Educational Programme — Okuoya
Solo Exhibition — Okufeti(ka)
May 30 — August 10, 2019
Jahmek Contemporary Art Luanda, Angola
“Where am I historically, physically, geograph-
ically, spiritually? Not just in a concrete place, but in an imagined place… ”
“Tell history, not how it was, but how it may
have felt.”
The exhibition Okufeti(ka) [okufetika: to begin in Umbundu] was initially inspired by a book about the travels of German ethnologist Alfred Schachtzabel in the central highlands of Angola, who visited the Feti archaeological site in 1913–14. This site of archaeological remains is one of the largest in Central and Southern Africa and is situated near the confluence of the Cunhongamua and Cunene rivers. According to researchers, it was the central settlement of a complex society and probably the capital of the kingdom. The particularity
of the site consists in the fact that it is well re-
membered in Ovimbundu orality through the creation myth Feti, in its various versions.
— Iris Buchholz Chocolate
Since 1893, missionaries, ethnologists, histo-
rians, fortune hunters, archaeologists and writers have attempted to link the Feti creation myth to figures, dates and events in the region, reaching different opinions and conclusions. There are even reports that the site was flooded during the construction of a dam in mid 20th century. It is well known that in 1944–1945, it was almost completely destroyed by a hobby fortune hunter who sought to find a “legendary treasure trove of gold bars, coins and other valuables”.
Feti, like the myth, remains open to new interpretations...
Who owns “history” and who tells it? Who can question history and which questions can
be asked?
During European colonial expansion, the
“history” of Africa was largely documented by European explorers and scientists, according
to “human sciences” created for the study
of extra-European peoples and territories. The prejudiced and sometimes absurd views of these texts contributed to the creation of a false image of the continent and its peoples abroad, and distortion of Africa’s image of itself. At the same time, since the great body African orality remains undocumented, these texts are often the only written records of the spaces and
times of an Africa before colonization.
Today, it matters to cast a critical look on the content of these materials and understand what motivated the creation of such a nightmarish vision of Africa. The awareness and acceptance that such things came to pass, becomes increas-
ingly crucial in a present that continually (re)defines who we are, where we came from and where we desire to go, as inhabitants of
this continent.
The Okuoya educational program, available
for free download, seeks to stimulate curiosity in young minds on topics such as archeology, astronomy, history, cultural heritage and African material cultures.
— Curator, Tila Likunzi
Artist
Iris Buchholz Chocolate
Curator
Tila Likunzi
Educational Program
lugânzi
Executive Producer
Jahmek Contemporary Art
Mehak Vieira
Exhibition
Terça à Sábado das 10 às 19 horas
Sponsor Educational Program
Goethe-Institut Angola
Patrons student transport
Marco Mattheis
Miximilian Wemhoener
Acknowledgements
Alain van Rossum
Renato Sotto Mayor & Team
Claudio Chocolate
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