‘Afterparty DJ Rokia Bamba & bal Afropeps’

Everyone is invited to come along and dance to the musical alchemy concocted by DJ Rokia and to show off their best look on the catwalk.

Celebrate the opening of this new edition of the Afropolitan Festival by heading down to the Afropeps Afterparty! Devised by the curator Véronique Rieffel, choreographer Jean-Paul Mehansio and DJ Rokia Bamba, this evening is all about celebrating Afropolitanism, its creativity, energy and freedom. Jean-Paul Mehansio will be organising group choreographies and a diatanse demonstration. While Véronique Rieffel will take visitors on a visual journey through Afropolitan creation with a previously unseen slide show of works by artists. Special guests such as Shama Bongo, Baloji (tbc), Jolie Ngemi (tbc) and WUBF models will also perform throughout the evening.
Véronique Rieffel is an independent exhibition curator, art critic and cultural programmer specialised in the arts of the Middle East and Africa. She is co-founder of the On est ensemble! collective.

Jean-Paul Méhansio is a contemporary dancer and choreographer. He has worked with numerous artists including Georges Momboye, Olivier Dubois, Salia Sanou, Christina Towle and Moise Touré. He is currently on tour with Touré’s play “2147 et si l’Afrique disparaissait?” He is a co-founder of the On est ensemble collective.

DJ Rokia Bamba has made quite a name for herself from Brussels to Paris thanks to her unique, audacious style which combines a cappella, groove, punk and numerous other genres. She does not DJ in any old circuit but chooses the activist circles of Globalicious, the Massimadi Festival and the Afropunk Festival, of which she and DJ Pilow will organise a first Belgian edition in 2019. She has participated in the web series “Extranostro”, the Belgian premiere of which will take place the same evening in BOZAR as part of the Afropolitan Festival.

Shama Bongo, alias Nicole Bongo Letuppe, is a singer and chorister. She has worked with the likes of Hubert-Félix Thiéfaine, dEUS, Arno, Baloji, Jupiter Diop, Magnus, Fredy Massamba and Mustii. Shama BONGO’s first album (artistic director: Fredy Massamba) will be released in the spring.