Air Afrique
Disguised as a travel agency booth, the Air Afrique installation at Manifesto reveals the dream of pan-Africanism of a young cultural collective.
Cyrus Goberville: Can you quickly introduce yourself and your project?
Lamine: My name is Lamine. I am the founder of Air Afrique, a project born two years ago. I am a fan of cinema and especially of African directors from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. It started when I noticed in these films a lot of references to Air Afrique. The name really struck me, so I did some research, and I realized my parents had flown Air Afrique.
Djiby: My name is Djiby, I am 22 years old. I am a photographer. I will start studying at the Beaux Arts in Paris in September. In parallel, I am working with Air Afrique on the artistic direction, curation, and collaborations.
CG: Air Afrique was dissolved, wasn't it?
L: Air Afrique was created in 1961, at the beginning of the independence movements in Africa, by eleven African states which joined together to form this common project and identity. For us, it represents an ideal of pan-Africanism. The airline was dissolved in 2002. I did further research by collecting archives from former employees, and I got the impression that this history was like the black box of a plane lost in the ocean. My aim was to bring it back to light, preserve its heritage, and continue to revive it in different forms.
D: What was interesting about Air Afrique is that it was a platform to connect different areas of the world through aviation. Today, the diaspora is present all over the world and our idea is, via Air Afrique, to bring these people back together.
CG: Lamine, you refer mainly to cinema and moving images. Djiby, you are more into photography. How do you link these two practices?
D: Photography influenced Lamine a lot in his work with Air Afrique in the beginning, which was largely based on archive photos. We met because he wanted to do a series of photos around that, and we immediately manage to work together very smoothly. We have the same origins, so we really grew up with the same spirit. Also, we already have the same references, so working together is very instinctive.
CG: What are your common references?
D: Malick Sidibé is one. He was on the mood board for our first shoot. As Malians and Senegalese, his work that really touched us.
CG: We are in a building [Espace Niemeyer] that is very special; I know, Djiby, that you have done a lot of skateboarding, so you experience architecture in a physical way. When you ride in Paris, what architectures stand out for you?
D: With Air Afrique, we have the opportunity to go to the suburbs a lot, to talk to former employees who live there, and even to the young people who live there, to collaborate with them. I went to the 212 project in Le Bourget, the buildings are really beautiful.
L: I also think that, as we live in Paris, we are not so aware of its architecture. But when we go abroad—to Dakar, Sudan, Mali—we are very inspired by their architecture.
CG: At KALEIDOSCOPE Manifesto, you are presenting an Air Afrique installation in the form of a faux travel agency. What will be your next project?
L: We are preparing to open an exhibition in September. We made a trip to Dakar a month ago with the whole collective to meet former employees, and we made video testimonies with photo archives. This exhibition will be based on their stories.
D: But Air Afrique doesn't just look back, we really have the ambition to go forward and recreate an imaginary world around the company and beyond, around the diaspora. We want to highlight the work of young Parisian and French artists of African origin. We are witnessing the rise of a movement of Black creators who manage to build connections between different cultures. This exhibition is really going to be the culmination of this movement.
CG: Can you each name an artist you feel is part of that movement you are talking about ?
D: My favorite artist of the moment is called Ladji Diaby, who is at the Beaux Arts in Paris. He is obviously part of the exhibition in September.
L: For me, it would be Mouyakabi Diomandé, who is at the Institut Français de la Mode, a fashion school in Paris. I went to his end-of-year fashion show and I thought his pieces were just incredible—I really saw the future in him.
D: And this new movement is not only focused on contemporary art, but also on fashion and music. Take Crystallmess, for example, who is a DJ. It is incredible to think that she grew up in the projects, and now she mixes all over the world.
L: And the ultimate goal, just for the symbol, is to get a plane off the ground.
D: Not just for the symbol—I personally guarantee you that in the next few years, we will relaunch the airline.
L: I would say, less than ten years.
D: Let's say eight!