‘Subaltern Speakers’ Ozhopé Collective Art Exhibition opening at The Culture Lab, 4 March 2022, 4-8pm
Subaltern Speakers, Logos Open Culture’s first exhibition of 2022, will open this week.
The opening is on 4 March from 4pm to 8pm at The Culture Lab, Four Seasons Centre, Lilongwe. Come and join us for a stimulating event with the artist Ella Banda. The art exhibition will run until 18th March.
Ozhopé Collective’s Subaltern Speakers is a project that returns to the mortar and pestle as beautiful and potent sculptural objects for a critical, subaltern feminist politics in a racial and patriarchal capitalism that destroys the environment and renders women’s bodies vulnerable. The mtondo is turned into a veritable speaker from which old and new feminist songs from the Malawian society are broadcasted. Pamtondo, in the traditional setting then, is perceived as a place where women found solace in expressing themselves and sharing matters that directly affected their quotidian life. With the digital era in mind, the project looks to social media and other digital forums for inspiration to imagine the future Pamtondo for feminist concerns. The project is supported by Swiss public foundation Pro Helvetia.
Ozhopé Collective was founded in 2017. It is a group comprising two artists (Ella Banda and Massa Lemu), two photo/videographers (Tavwana Chirwa and Augustine Magolowondo), and a writer (Emmanuel Ngwira). Ozhopé’s collaboratively produces art that inspires conversations and invites people to critical thinking around issues that affect people’s every day lives. The group’s name derives from the word “wosopé”, a Yao term which translates as “all of them”. The word was uttered by an enthusiastic boy in reference to the artists who were busy with their work. It was subsequently adapted to “ozhopé” whose root speaks to the collective ethos that propels the group’s collaborative practice.
Previous projects by the Ozhopé Collective include Row 1 and Row 2, funded by Virginia Commonwealth University, done in collaboration with fishing communities along the lake. This was aimed at starting discussions about the Malawian government’s decision to allow oil exploration to proceed in Lake Malawi. More recently, a project using memes and short videos explores Covid-19 related issues affecting Malawi, especially on Covid-19 (mis)information and the country’s response to the pandemic. Check these out on Instagram.
Ozhopé Collective, “Catch” (2018), Courtesy of the Collective
About the artist
Ella Banda is a visual artist, fashion designer, and educator based in Lilongwe, Malawi. She graduated from Chancellor College, University of Malawi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and Fine Art. Banda has worked as an educator for over five years and currently owns an early childhood center. As an artist, she has produced numerous commissioned pieces mostly working with oil, water, and acrylic paint on canvas. She takes interest in visual art and photography that depicts African women as a symbol of power, endurance, passion, and nurturing. Banda also likes to depict the trending and controversial issues concerning women. Banda is currently a digital resident at Sommerakedemie Paul Klee (SPK) 2021-22, hosted by Bern Academy of the Arts.
