This event, organized as part of the Pan-Africa research project at the Neubauer Collegium, inaugurates a citywide constellation of exhibitions and events that explore Pan-Africanism in association with the Art Institute of Chicago exhibition Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica. Opening in December 2024, this exhibition is the first to survey modern and contemporary cultural activity through an expressly Pan-Africanist lens.

Pan-Africanism generally evokes political action: calls for equality, self-determination, and solidarity among Black peoples worldwide. Art and culture have often been given a secondary role. Yet since its articulation in the early 20th century, Pan-Africanism has always involved rich practices of aesthetic experimentation and cultural representation. These practices in art and culture in fact continue to shape Pan-African political projects in the present.

The June 1 evening opens with a screening of Monangambééé (1968), the début film by Sarah Maldoror (1929–2020), introduced by members of the curatorial team for Project a Black Planet. DJ Rae Chardonnay continues with a listening session that picks up on Chicago connections in Maldoror’s film—which includes music by the Art Ensemble of Chicago—and shows how Pan-Africanist cultural production has emerged from Chicago and continues to circulate in this city.

This program is presented by the Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society in partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Humanities Festival, and Arts + Public Life.

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