DESCRIPTION
Inspired by the growing, vibrant global community of pan African artists and propelled by the need to challenge reductive exotic and ethnographic approaches to African culture, Jean Loup Pivin and Simon Njami launched Revue Noire in 1991. Conceived as a printed manifestation of the arts at the time, it covered anything from art, architecture and photography, to cinema, literature, theatre, fashion, African cities, AIDS and even gastronomy. Design played a key role in forwarding its objectives. Revue Noire was glossy, fashion savvy and distinctly Parisian.Striking images were combined with largely informative texts that highlighted artistic responses to the international media and the touristic gaze; the production of discourses of cultural identity on the continent; the framing the African body; urban sites; and rapidly changing dynamic between African aesthetic values and Western influences.
As Simon Njami explained, "Dealing with Africa and all the preconceived ideas people have of the continent, we wanted from the very beginning to use the best paper, the best layout, full colour, and at a size that would do justice to the artists that we were introducing. We had to face a double challenge: at the time we started, contemporary African art barely existed. So we were introducing something to an audience that was not aware of what was going on. Therefore, we had to emphasize not only the contents but also the physical look of the magazine."
From the beginning Revue Noire was aimed at the widest possible audience: "Art lovers," "Africa lovers," "general readers interested in other cultures" as well as "specialists." Distributed internationally, it was bilingual (English/French), sometimes even trilingual. This language policy and its focus on specific regions - from Abidjan to London, Kinshasa to Paris - not only facilitated access to information on African artistic production but also forged new links between artist based on the continent and those working in the diaspora.
After 34 issues Revue Noire interrupted the printing of the journal in 2001 and refocused its attention on publishing books, curating exhibitions and posting occasional online content.
PEOPLE
Jean Loup Pivin, Simon Njami, Ngone Fall, Yacouba Konate, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Sony Labou Tansi, Cheri Samba, Xuly Bet, Patrice Tchikaya, Akoyo Mensah, Alain Mabanckou, Sokari Douglas Camp, Jean Claude Fignole, Andre Magnin, Kossi Efoui, Oswald Boateng, Yvone Vera, Jose Eduardo Agualusa, Rui Tavares, Jean-Luc Raharimanana, Georges Adeagbo, Djibril Diop Mambety
FAMILY TREE
RE/SOURCES
- Revue Noire on Wikipedia
- Revue Noire Website
- "Revue Noire," Wikipedia
- "Revue noire", "Africultures
- Editions Revue Noire at Alibris
- Sarah Nuttall, Beautiful/ugly: African and Diaspora Aesthetics, Duke University Press, 2006, p.12
