An introspective of Chimurenga Magazine
Presented in and around the Cape Town Central Library from May 2 – June 21, the project embodied the proposition evoked by the title by “finding oneself,” as Moses Molelekwa put it, on the shelves of the Central Library; or quietly encroaching upon its classification system; or proposing a navigation system, clearly subjective and affective, for content found both in Chimurenga and the collection of the Central Library. The exhibition concept was devised by the editors of Chimurenga for Cape Africa Platform 2009.
The project included a multimedia investigation into independent pan African periodicals from around the world; “Why Must A Black Writer Write About Sex,” an exhibition of sex scenes from African literature that contest cliched inscriptions of literature and sexuality; and reading routes and sound posts that re-imagined the Library as a laboratory for extended curiosity, new adventures, critical thinking, daydreaming, socio-political involvement, partying and random perusal.
In addition, weekly Chimurenga Sessions took place inside the Library. Dissolving the boundaries between text, sound, city, culture, and media, the Chimurenga Sessions featured music and poetry performances, dialogues, screenings, and more.
The Chimurenga Library also traversed the division between the street and the Library with Chimurenganyana a series of solos excerpted from Chimurenga that was distributed on the streets of Cape Town.
