Shows
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP16: "Creativity is what we owe Humanity" – Nkata with Ibe AnanabaSend us a textIn this episode of Nkata Podcast: Art & Processes, host Emeka Okereke engages in a compelling conversation with Nigerian painter, designer, and multimedia artist Ibe Ananaba. A lifelong explorer of visual storytelling, Ananaba’s journey is one of relentless curiosity—one that traverses the bustling city of Aba, where he grew up, the creative crucible of Lagos, and his current practice in Canada.At the heart of this discussion lies a fundamental question: What do we owe the world as creatives?Ananaba’s artistic practice is deeply...2025-03-141h 28
NkataEP16: “Creativity is what we owe Humanity” – Nkata with Ibe AnanabaIn this episode of Nkata Podcast: Art & Processes, host Emeka Okereke engages in a compelling conversation with Nigerian painter, designer, and multimedia artist Ibe Ananaba. A lifelong explorer of visual storytelling, Ananaba’s journey is one of relentless curiosity—one that traverses the bustling city of Aba, where he grew up, the creative crucible of Lagos,...2025-03-141h 28
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP23: On Following The Intangible – with Genevieve WhiteSend us a textIn this episode, we journey with Genevieve White, a seasoned artist and performer, as she shares her path from her multicultural roots in Canada to the vibrant art scene of New York City—recorded in the tranquil atmosphere of Berlin’s Grunewald Forest as a conversation with host and transdisciplinary artist Emeka Okereke. Genevieve’s story reveals the transformative power of collaboration, creativity, and the delicate, often interwoven relationship between art and life.The conversation delves into how Genevieve views art as a vessel for expression, shaped by the diverse cultural dynami...2024-11-201h 11
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP22: "Pleasures in the confusions of boundaries": Transdisciplinary Artistic Practices and Pedagogy – with Lukas FeireissSend us a textIn this episode of Dots of Thoughts, Emeka Okereke engages in a thought-provoking conversation with Berlin-based artist, producer, and scholar Lukas Freireiss. Renowned for his transdisciplinary approach, Lukas shares his practice of working in a “collage-like manner” that unites artists and cultural producers from diverse fields, transcending conventional boundaries.Lukas introduces Crossroads, his Berlin-based project, which he describes as a platform for bringing creators together to intersect and exchange ideas. Reflecting on the significance of being a Berliner, Lukas emphasizes the importance of cultivating spaces that encourage fluid, informal collaborations. The proj...2024-10-2552 min
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP15: "The garment of the present is always stitched by cloths and threads from a variety of elsewheres" – Nkata with John AkomfrahSend us a textIn 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 poignantly explores themes of memory, post-colonialism, and the lived experiences of migrant diasporas across the globe.The conversation delves into Akomfrah’s illustrious career, beginning with his pivotal role as a founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective in 1982. The collective’s debut film, Handsworth Songs (1986), marked a significant moment in British cinema. It examined the 1985 riot...2024-08-1958 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP21: Dilemma of a New Age: Black Fathers, Resilence, Raising a Child in Berlin - with Alain MissalaSend us a textCan the simple act of daily gratitude empower and transform your life? In this episode of Dots of Thoughts Podcast, recorded on-site at the Neue Berliner Kunstverein, host Emeka Okereke and guest, Alain Missala, explore the vibrant multicultural landscape of contemporary Berlin.Alain delves into his pivotal work with Black Dads Germany and Zula, shedding light on how these initiatives are reimagining narratives and empowering children from multicultural backgrounds. Through personal anecdotes, Alain highlights the profound impact of role models and the daily practice of gratitude in enriching our...2024-08-051h 19
