Modern Atlanta

In MAfrique, a firsthand look into Africa’s creative and contemporary urban culture, MA traveled to the world’s design capital, Milan, Italy, in our first international collaboration outside the United States.

In a special collaboration with CEFA Onlus , one of Italy’s highest regarded and dedicated non profit organizations working in Africa, MAfrique showcased Africa’s world-class contemporary architecture and design at Palazzo Clerici, part of International Salone del Mobile’s Fuori Salone design week in Milan, Italy. In June, the excitement continued in Atlanta, Georgia with MA’ology Africa, part of MA’s 2011 Design Is Human Week.

          

      

MA is extremely proud to announce that MAfrique partners and support included Domus Magazine, Interni Magazine, CoLomba, Lamm, Palazzo Clerici, Ekonos Arte, C&A Architecture, Fondazione CARIPLO, and Regione Lombardia.

MAfrique
9th to 19th April 2011, Milan, Italy
International Salone del Mobile
Palazzo Clerici – Sala delle Colonne, via Clerici 5

About MAfrique

by Marina Mojana

The annual meeting with art and solidarity promoted by CEFA – Il seme della solidarietà Onlus – came to its 5th edition this year at Salone del Mobile di Milano and was listed in the Interni official guide; it aims at widening up the look on the “African world” that featured the previous editions (2007-2009) into the world of African Design and contemporary Architecture.


MA’frique exhibition about contemporary Africa


Interni and Fuori Salone Guidebook

The MAfrique exhibition journeyed through African creativity, at the discovery of its modern side, still widely unknown to the most. MAfrique shows contemporary Design and Architecture by using texts, images and objects; it demonstrates that the richness of African visual culture, from graphics to archistars clashes with the image of a poor and backward continent. For example the similarity between minimalist buildings and Dogon villages of Mali is so immediate.


architecture, Francis Kere


design & objects, Dokter and Misses


photography, J. ‘Quazi’ King aka (Quazimotto.On.Wax)

Set up in collaboration with MA (Modern Atlanta, modern-atlanta.org), under the auspices of CoLomba (Cooperazione LOMBARdia), MAfrique was the first leg of an continuing exhibition and fundraiser, MA’ology Africa, held this year from 6th to 12th June at the 2011 MA Design Is Human week in Atlanta, Georgia.


images from MAfrique exhibition, Milan, Itlay


MA’ology Africa took place in Atlanta, Georgia continuing MA’s curiosity in exploring contemporary Africa

MAfrique screening room and CEFA market
A section of MAfrique the exhibition was fully dedicated to a slideshow of images from CEFA’s critcal work in Africa and to the idea of “market”, a typically African place where the life of the villages lights up establishing relationships and unity – although with lots of diversity. “People meet in Architecture” was actually the theme of Biennale di Architettura 2010 and a lot has already been written about it; MAfrique also offered CEFA-branded merchandise, food and music, a further chance of interaction and aggregation.


MAfrique screening room and CEFA market

MAfrique Credits

KËrË pictures credit: Erik Jan Ouwerker

Domus txt credits
Domus / Lindsay Bremner, courtesy Editoriale Domus SPA. All rights reserved

MAfrique concept, graphics and research
Mohamed Abdel Sayed, Alberto Bellotti, Matteo Caimi e Marina Mojana.

MAfrique Exhibitors
Featured work in MAfrique included the following internally-known protagonists of this African renaissance with eclectic characteristics: architects Francis Kèrè and MMA Architects, photographer J. ‘Quazi’ King, illustrators Peter Gikandi and Kenneth Coker, specialized in character design and designers Heath Nash, Dokter and Misses and Cheick Diallo.

About CEFA Onlus

CEFA is involved in projects aimed at sustainable development in rural areas with actions in particular aimed at agriculture, livestock, energy and environmental issues, the defence and purifying of water, to which other specific activities of social participation, technical formation and hygiene education.

It assigns as its priorities the attainment of nutritional self-sufficiency and to answering the primary needs of the populations aided. Every project strives to join together operations that are directly productive with others oriented towards cultural and social growth, allotting particular importance to the democratic organisational capacities of the communities involved.


Tanzania / Iringa / Kilolo / Bomalang’ombe / Potatoes cultivation / Iringa food market. Potatoes are sold at the Iring market from all over the region. © Simone Casetta / Anzenberger

In the last ten years CEFA has attained a significant experience in projects exclusively social in nature, such as the assistance to minors, to families in need as well as to young people and women in situation of economic instability; tackling the problem of the future sustainability of the projects in particular with the technical formation of the workers of the local associations involved in the administration side.


Tanzania / Njombe / Milk Factory / Kiwanda cha Maziwa / The preparation of mozzarella cheese. The Njombe milk factory was started by Italian Ngo CEFA and is now selling its products either locally and in Dar El Salaam too. Milk, yoghurt and different kinds of cheese from local milk. Swiss cows have been imported and local farmers are improving both quality and safety of their milk. © Simone Casetta / Anzenberger

A specific and carefully followed work targeting state-level administration is carried out through the creation of a number of contacts with Italian local entities of the sector with which consultancy and support programs can prolong themselves beyond the formal end of the projects followed by CEFA. Want more CEFA, click here.



CEFA Onlus
Via Lame 118
40122 Bologna
Italy
Tel. 051520285 - Fax 051520712

Palazzo Clerici

MAfrique Behind the Scene