Seminar room of the ECA | in English

Raphael Chikukwa, Chief Curator of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, talks about his curatorial work with a special focus on the international exhibition project Kaboo Ka Muwala (The Girl’s Basket), which deals with intra-African migration.

The traveling exhibition Kabbo ka Muwala explores the diverse migration processes in and from southern and eastern Africa through works by artists from these regions. The artists address dimensions of migrant identity and impact, the emergence of transnational spaces as a form of cohabitation in local, regional and global contexts, as well as experiences of violence and xenophobia.

Kabbo ka Muwala can be translated as “the girl’s basket”. This expression is understood throughout East Africa and refers to a traditional custom: a bride carries gifts in a basket to her new family and then to her parents.

Metaphorically, the basket represents expectations and hopes, but also disappointments and setbacks that go hand in hand with both marriage and migration processes. The exhibition was shown in Harare, Zimbabwe, is currently on display in Kampala, Uganda and will open in Bremen in September – http://kabbokamuwala.org