NkataEP21: Dilemma of a New Age: Black Fathers, Resilence, Raising a Child in Berlin – with Alain MissalaCan the simple act of daily gratitude empower and transform your life? In this episode of Dots of Thoughts Podcast, recorded on-site at the Neue Berliner Kunstverein, host Emeka Okereke and guest, Alain Missala, explore the vibrant multicultural landscape of contemporary Berlin.2024-08-0500 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP20: How Can Photography Shape Political Discourse in the 21st Century? – with Jane TormeySend us a textIn this episode, I discuss the book, "Photography and Political Aesthetics" with the author, art critic and professor, Jane Tormey. Our enlightening conversation traverses the landscape where artistry intersects with political fervour, dissecting how photographs can sway social movements and mould public opinion. We navigate the evolution of politically motivated photography, from its historical roots to contemporary schools of thought, probing the depth and breadth of visual politics. Jane argues for the need to reconsider how photography could be deployed "in a more focused way" to shape present-day political discourses and e...2024-05-1338 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP19: Polyrhythmic Weavings Across Countries, Continents, and Time – with BatilaSend us a textThis episode takes you on an auditory pilgrimage with the Berlin-based, musician, Batila, weaving the essence of his Congolese and Angolan heritage into a rich narrative that dances between the notes of his latest album, "Tatamana." As Batila unpacks his life's journey from Germany to the cultural depths of his upbringing, we discover how a childhood migration shaped not only his reality but also the very music that he breathes into existence.Batila's convictions resonate as he insists on music as a vessel for storytelling, a self-acclaimed Griot channelling his energy o...2024-02-2653 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP18: Rooftop Encounters, and "Living Tangier." – with Abdelmajid HannoumSend us a textDuring a three-week residency in Tangier, Morocco, my friend and colleague, anthropologist Mathangi Krishnamurthy, and I, Emeka Okereke, had the privilege of meeting Abdelmajid Hannoum, whose book "Living Tangier" served as a springboard for our research and thought processes during our residency in the city, organized and supported by The Minority Globe.In this episode of Dots of Thoughts, Professor Hannoum shares his intellectual and creative process of translating fieldwork experiences into academic work. We dive deeper into the realities of migration and its impact on the city of Tangier. Hannoum...2023-11-2058 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP17: Confronting Germany's past through colonial relics of the Prussian Palaces – with Carolin AlffSend us a textThis episode was inspired by my participation in the exhibition "Prussian Palaces. Colonial Histories", taking place at the Schloss Charlottenburg Berlin. My guest, Carolin Alff, one of the exhibition's curators, guides us through the thoughts that inform the exhibition's making. We discuss the mystery of two statues, their damaged state, a testament to the inaccessible vignette shrouding Germany's deplorable colonial past. The statue in question was the subject of my audiovisual intervention called "Tracing Presence(s)... of Place, Body, Time."It is important to note that the relevance of thi...2023-08-051h 02
Doenças TropicaisFestac'77 e a nova fase do pan-africanismoO Festac'77 foi um festival de artes e afirmação cultural africana realizado na Nigéria, mas não foi um festival no sentido que a gente está acostumado. Foi menos um Lollapalooza, mais algo como as Olimpíadas. Hoje é amplamente reconhecido que o Festac'77, ou "Segundo Festival Mundial de Artes de Cultura Negras e Africanas", foi um ponto de virada na diplomacia nigeriana e sua contribuição à cultura diplomática global. A gente conta o que aconteceu e como ele dá continuidade a um antigo sonho de união pan-africana ensaiado em Festival de Artes Negras em Dakar (1966) e no Panaf da...2023-07-2230 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP16: Exploring Existential Complexity: A Dive into 'Everything Everywhere All At Once' with You Kim.Send us a textIf you've ever found yourself lost in the labyrinth of existence or pondering the multiverse and the many layers of our identity, my recent chat with the talented filmmaker and fashion model You Kim is sure to resonate with you. We venture into a reflective analysis of the film, Everything Everywhere All At Once - a cinematic marvel that masterfully addresses the complexities of subjectivity, truth, and the human tendency to deconstruct our world. It's a film that bears a striking relevance to the contemporary times we live in, and You Kim's insights...2023-07-0648 min
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP14: "Move one foot in front of the other, and you will find your road". Nkata with Jide Adeniyi-JonesSend us a textJide 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 sectors of the discipline, including advertising, private media, civic service, and contemporary art. Having been a photographer for most of Africa's post-independence era, he has witnessed and documented many key political events in the continent as they unfolded. Yet, to those who know him within the profession, Adeniyi-Jones has put his humanity and nuanced way o...2023-04-141h 21
