizacije afričkog jedinstva (25. maja 1963. godine).

Ovaj dan predstavlja simbol borbe čitavog afričkog kontinenta za oslobođenje, razvoj i ekonomski napredak. Pored bazara umetničkih predmeta, ponuđeni su i specijaliteti svake afričke zemlje, koje su Tomislav Nikolić, predsednik Srbije, diplomate, kao i prisutni građani degustirali u bašti Muzeja. Ovaj događaj predstavljao je svojevrsnu najavu 15-tog jubilarnog Afro festivala koji je održan od 21. do 23 juna.

Festival naglašava poštovanje raznolikosti kultura i prezentaciju kulturnog nasleđa kao način promovisanja multikulturalnosti u današnjem svetu. Uz učešće predavača i stručnjaka iz oblasti afričkih studija, kao i afričkih i lokalnih umetnika, studenata i prijatelja Muzeja, organizuju se izložbe i predavanja, muzičke i likovne radionice, filmske projekcije, koncerti, kao i javna vođenja kroz stalnu postavku i tematsku izložbu. U okviru dvodnevne prodajne izložbe po prvi put su predstavljeni zanati i umetnost Namibije. Održan je i Mankala turnir − reč je o popularnoj društvenoj igri, omiljenoj širom Afrike, ali i u Aziji, Severnoj i JužnojAmerici. Na programu su bili i koncerti, a izložene su i zanimljive instalacije. Bile su organizovane i kreativne radionice za decu, koja su mogla da saznaju kako se nekada crtalo na stenama u velikoj afričkoj zemlji Namibiji, kako od reciklaže napraviti tablu za igru mankala, koje je priče narod Ašanti iz Gane deci prepričavao o svojoj slavnoj prošlosti ili kako se sa malo gline i „cvećem u srcu“ pravi pravo malo umetničko delo. Naravno, bio je tu i neizostavni afrički bazar, popularna manifestacija Muzeja afričke umetnosti, koja promoviše likovnu i primenjenu umetnost afričkog kontinenta. Zamišljena je kao prodajna izložba umetničkih i zanatskih predmeta: maski, skulptura u kamenu i drvetu, rukom pravljenih i bojenih tkanina, slika, batika, nakita, dekorativnih predmeta za enterijer.

Durbar

Najznačajniji dan Afro festivala je Durbar − festival festivala: dan prijateljstva, muzike i plesa. Uz učešće afričkih ambasada u Beogradu, u prijatnom eksterijeru − bašti Muzeja, ovaj dan slavi afričku muziku, ples, umetnost i kulturu. Posebno aranžirani štandovi sa predmetima umetničke, zanatske i suvenirske proizvodnje (tkaninama, nakitom, drvenim figurama) doprinose duhu festivala koji na nezaboravan način dočarava kulturnu riznicuAfrike. Uz ljubaznu podršku afričke diplomatske zajednice u Beogradu, posetiocima se pruža prilika da uživaju u kulinarskim specijalitetima iz različitih krajevaAfrike: Angole, Alžira, Egipta, Gvineje, Konga, Libije, Maroka, Nigerije i Tunisa.

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Celebration of the Africa Day

The cultural manifestation “Africa Day” was held on May 27 at the garden of the Museum of African Art. This activity was hosted by Alger, which is not a coincidence, if we take in consideration that the “Days of Algerian Culture in Serbia” were celebrated between May 28 and June 1. This event was organized in the Museum of African Art with the support of the Embassies of African states accredited in Belgrade – Angola, Guinea, Egypt, Congo, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunis, in commemoration of the date when the there was signed the Agreement of the Organization for African Unity (May 25, 1963).

This day represents a symbol of the fight of the entire African continent for freedom, development and economic progress. The bazaar of artistic objects and the delicacies of each country, which were tasted by Mr. Tomislav Nikolić, President of Serbia, diplomats and citizens in the garden of the Museum, represent a special way to announce the jubilee “Afro Festival” which was held between June 21 and June 23.

The festival emphasizes the respect to cultural diversity and the presentation of cultural heritage as a way to promote multi-culturalism in the modern world. This activity was attended by lecturers and professionals from the field of African studies, African and local artists, students and friends of the Museum, who organized expositions and lecture, music and fine arts workshops, films, concerts and guided tours through the permanent and thematic exhibitions. During the two-day commercial exposition there were presented for the first time arts and handicrafts from Namibia. There was organized the “Mankala” tournament, a social game, which is very popular across Africa, but also in Asia, North and South America. The program included concerts and interesting expositions. There were organized creative workshops for children, who had the chance of learning how drawings used to be carried out on the rocks of the large African country Namibia, how to make a mankala board with recycled materials and how to create real works of art out of a bit of clay and “flowers in the heart”. They also listened to the stories that Ashanti people from Ghana used to tell to their children about their glorious past. Of course, there was organized the traditional African bazaar, a popular manifestation of the Museum of African Art, which promotes fine arts and applicative art from the African continent. It was conceived as a commercial exposition of artistic objects and handicrafts, including masks, stone and wooden sculptures, manually manufactured textiles, pictures, batiks, jewelry and interior decoration.

Durbar

The most important day of the Afro Festival is the Durbar: the festival of festivals – day of friendship, music and dance. With the support of the African Embassies accredited in Belgrade this day commemorates African music, dance, art and culture within the pleasant environment of the Museum garden. Especially arranged stands with artistic objects, handicrafts and souvenirs (textiles, jewelry, wooden sculpture) contribute to the spirit of the festival, which illustrates the cultural treasure of African in an unforgettable way. With the kind support of the African diplomatic community of Belgrade, visitors had the chance of enjoying delicacies from different parts of Africa: Angola, Alger, Egypt, Guinea, Congo, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunis.

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