Concept and artistic director
Alex Moussa Sawadogo (Burkina Faso/Germany)
Alex Moussa Sawadogo studied art history in Ouagadougou and cultural and media management in Hamburg, specialising in dance and film. Worked for numerous cultural institutions and projects in Burkina Faso, among others the pan African film festifestival FESPACO. After moving to Berlin in 2005 he held the position of press- and cultural attaché at the Embassy of Burkina Faso. He conceived and curated the „Border Border Express“ dance festival (2011) , “Moussokouma” (2013) and “Schlaflose Nächte” (20116) in HAU Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin. In addition he worked as a curator for Kurzfilmtage Wintherthur, German Film Focus (South Africa) and Afrotech (Dortmund) among others. 2012-2015 Sawadogo was artistic advisor for the “Open Doors” program at Festival del Film Locarno. For the festival “Theater der Welt” in Mannheim he conceived the symposium “Africa Archive – Africa Future” with ITI Deutschland in 2014. Sawadogo has since 2007 been artistic director of the AFRIKAMERA film festival and since 2016 also at the Ouaga Film Lab in Burkina Faso. Furthermore he is financial manager at Fonds Jeune Création Francophone, founded in the beginning of 2018.
Artistic advisor
Ousmane Boundaoné (Burkina Faso)
Ousmane Boundaoné graduated in modern literature, theater studies and cultural management and has for the last 15 years been an important figure in the African cultural scene. On top of being an expert on dance and theater he’s an event manager in high demand. Among others Boundaoné managed the duo Salia Ni Seydou featuring Burkinabe dancers Salia Sanou and Seydou Boro.
With his agency Focus Global he engages in research in cultural politics and teaching for cultural institutions such as the Imagine film school in Ouagadougou and the Recréâtrales festival. Furthermore he’s co-founder of “African Performing Arts Network”
Projectmanagement and finances
Uta Rügner (Germany)
Uta Rügner graduated in slavic and cultural studies in 1996, after which she was in charge of public relations at tRÄNENpalast Veranstaltungs GmbH, KULTURBRAUEREI GmbH and Kesselhaus GmbH.
With Hahn Produktion she was project and production manager for the nationwide „Russischen Kulturtage in Deutschland 03/04″, an international cultural dialogue, commisioned by the Foreign Ministry and the State of Berlin. Currently she is working with the team from toucouleur e.V. in staging AFRIKAMERA – Contemporary African Cinema, with the Kulturbrauerei e.V. creating festivals for contemporary African dance in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, a German-Polish exchange program for emerging film critics, curates a float at Karneval der Kulturen and is PR and cultural manager for independent cultural and film festivals and organisations in the cultural and social sectors. She counsels associations, initiatives and independent artists in the conception of grant applications and administration of grants and volunteers in the protection and integration of refugees.
Communication and public relations
Christiane Dramé (Germany)
Christiane Dramé graduated German studies, political science and Italian studies in Berlin and Trieste. After volunteering at a radio station she took part in creating Germany’s first around the clock jazz station, JazzRadio Berlin, among others handling public relations. For six years she was in charge of the public relations office at tRÄNENpALAST Veranstaltungs GmbH, and has since 2006 worked freelance in public relations, focusing on culture and education. In Luxemburg she was for two years in charge of administration and public relations at the “Danz Festival Lëtzeburg”, and was furthermore involved in several projects in connection to “Luxemburg and the greater Region – European Capital of Culture 2007”. At Kulturbrauerei e.V. she is in charge of public relations for contemporary African dance in cooperation with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, and works with film festivals such as AFRIKAMERA and ALFILM – Arabic Film Festival. Besides that she teaches public relations at advanced education institutions.
Production
Mandy Okereke (Germany)
Mandy Okereke graduated Area Studies Africa at HU Berlin and art history in a global context, focusing on Africa, at FU Berlin. For research purposes she regularly traveled to West Africa. From 2010 she worked at HKW, first in the event department and later in the in-house book shop. In 2013 she did an internship at the Guinea Conakry division of French publishing group L’Harmattan. She has been part of the AFRIKAMERA production team since 2015.
Tim Müller (Germany)
Tim Müller is at the moment finishing his degree in art history with focus on Africa at FU Berlin with a thesis on decolonial aesthetics. After finishing his A-levels he worked at different festivals in Düsseldorf and Berlin as well as at the Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, Theater Duisburg. Since 2018 he has been working with project and contract management at HAU Hebbel am Ufer.
Artist talks
Arlette-Louise Ndakoze (Germany)
Arlette-Louise Ndakoze graduated in French studies, main topics philosophy and literature, with history and law as subsidiary subjects. As an independent journalist, researcher, author, and curator, she looks into the artistic and intellectual movements in Rwanda and other African societies, especially focusing on the literary scene, the music- and film worlds, and the philosophical disciplines. Arlette-Louise Ndakoze is part of the SAVVY Contemporary art space.