Basel will play host to the 7th European Conference on African Studies (ECAS) which kicks off on 29th June to 1st July at Universität Basel.   The conference will feature an extensive arts and culture programme under the theme “Urban Africa — Urban Africans: New Encounters Between the Rural and the Urban”.

Over 1500 participants are expected to present 1046 papers in 204 thematic panels and engage in 10 round table discussions, 18 book launches, 13 film screenings and 13 meetings.

Here are some of the planned events around the festival:

• The festival Kongo am Rhein brings the work of some of the best contemporary artists from Kinshasa to Basel, including Vitshois Mwilambwe of Kin Art Studio, whose presence coincided with a research and networking trip to Switzerland supported by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg.
• The Basler Afrika Bibliographien will exhibit forgotten musical archives from Namibia’s liberation struggle.
• The Bird’s Eye jazz club, the Jazz Campus at the university, and the Markthalle will host live concerts by renowned South African Jazz virtuosos Marcus Wyatt, Siya Charles and Andile Yenana.
• At the international A* Piece of Street Festival artists (including The Brother Moves On) will perform their takes on postcolonial entanglements through poetry, music, enactment and installation across public spaces in Basel. — from www.amagazine2017.com where you can read up on the full conference programme.

Curated and edited by Kadiatou Diallo of SPARCK, A* Magazine is the official publication of the cultural programme of the conference which in addition to providing an overview of the programme, also features a broad spectrum of articles, analyses, features, interviews, letters and poems related to the many questions and issues raised during these events.

It also features great archival pieces from Veit Arlt and the late Lewis Nkosi on SA jazz in Switzerland, Stacy Hardy writing in The Chronic about Studios Kabako Kisangani, as well as a new piece from Niren Tolsi emanating from his recent research residency in Switzerland, supported by Pro Helvetia Johannesburg.

Pro Helvetia Johannesburg supported Diallo’s 2016 curatorial residency in Basel.