 | |
| Editor | Jean Loup Pivin and Simon Njami |
|---|---|
| Categories | Art |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| First issue | 1991 |
| Final issue | 2001 |
| Company | Editions Revue Noire |
| Country | France |
| Based in | Paris |
| Language | English French |
| Website | revuenoire.com/ |
| ISSN | 1157-4127 |
Revue Noire was a quarterly printed magazine dedicated to African contemporary art, published from 1991 to 2001 by Editions Revue Noire.
Revue Noire was founded in 1991 by Jean Loup Pivin, Pascal Martin Saint Lóon, Bruno Tilliette, and Simon Njami. [1] Their goal was to give high-quality printed attention to contemporary African art. It covered varying subjects from sculpture, painting, photography, dance, theatre, music and literature. [2] There were issues on African cities, AIDS, and even gastronomy. Design played a key role in forwarding its objectives and Revue Noire has been described as "glossy, fashion savvy and distinctly Parisian". [3] Images were combined with largely informative texts that highlighted artistic responses to the international media and the touristic gaze as well as the production of discourses of cultural identity on the continent, the framing the African body, urban sites and rapidly changing dynamics between African aesthetic values and Western influences.
From the beginning Revue Noire was aimed at the widest possible audience of those with an interest in art, Africa, or intercultural subject matter. Distributed internationally, it was bilingual (English/French), sometimes adding texts in Portuguese. This language policy and its focus on specific regions - from Abidjan to London, Kinshasa to Paris, Accra, Teshie or Johannesburg to New York or Tokyo - not only facilitated access to information on African artistic production but also forged new links between artist based on the continent and those working in the diaspora.
After 34 issues, Editions Revue Noire interrupted the printing of the journal in 2001 and refocused its attention on publishing books, curating exhibitions and posting occasional online content.
The magazine focuses on artists' monographs and on specific countries or geographic areas where the editorial team produces research on arts (which include visual art, photography, music, literature, dance, theatre, fashion but also architecture and food). Some issues are focuses on a specific field.
Burkina Faso has good relations with the European Union, African and certain Asian countries.
African French is the generic name of the varieties of the French language spoken by an estimated 320 million people in Africa in 2023 or 67% of the French-speaking population of the world spread across 34 countries and territories. This includes those who speak French as a first or second language in these 34 African countries and territories, but it does not include French speakers living in other African countries. Africa is thus the continent with the most French speakers in the world, and African French speakers now form a large and integral part of the Francophonie.
Seydou Nourou Doumbia, known as Chris Seydou, was a Malian fashion designer known for his use of traditional Malian fabrics, particularly bògòlanfini (mudcloth).
Joseph Ki-Zerbo was a Burkinabé historian, politician and writer. He is recognized as one of Africa's foremost thinkers.
Ndombolo, also known as dombolo, is a genre of dance music originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Derived from soukous in the 1990s, with fast-paced hip-swaying dance rhythms, often accompanied by upbeat, percussion-driven music, the style became widespread in the mid-1990s and the subsequent decade, dominating dancefloors in central, eastern, and western Africa. It inspired West African popular music, coupé-décalé, Kuduro, and East African dance music.
Frédéric Fernand Guirma was a Burkinabé diplomat, writer and politician. In 1959 he became the president of the trade union centre CATC. From 1960 to 1963 he was the Republic of Upper Volta's first Ambassador to the United States and his country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He headed the conservative political party Front de Refus or RDA. He gained 5.87% of the vote in the 1998 presidential election. Guirma died on 9 January 2024, at the age of 92.
United Artists for African Rap is a collective of 17 hip hop artists coming from ten different countries in West Africa and who are committed to use their voices and music for Africa’s development. With the support of the Non Governmental Organization PLAN International, they are engaged in a public awareness campaign relating to Children’s rights and youth problems. With respect, they realized in 2006 the first ever hip hop musical comedy show “The extraordinary Stories of Poto-Poto Children”.
Simon Njami is a writer and an independent curator, lecturer, art critic and essayist.
Unir Cinéma: Revue du Cinéma Africain was the first periodical entirely devoted to African cinema to come out of Francophone Africa. Its impact established it as an essential reference tool on cinema on the continent.
Barbara Kanam Mutund, known professionally as Barbara Kanam, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, producer, television personality, philanthropist, and politician currently serving as the Director General of the Cultural Promotion Fund of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Noted for her coloratura and soprano vocal range, Kanam is considered one of the most influential figures in 21st-century Congolese and African popular music. She sings in French, Swahili, Lingala, and English, often addressing themes such as peace, love, happiness, and women's rights in her lyrics.
Contemporary African art is commonly understood to be art made by artists in Africa and the African diaspora in the post-independence era. However, there are about as many understandings of contemporary African art as there are curators, scholars and artists working in that field. All three terms of this "wide-reaching non-category [sic]" are problematic in themselves: What exactly is "contemporary", what makes art "African", and when are we talking about art and not any other kind of creative expression?
Yacouba Konaté is an Ivorian curator, writer and art critic. He is a professor of philosophy at the Université de Cocody in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Fally Ipupa N'simba, known professionally as Fally Ipupa, is a Congolese musician and dancer. Often referred to as the "Prince of Rumba", he is noted for his tenor vocals as well as his blend of contemporary and traditional Congolese music genres, including Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. His lyrics often cover themes of romance, suffering, and joy.
The Confédération africaine des travailleurs croyants was a trade union confederation in French West Africa and Togo. C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo was founded in Ouagadougou July 8–15, 1956 by the West African branches of the French trade union centre C.F.T.C. David Soumah became the first president of C.A.T.C-A.O.F-Togo.
Michèle Magema is a Congolese-French video, performance, and photography artist. She currently resides in Nevers.
Hervé Gola Bataringe, known professionally as Ferré Gola, is a Congolese singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. Revered as "Jésus de Nuances", he is known for his tenor vocals and is considered a central figure in the evolution of fifth-generation Congolese rumba. His lyrics predominantly revolve around themes of love, social support, and interpersonal relationships.
Joseph-Francis Sumégné was born on 30 July 1951 in Bamenjou, Cameroon. Painter and sculptor since 1976, he is a self-taught artist. He lives and works in Yaoundé (Cameroon).
Extra Musica is a Congolese rumba band formed in Ouenzé, Brazzaville, in August 1993. The band was established by Roga-Roga, Espé Bass, Kila Mbongo, Durell Loemba, Guy-Guy Fall, Ramatoulaye Ngolali, and Quentin Moyascko, who initially met at the Sainte Thérèse church in Ouenzé, being neighbors and classmates. Prior to forming Extra Musica, several members had been associated with the Cogiex Stars ensemble but seceded subsequent to facing punitive repercussions for attempting to infuse new ideas.
This article uses text from the Chimurenga Library under the GFDL
