Umcimbi, Back to School x A4
Event 29 January–3 February 2022
Event photograph from the ‘Umcimbi’ exchange with advocacy organisation ‘Back 2 School’ hosted in A4’s Goods project space. The white event title lines the inside of the blue project space door.
Closing: Umcimbi, Back to School x A4 curated by Nkhensani Mkhari, February 3, 2022. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Title Umcimbi, Back to School x A4 Dates 29 January–3 February 2022 Location Goods Tagline Poetry and performance in Goods.
Curator Nkhensani Mkhari
Credits

Anthology:
Back 2 School

Audio engineer:
Tamara Moeng

Performing poets:
Aphiwe Magida
Emihle Dayeni
Zukisa Bikisha
Ziyanda Maki
Chenal Kock
Lerato Sello

'Umcimbi' is isiZulu for an event accompanied by praise poetry and ceremonial gestures acknowledging or engaging the living-dead. Taking place in Goods at A4, this collaboration between the foundation and the advocacy organisation Back 2 School is a one-night curatorial staging by Nkhensani Mkhari of Kaapstad, Back 2 School’s poetry anthology. Having recorded the poets in preparation for the event, Umcimbi incorporates these recordings alongside live performances and a print installation that explores presence and absence.

The anthology features poems by Western Cape poets in isiXhosa, Afrikaans, isiZulu, and English. All proceeds from the sale of Kaapstad go towards Back 2 School’s library project. 

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Goods is a project space for work in process and thinking aloud. The location’s transitory nature as a thoroughfare encourages a light-footed navigation of curatorial and artistic practice and rapid prototyping of ideas.
Closing: Umcimbi, Back to School x A4 curated by Nkhensani Mkhari, February 3, 2022. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Closing: Umcimbi, Back to School x A4 curated by Nkhensani Mkhari, February 3, 2022. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
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