Marysé Conde's Mangrove Women
2023
Obeah Plant-cestries: Environmental Maafa | Ecologies of De-Traumatisation
by Anguezomo Mba Bikoro with Nane Kahle
Commissioned by PARA Collective for Orangerie Of Care at ngbk Berlin 2024
photos courtesy of ngbk, 2024
Plants as rebels, lovers, healers, archivists, composers, magicians, film actors, crime witnesses and survivors in a transatlantic diasporic history spanning 300 years: their voices will be made heard in the audiovisual lecture performance by Anguezomo Nzé Mboulou Mba Bikoro and Nane Kahle. With Plant-estries and holo-somatic herbal healing practices focusing on de-traumatisation work for BiPOC groups, through storytelling and sonic medicine they shed light on the lesser known histories of Black revolt and feminist ecologies. Using examples of historical court case documents on the impact of environmental extractivism on indigenous populations, their offering reveals reports of feminist resilience, often translated as witchcraft, as part of an untold history of botanical resistance and life-preserving practice. Together both artists work as healers, bridging many elements inside of the performance to create an immersive meditative ritual.
photos by Anguezomo Mba Bikoro, Joal-Fadiout 2024
The photographic series is part of chapter 6 of When The Jackal Leaves The Sun curated by the artist. The Mangrove Women project spans since 2019 with Tribunals: She Mangrove Archives investigating ecologies as witnesses to colonial crimes. The mangrove systems as described by the artist is a practice of liberation to empower feminist economies, independence, expand on water ecologies and the preservation of ritual cultures as forms of decolonised memories.