Short films from Africa addressing the politics of technology on the continent. Part of Control Shift.
The ruins of history offer a host of unresolved traces that imagine the global south as a site of prehistoric technologies. This programme of short films offers counter evidence to the assumption that technology is a western construction. The films address the politics of technology in Africa, affirming the continent as an active agent in the production of technology through indigenous practices.
Curated by Russel Hlongwane, a cultural producer and creative industries consultant based in Durban, South Africa. His work obsesses over the tensions in Heritage/Modernity and Culture/Tradition as it applies to black life. His practice includes cultural research, creative producing, design, film and curating. He is part of a number of working groups spread across the Southern African region, the African continent more broadly, and internationally. He has shown work in Munich, Marrakech, Karlsruhe, Harare, Bristol, Tokyo, and well as throughout South Africa.
This film programme has been commissioned by and is part of Control Shift, an exciting new arts programme from Bristol (UK) – three weeks of workshops, discussions, installations and screenings – exploring ways to reframe and rethink our relationships with technology.
Funded by: Arts Council England, Knowle West Media Centre, Institute of Coding, South West Creative Tech Network and University of the West of England.
