S:PAM Lecture #46 – “The Loss of Loss”
By Mlondolozi Zondi
11:00 - 13:00 on Tuesday May 27 - Plateau, AUD G
Register here: https://event.ugent.be/registration/MlondoloziZondiSPAMLecture46
This presentation addresses historical violence and the violence of History through a reading of Faustin Linyekula’s My Body, My Archive (2023). We will examine the ways that violence on Africa (and the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular) comes to be known, documented, remembered, and silenced. Linyekula’s performance also attunes us to those African modes of knowing that are now gaining global recognition but previously buttressed the position of Africans as improperly human and needing Western interventions. To what extent does the recognition of this absented (maternal) knowledge help us locate "truth" beyond the document, and how far does this recovery through performance consign African orature into the logic/logos of the archive?
During the Q&A, we would like to stimulate in-depth conversation, specifically targeting PhD candidates and other researchers, who will receive the opportunity to engage in a discussion on decolonizing their academic and/or artistic research with Dr. Zondi. In addition, their expertise in Black performance studies, Afro-Pessimism, and radical thought will also deepen PhD students’ understanding of movement as a critical practice, fostering valuable discussions on politically engaged strategies of art-making. This opportunity is particularly valuable as Dr. Zondi’s expertise aligns with the thematic focus of the lecture series, contributing to the development of PhD candidates’ critical thinking and research trajectories.
Note: Faustin Linyekula's My Body, My Archive will be performed this Friday and Saturday (23–24 May) at DESINGEL, Antwerp — a great opportunity to engage with the piece in person!
About the speaker
Mlondi Zondi is a performance artist, dramaturg, and assistant professor of comparative literature at the University of Southern California. Mlondi’s writing is forthcoming or has been published in TDR: The Drama Review, ASAP Journal, Liquid Blackness, Contemporary Literature, Text and Performance Quarterly, Mortality, Canadian Journal of African Studies, Safundi, Performance Philosophy, Espace Art Actuel, and Propter Nos.
We look forward to seeing you at the lecture!