AfricaNOW: Currents of a Continent

AfricaNOW: Currents of a Continent is a four-part exploration of contemporary expression from across sub-Saharan Africa. Music, theater, and movement drawn from four countries embody the genius that so often results when artists wed profoundly rich traditions with present-day influences. The series begins this month with Putumayo’s Acoustic Africa, an evening of contemporary music inspired by cultural roots, with three of the continent’s most gifted singer-songwriters. Also in November, Cote d’Ivoire’s Compagnie TchéTché combines the most recent developments in contemporary dance with deeply rooted West African styles to address women’s roles in a rapidly changing culture. In the coming moths, look for the township theater of South Africa’s Farber Foundry (February 22–24) and iconoclastic jazz fusion of Benin’s Gangbé Brass Band (April 14).

—Philip Bither, McGuire Senior Curator, Performing Arts