The Kizomba Design Museum takes to São Paulo "an immersive three-day experience, where it presents the Kizomba culture through music, gastronomy, dance workshops and lectures", according to the music and communication agency Arruada, in a statement released .
The first edition features performances by musicians and producers such as Branko, Dino D'Santiago, Paulo Flores, Djodje and Batida.
The program also includes Matabicho, signed by chef Bel Coelho, kizomba workshops, conversations, which include the participation of musician Manecas Costa and writer Ondjaki, among others, and a market, which "reflects the influence of fashion and design in the universe of kizomba", curated by model, designer and entrepreneur Armando Cabral.
The program will be divided between the Casa de Francisca, located on the first floor of the Palacete Teresa, "historical heritage of São Paulo", the Copan building and the Pivô gallery, "a non-profit artistic space that offers a platform for exchange, critical thinking and experimentation (also located in the Copan building)".
The Kizomba Design Museum was envisioned as "an itinerant platform dedicated to preserving and showcasing the vibrant history of kizomba culture, offering a contextualized view of the origins, evolution and social significance of kizomba, originating in Portuguese-speaking African countries and its diaspora".
This platform aims to "become an active space for Kizomba cultural research and study worldwide".
This first edition is, for Kalaf Epalanga, quoted in the statement, "an exciting moment to bring together talented musicians and enthusiasts of kizomba culture in one of the largest Portuguese-speaking cities".
"Through dance and movement, we are activating the space and providing 'insights' on the interaction between Portuguese-speaking African nations and Brazil for the public", said Kalaf Epalanga, recalling that the Kizomba Design Museum will take place simultaneously with the start of the 35th São Paulo International Art Biennial, which runs from September 6th to December 10th, with the title "Choreographies of the Impossível" and curated by Diane Lima, Grada Kilomba, Hélio Menezes and Manuel Borja-Villel.
Nástio Mosquito points out that the Kizomba Design Museum "is not just a celebration of culture or its identity, it is a gesture of care, a gesture of donation to this form of art and the economic justice of the market, reaching the music industry, the food industry and the entertainment industry".
Kalaf Epalanga is a writer and musician from Angola, currently based in Berlin. Co-founder of the record label Enchufada, Kalaf Epalanga was a member of Buraka Som Sistema.
In 2017, he edited in Portugal the novel "Also white people know how to dance", presented in 2019 at the International Literary Festival of Paraty, in Brazil.
Nástio Mosquito is an Angolan multidisciplinary artist whose work has ranged from video, photography, installations, words, performance and music.