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP16: We need to move the body elsewhere to see what sticks – with Dior Thiam.You are listening to the sixteenth episode of "Dots of Thoughts" Podcast. Every episode of this podcast project originated from a thought, an idea, a persistent spark or maybe a poem. I follow the prompts, often leading to an encounter and a conversation.Lately, I have been reflecting on the works of the critical thinkers Frantz Fanon and Edouard Glissant, rummaging through their thoughts for clues about the dialectics of the future. As such, I have been engrossed with the question of presence, consciousness, embodied knowledge and "re-membering".As our world gets increasingly convoluted, it begs...2023-03-051h 04
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEp13: "When I use the term Afropolitanism, it refers to the "becoming planetary" of our predicament." Nkata with Achille Mbembe.Send us a textAchille 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 ways, his work and disposition could be summarised as an embodiment of the spirit of the future. In this conversation moderated by Emeka Okereke for the 13th episode of Nkata Podcast, Art and Processes, Mbembe generously opens up personal spaces to offer intimate knowledge through which the intentions behind his work can...2023-02-081h 13
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP12: "We are workers of the Spirit". Nkata with Koyo KouohSend us a textThe 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 pioneers who helped shape and articulate contemporary art practices from the African continent and beyond. Her work is rooted in community and institution-building through collaborations. She is the founder of RAW MATERIAL COMPANY, an art space in Dakar that promotes critical thinking and knowledge production through artistic activities. She is currently the Executive Director...2022-10-191h 42
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP11: "We were brought up to strive for Eloquence". Nkata with Olu OguibeSend us a textOlu 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 and post-colonial studies. Since 1988, he has saddled a rigorous and prolific artistic practice as a visual artist, writer, curator, professor and art historian. Put succinctly, a credible account of the history and trajectory of Post-colonial/Contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora is unimaginable without referencing the work of Olu...2022-04-172h 04
Under The Hoodie"No one cares about your vlogs!"A routine phone call turned into a podcast episode. We might be back.2022-03-0821 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP15: Finding Home in the Body Through Dance and Ballet - with Diana MoraSend us a textIn this episode of Dots of Thoughts, I am in conversation with Diana Mora. She is a ballet dancer. Her inclination to dance started from as early as the age of six, when she first watched Swan Lake. Supported by her mother, she studied and completed ballet dancing at the National Academy in her home country Bolivia. Dance became the incentive for her movement and consequent self-unravelling from then on. Finally, she moved to France to pursue her dreams as a ballet dancer. In the podcast, she takes us through the nature of...2022-02-1849 min
NKATA: Dots of ThoughtsEP14: Being Palestinian, a Life of Permanent Temporality – with Bahaa AbudayaSend us a textIn 2006, I remember photographing, in Paris, the protest against killings that then took place in Isreal and Palestine. In the photo, a father is clutching his little daughter on one hand, while with the other hand, waves a placard that reads “Le meme age que ma fille” (same age as my daughter). I remember feeling deeply struck by this double emphasis aimed at reiterating what should be so obvious: the trail and ensuing threads of human violence – like mitochondria – run and connect to us all. In this podcast conversation, I caught up with a...2021-12-2855 min
NKATA: Art and ProcessesEP10: We are trying to remember the future and rewrite the past. Nkata with Qudus OnikekuSend us a textIn 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 that one cannot knowledgeably talk about the practice and evolution of contemporary dance in the 21st century without stumbling on the name Onikeku. As with many notable artists who came of age at the dawn of the century, he embodies the belief that art is only as important as what one can do and change with art. This l...2021-12-071h 43
Under The HoodieEP#10: It’s over. We’re done!The season finale of the first season of the under the hoodie podcast. We talk about this season and our plans for the future. We also talk about Halloween and our lives since the last episode.2021-11-0317 min