Panel 2 Le Forum Culturel x Africalia: Art and resilience in crisis situations

Every second Saturday of the month, from March to September 2025, from 10:00 to 11:15 GMT, Africalia and Le Forum Culturel invite three cultural sector stakeholders to explore current themes related to the development of CCIs. The second session is entitled 'Art et résilience : comment les artistes répondent-ils·elles aux crises contemporaines ?' (Art and resilience: how do artists respond to contemporary crises?) and will be held in French.

The panel will be broadcast online on Africalia's Facebook page and available to watch on Facebook and YouTube in replay. The audience will be able to ask the experts questions in real time.

More info on Africalia's collaboration with Le Forum Culturel: here.

The theme

This panel will address the challenges artists and cultural actors face in crisis contexts. The speakers will not only discuss how to adapt their cultural activities to sensitive contexts, but will also share how to transform this artistic resilience into a vehicle for social cohesion: how can artists address contemporary challenges related to crises through their daily practices and commitments?

The speakers

Aristide Targnada (Burkina Faso), actor, playwright, and stage director leads Les Récréâtrales since 2016. Trained at the Théâtre de la fraternité by Jean Pierre Guingané, he founded the Compagnie Théâtre Acclamations and won the Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire in 2017. In 2024, his text Fadhila received national support for the creation of dramatic texts from ARTCENA and was published in April 2025 by Acte-Sud. Author of around twenty plays, he launched the Terre Ceinte project in 2021 for victims of terrorism and in 2023, the Repères project for Burkinabe pupils and students.

Alioune Ifra Ndiaye (Mali) is a cultural engineer recognised as a producer, director, writer and cultural entrepreneur. He runs the largest independent cultural facility in Mali: the Complexe Culturel BlonBa. He has written, co-written, directed, produced, or directed numerous theatre shows and TV programmes and published numerous articles reflecting on cultural issues. Alioune Ifra Ndiaye is also the author of several programmes related to citizenship education. Check out his profile here!

Ben Kamuntu (DRC, based in Belgium) is a slam poet. Awarded the Enabel Solidare Hub Prize in 2024 and the European Prize for Congolese Literature, MAKOMI, he travels the stages of Africa and Europe. He is the initiator of the movement 'Poésie pour panser et penser le Monde' 3PM, which promotes slam as a tool for cultural education, and an active member of Lucha, a citizen movement for social justice and human dignity in the DRC. A committed art'ivist, he puts his pen and his voice at the service of promoting human rights.

The moderator

For Christine Mbengono (Cameroon), digital brand manager, artist manager, and blogger, it is essential that Africa opens up to the world without denying its own cultures. She makes a point of promoting African artistic and cultural talents. As a Community Manager, Consultant, and Brand Image Manager, she has already supported numerous Cameroonian companies and personalities. In addition to her commitment to digital practices, she is also passionate about scenography and artistic management. These passions allow her to explore new forms of artistic expression and contribute to the development of emerging potential through her blog BIZU-LABAS.

Rewatch the previous panel on gender representations? Click here !