NKATA: Art and Processes
NKATA is an Igbo word from the language spoken by the Igbo people of Nigeria. It simply means "Conversation". Thus this podcast series will feature conversations with selected individuals (artists, cultural operators, and creatives) whose work I have known – some over many years and others, a little less so. What sets them apart is that I consider them and their works to be compelling, engaging and relevant to the time. The idea of this podcast is to have in-depth but also accessible conversations about who these individuals are, their life’s journeys and how this translates into their vocation as creative people. Conversations will depart from exploring the background of the artists' personal history while meandering through key themes, positions, and ideologies central to their works. Each episode will feature one conversation with a selected artist. Emeka Okereke (Host).
Episodes
16 episodes
EP15: "The garment of the present is always stitched by cloths and threads from a variety of elsewheres" – Nkata with John Akomfrah
In this thought-provoking episode, host Emeka Okereke sits down with the visionary Ghanaian-born British artist and filmmaker John Akomfrah. Akomfrah is renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to contemporary art and film, where his work ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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58:18
EP14: "Move one foot in front of the other, and you will find your road". Nkata with Jide Adeniyi-Jones
Jide Adeniyi-Jones (b. Lagos, 1952) is a Nigerian documentary photographer based in Lagos and Washington, DC. He credits the English photographer John Vickers for paving his way into photography in 1972. Since then, he has worked across various...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:21:39
Ep13: "When I use the term Afropolitanism, it refers to the "becoming planetary" of our predicament." Nkata with Achille Mbembe.
Achille Mbembe is no doubt one of the most influential philosophers of the 21st century. Born in Cameroun in 1957, the year that ushered in a ricochet of the independence of African nations – also known as the year of Kwame Nkrumah – in many wa...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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1:13:27
EP12: "We are workers of the Spirit". Nkata with Koyo Kouoh
The 12th episode of Nkata Podcast: Art & Processes features a conversation with Koyo Kouoh.Koyo Kouoh is a Cameroonian-born curator. She is a leading figure in the Contemporary art world. More specifically, she is one of the...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:42:22
EP11: "We were brought up to strive for Eloquence". Nkata with Olu Oguibe
Olu Oguibe (b.1964, Aba) is a Nigerian artist and academic living and working in the United States of America. He is one of the foremost scholars of his generation whose work constitutes a pillar of what we now know as Contemporary African art ...
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Episode 11
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2:04:58
EP10: We are trying to remember the future and rewrite the past. Nkata with Qudus Onikeku
In episode 10 of Nkata: Art & Processes, Emeka Okereke is in Conversation with Qudus Onikeku (b. 1984, Lagos), a Nigerian contemporary dancer, performer and Choreographer. He has been active and consistently prolific since 2004, so much tha...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:43:45
EP09: "Water will always find its crack". Nkata with Ahmet Öğüt
Ahmet Öğüt (b.1981, Diyarbakir, Turkey) is a conceptual artist living and working in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He works with a broad range of media including video, photography, installation, drawing and printed media (Wikipedia)In the 9th...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:20:36
EP08: "If I write for them, it means I am removing myself from my source". Nkata with Niq Mhlongo
Niq Mhlongo (b. 1973, Soweto) is a South African writer born in Johannesburg. Today, he is considered "one of the most high-spirited, irreverent voices of post-apartheid South African literary scene".So far, he has four novels and...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:43:30
EP07: "Our subalterns have not sold out; our youngsters have not sold out". Nkata with Shahidul Alam
Shahidul Alam (b.1955) is a Bangladeshi photojournalist, teacher and social activist. He has been a photographer for more than 40 years. His life and work can invariably be summarised as a service to society, culture and humanity. In 2014...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:39:11
EP06: "My father always told me that only Love is above the law" Nkata with Uche James Iroha
One cannot exhaustively and informatively review the history of contemporary Nigerian photography without frequently returning to the name Uche James Iroha (B.1972, Enugu). Since 1999, Uche’s ideology, activities and support for younger photogr...
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Episode 6
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1:12:28
EP05: "Not only are we ahead of time, we are classic" Nkata with Nontsikelelo Veleko
Nontsikelelo Veleko (b. 1977) is a South African photographer most notably recognised for her depiction of black identity, urbanisation and fashion in post-apartheid South Africa. Veleko studied photography at the Market Theatre Photo Workshop(...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:33:22
EP04: "My mother said to me: I have dreamt of you in colours" Nkata with Otobong Nkanga
Otobong Nkanga (b. 1974, Kano, Nigeria) is a visual and performance artist whose artistic practice spans almost two decades. She began her studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria and continued at the National Fine Arts School...
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1:56:32
EP03: "No Thank You – I Will Live Up To The Consequences" Nkata with Jihan El-Tahri
For our third episode, Emeka Okereke is in conversation with Jihan El-Tahri, an Egyptian filmmaker, producer, and visual artist.Jihan El-Tahri began her career as a foreign correspondent covering Middle East politics for the Financial Ti...
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Episode 3
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2:15:40
EP02: "What have you, or what have I paid into that Trust?" NKATA with Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung.
Episode two of NKATA sees Emeka Okereke in conversation with Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung. Ndikung (b.1977, Yaoundé) is an independent curator, art critic, author and biotechnologist from Cameroon, who lives and works from out of ...
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Episode 2
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1:51:12
EP01: "I wonder as I wander" Nkata with Akinbode Akinbiyi
In this debut episode of NKATA, Emeka Okereke is in conversation with Akinbode Akinbiyi. Akinbiyi (b.1946) is a Berlin-based Nigerian photographer, writer, curator and educator who has been working in the art world/ creative field f...
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Episode 1
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1:33:44