Towards a pedagogy of dreaming. The work of Cameroonian artivists Chantal Edie and Zacharie Ngnogue as a form of prefiguration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/LSE.2025.64.15Keywords
artivism, prefigurative art, public art, Cameroon, Douala, internal displacement, health care, citizens rightsAbstract
This article discusses the works of the Cameroonian photographers, multi-media artists and artistic directors Chantal Edie and Zacharie Ngnogue, and situates them within the art environment of the Cameroonian metropolis of Douala. It contributes to ongoing research on artivism across the globe and on its specific role in Cameroonian society. Based on in-depth conversations with the artists and a research visit in Douala, the text shows how the artist duo is mobilising its artistic work, among others, in the struggle for freedom and for the end of violence in an oppressive regime and against the long-term effects of colonial damage. Further explored is the community art space “The Forest Creative Loft”, founded by Ch. Edie and Z. Ngnogue to support creatives, connect urban communities and prototype new directions for society. The artivist approach of Edie and Ngnogue is synthesised as a “pedagogy of dreaming”. Organically evolving from local realities and emplaced in (art) histories of Douala, the work of Ch. Edie and Z. Ngnogue contributes to better understandings of prefigurative art and politics as multi-modal, fluid long-term engagements.
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