AFAI's African Creative Market Set for 6-13 Oct

A week-long African Creative Market (ACM), an initiative of the African Arts Institute (AFAI), launches in Cape Town from 6 to 13 October. The event series, featuring esteemed filmmakers, artists, writers and playwrights from across the continent, will extend from the city's trendy Innovation district to its oldest township, Langa.

Music, art, literature and film events will be hosted by partner venues City Hall, Union House, The Mahogany Room, The Book Lounge and District Six Homecoming Centre, as well as Rubusana Street in Langa. Following past initiatives such as Learn Africa Love Africa and Africa 101, AFAI is recognised for presenting high calibre arts and culture practitioners and current creative content to local audiences.

Music: City Hall Sessions featuring Senegalese wrapper Didier Awadi, an Ethiopian duo and others, launches the programme on Sunday 6 October. The Mahogany Room will feature African jazz on Monday 7 October and host an African flavoured Future Nostalgia session on Tuesday 8 October. Events there start at 8pm and are charged at R50 and R20 respectively.

Literature: The Book Lounge is hosting two free events, one featuring Zimbabwean and Moroccan playwrights Stephen Chifunyise and Jaouad Essounani in discussion on Monday 7 October; and Harry Garuba from the Centre for African Studies at UCT in discussion with Kenyan writer Christopher Ouma on Wednesday 9 October. Both events start at 6.30pm.

Film: The Homecoming Centre will present a diverse film offering starting at 6.30pm daily, from Monday 7 October to Wednesday 9 October. Each day's programme - free of charge - includes a Screendance Africa Shortfilm Programme followed by full-length films. These include THE PRESIDENT, directed by Jean Pierre Bekolo from Cameroon, and with the filmmaker in attendance, on Tuesday 8th; and THE SORROW OF UMAQUBULA, directed by Riaan Hendriks (SA), also with the filmmaker in attendance, on Monday 7th. Other films screened during the week include: CONGO IN FOUR ACTS, directed by a group of upcoming Congolese filmmakers; and SISTERS IN LAW (Cameroon), directed by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi.

Art: As a festive end to the week's activities, ten home-owners in Rubusana Street, Langa, are allowing their houses to be transformed into gallery spaces open to visitors, for Saturday 12 October and Sunday 13 October. This first for Cape Town and an initiative of the Maboneng Township Arts Experience, will also launch a more permanent arts route in Langa. The event is hosted in partnership with Open Streets, and will see Rubusana closed down to cars for the weekend, allowing residents and visitors to occupy, interact and experience the street freely, safely and creatively. Faces of Cape Town is a photographic exhibition by photographer Carmen Davila that opens at Union House in Commercial Street on Monday 7 October at 6.30 pm and will run for the duration of the Market. Also exhibited at the event are a series of Pan African works including creative blocks, beadwork, paintings and photographs produced by local and African diaspora artists.

The African Creative Market is presented by the African Arts Institute in partnership with Arterial Network, The Book Lounge, The Creative Block, District Six Museum, Encounters, Langa Quarter, Maboneng, The Mahogany Room and Screendance Africa. It is funded by the National Lottery. Supporting sponsors are the Goethe-Institut, GT Bank, Hubert Bals Fund, Lambent Foundation, Leopard's Leap and Spier.

All event details and regular updates are available from the AFAI Facebook page. The Market programme is available as download from www.acec2013.org.za as well as www.afai.org.za. Events run alongside the African Creative Economy Conference hosted in Cape Town from 6 to 9 October. The third annual conference is presented by Arterial Network and implemented by the Cape Craft and Design Institute.

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