ANTANANARIVO
NOVEMBER, 30 2024
On November 30, 2024, Fondation H launches its first collaboration with KADIST, a non-profit contemporary art organization based in Paris, France and San Francisco, USA. Dedicated to exhibiting the work of artists—from more than one hundred countries—represented in its collection, KADIST affirms contemporary art’s role within social discourse, and facilitates new connections across cultures.
Aude Christel Mgba, curator and acquisitions advisor for KADIST's African and Middle Eastern region, hasbeen invited by Fondation H to present a curatorial proposal of art film screenings in response to Memoria : récits d'une autre histoire [Memoria : accounts of another History], the current exhibition at Fondation H.
On Saturday November 30, from 10 am to 8 pm, at Fondation H in Antananarivo, the curator presents Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense, a series of screenings imagined as a collective listening session, accompanied by conversations and performances by artists from Madagascar. The program features video works selected from the KADIST Collection, exploring the intersection between creation and the transmission of history, identity-building and collective memory.
Curator
Aude Christel Mgba (Curator at the Museum de Fundatie, Netherlands & KADIST Advisor)
Artists
Bili Bidjocka, Bady Dalloul, Chitra Ganesh, Clarisse Hahn, Gabriella & Silvana Mangano, Vonjiniaina Ratovonirina, Richianny Ratovo, Guy Woueté
After gaining independence in the 1960s, many formerly colonized territories had the responsibility to establish what would be the status of the “freed” space. The majority —though not all— inherited the colonial structure, continuing to reinforce nation-building and adopting democracy as the universal value.
The current political climate on the African continent clearly shows that this system has failed to take root effectively. In his song “Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense”, Fela Kuti reminds us of the fact that democracy, at least in what it embodies and carries within its historical background, is a colonial inheritance. Reflecting on both the past and his contemporary period, he predicts that this system will never work for the African continent. He even goes on saying that democracy is a “demo-crisis,” a demonstration of crisis, or a “demo-crazy,” one of pure madness. It’s quite hard to refute this idea when looking at what is happening in the world today.
“Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense” is a program in three parts, evolving between the different states of mind in which the curator imagines a citizen might find themselves while living and experiencing the described context. Drawing from Fela Kuti’s iconic song Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense, the program critically reflects on governance and societal structures within decolonial processes.
The first part will examine the complex, intertwined relationship between mental state and history. In Le Fou Postcolonial Insane by Cameroonian visual artist Guy Woueté, the work offers a poignant look into colonial mentalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. By juxtaposing collective health with colonial trauma, Woueté illustrates how history demands careful consideration. Similarly, Bili Bidjocka's Pause/Tanmpo reflects on the cultural memory embedded in iconic symbols, creating memories that exist between the personal and the collective, the real and the imagined.
The second part of the program explores the collective identity, resistance, and the place of the body. Gabriella and Silvana Mangano's There is No There examines how political messages can be conveyed through physical actions like protesting or manifesting. The tension between silence and power is echoed in Clarisse Hahn's Prisons, which examines the body as a site of resistance, focusing on a hunger strike in Turkish prisons.
The third part shifts the narrative toward personal and historical writing. Bady Dalloul's Scrapbook layers personal memory with global events, blurring the lines between fact andfiction. Chitra Ganesh's Rabbithole reimagines classical myth through the lens of transformation, highlighting the psychological and physical shifts that result from journeys into the unknown.
Program details
Introduction
10am
Listening session of the song “Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense” by Fela Kuti
Introduction of the program by Fondation H team and Aude Christel Mgba
Lecture of two poems by Rado – Georges Andriamanantena, Malagasy poet
Lectures by Vonjiniaina Ratovonirina and Richianny Ratovo
Part I
11am-12pm
Screening followed by a discussion with Aude Christel Mgba:
Le Fou Postcolonial Insane by Guy Wouété (2019-2020)
Pause/Tempo by Bili Bidjocka (2022)
Part II
4-6pm
Performance by Belly Sid outside Fondation H
Screening followed by a discussion with Aude Christel Mgba:
There is No There by Gabriella & Silvana Mangano (2019)
Prisons by Clarisse Hahn (2017)
Part III
6-7pm
Screening:
Scrapbook by Bady Lalloul (2018)
Rabbithole by Chitra Ganesh (2022)
Closing
7-8pm
Listening session of the song “Suffering And Smiling” by Fela Kuti
DJ set and street food in Fondation H garden
This event is part of the KADIST ongoing Double Takes program of collaborations with other art centers and organizations that take moving image works in the collection as a point of departure.
ABOUT KADIST
KADIST is a non-profit contemporary art organization that believes artists make an important contribution to a progressive society through their artwork, which often addresses key issues relevant to the present day. Dedicated to exhibiting the work of artists—from more than one hundred countries—represented in its collection, KADIST affirms contemporary art’s role within social discourse, and facilitates new connections across cultures. Its local hubs in Paris and San Francisco organize exhibitions, physical and online programs, and host residencies. KADIST stays apprised of developments in contemporary art via a global advisor network, and develops collaborations internationally, including with leading museums, fostering vibrant conversations about contemporary art and society.