[ad_1]
Officials in suits arrived unannounced at Michael Soi's studio on the sidelines of Nairobi's industrial zone. They were four men and two women, Chinese, and immediately began to search the stacks of works of art in the space and to throw cans of paint
C & # 39; was in 2015, a year in which China and Kenya strengthened their bilateral relations to work together in sectors as diverse as agriculture, infrastructure development, tourism, not to mention peace and security. Soi, a veteran artist known for his politically and culturally charged plays, said the group began to "lecture him", reprimanding him for being "thankless" for China's contributions to Kenya. Soi immediately asked them to leave his space.
The focus of this special tour was Soi's "China Loves Africa" collection, an eclectic mix of 74 bold visual pieces that continue to question China's place in Africa. While Sino-African relations have developed over the past decade, China's diplomatic, trade, military and soft power efforts are becoming increasingly focused. Previously furtive about his investments and his movements, Chinese officials increasingly contradict the story that his approach to Africa is purely based on the "commercialism of chopsticks"
acrylic paints Soi on the canvases are decidedly political and expressive, challenging the will of Beijing to make the most of Africa's cheap labor, natural resources and the continent's growing need for advanced technologies and infrastructure. Combined, these pieces are both a social commentary and a visual journal on how China shapes the future of Kenya and Africa for future generations
. In another, China is represented as another world power that, like its European and Western predecessors, only takes and does not make. Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has just completed a trip to Africa, also appears in several illustrations, distributing largesse to countries like Rwanda and South Africa. Another piece badyzes China's relationship with the African Union – it has built its headquarters in Addis Ababa and has been accused of espionage – representing a Chinese leader at the helm of 2030.
Soi also goes beyond the usual truisms in Sino-African relations to provoke and challenge the audience. Using representations of naked women, he shows Africa as a woman attracted to China far from other western nations. In another room, a black male doctor administers an intravenous treatment to a bedbug chinese pulling energy from drops of gold, oil, copper and titanium hung on a black woman
"The application of self-nakedness through all her works has prompted criticism, the National Museums of Kenya even banning them.
But he says that creating conversations and dialogues around erroneous relations with China is the first step towards repair and balancing. Otherwise, he warns: "It's a story that will never end well for Africa."
Subscribe to Briefing Africa Quartz Africa – the most important and interesting
Source link
