We are proud to present to you the launch of N’GOLÁ Festival, which will kick off this July 2019 on the island of São Tomé e Príncipe. Ever since 1995, the Biennial of São Tomé e Príncipe established an acclaimed on-site program. For its upcoming 2019 edition, the Biennial is glad to announce its extended festival program on the island. N’GOLÁ Festival will take place from the 26th of July until the 18th of August 2019.
N’GOLÁ is proud to announce the curator of the 8th edition, Renny Ramakers (co-founder of Droog in Amsterdam, The Netherlands). Her new festival concept and approach intends to extend the Biennial’s previous boundaries by gaining a new multidisciplinary and multicultural character. Herewith, N’GOLÁ is embracing not solely the visual arts, but also fashion, architecture, music, gastronomy, technology, crafts and nature.
During the months of July and August 2019, N’GOLÁ brings together local communities, travelers and artists with the island’s project spaces. N’GOLÁ aims to present contemporary African art as a unifying factor between the tiny islands of São Tomé e Príncipe and the African continent. N’GOLÁ highlights the power of African passion, beauty and crafts, not only stimulating enthusiasm for, and interest in the world of contemporary African art, but also challenging the creativity of the local art community.
N’GOLÁ Campaign Image The campaign for N’GOLÁ Festival, shot by Dutch photographer Jan Hoek and Nigerian photographer Stephen Tayo, bears the name “What I want to look like in the future”. The starting point of these series is connecting avant-garde, future-oriented fashion designers from Lagos to children, and allowing these children to choose and show what they want to look like in the future, illustrating this vision with pieces from the designer’s collection. This underlines the power of the individual and of a child’s imagination, which is the basis for the greatest art and fashion out there. These are qualities that N’GOLÁ celebrates with this vibrant and fun campaign, which stars these children of the future.
Program N’GOLÁ Festival will be presented at several locations in Sao Tomé e Principe and includes commissioned projects in remarkable locations, exhibitions of the arts, gastronomic experiences, excursions to the tropical rainforest, interactive art performances across the city’s neighborhoods, fashion performances, access to workshops, talks and various music events.
Openings Weekend Mark your calendars: an important part of the program will happen during the opening weekend that takes place on the 26th, 27th and 28th of July.
Note for editors For press requests, such as interviews with the curator and/or participating artist(s) and/or imageries, please contact: press@ngolafestival.org.