African Vox has been launched in the aim to stimulate the creation of contemporary Belgian art by inviting young Belgian and Congolese artists to reclaim their colonial history. The complex history which binds these two countries is tied to their colonial past, which even today remains something of a taboo subject on both sides of the hemisphere.

After 58 years of Congolese independence, a new generation of Belgians, Belgians of Congolese descent, and Congolese will endeavour to examine this history in an objective and uncomplicated manner. Accordingly, I decided to focus on the former capital of the Independent State of Congo, Vivi.

In order to produce this working, Lara Gasparotto, and me, as the exhibition curator, embarked on a two-week trip (4th February to 18th February 2019) to Kinshasa, where we have been joined by artist Dareck Tuba.

By working with these artists who are thousands of miles apart, but who are joined by a shared history, The African Vox Project hope to highlight perceptions of the history of these two countries through photography.
Basika Paola