This week we’d like to begin with a powerful statement from our dear friend Solveig Saether, who posted this beautiful and inspiring statement this week. We felt like her words perfectly encapsulate why we’ve chosen to continue celebrating the power of art and culture here on this podcast:
“Friends, I beg you not to let your light go out in the face of all the dire news of the world. It’s not inappropriate to find moments of joy and delight amidst the horror; it is, in fact, essential! Remember and celebrate the love in your lives; the music, the art, the laughter, the friendship of humans and animals, the sun and moon and stars and all the beauty of nature. These things aren’t frivolous, they are necessary in order for us to continue to function and fight the many injustices we are seeing. Please, please don’t succumb to darkness. That is what they want, and that is how we perish. Allow your heart to feel joy. Make space for it in your daily life. It’s more important now than ever.” — Solveig Saether
“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation
Wildstar’s Wednesday Libation: Kenyan Dawa (non-alcoholic drink perfect for cold season!)
“Kenyan Dawa is a drink that is usually a combination of lemon, ginger and honey, usually taken as a natural cold remedy. You will always hear the phrase ‘tengeneza dawa ukiwa na homa’ (make some dawa drink if you have a cold). The Dawa is a popular drink that is even served in cafes and restaurants. There is even a cocktail version of the Kenyan Dawa where you add an alcoholic drink. This is a simple version that you can create at any time. Enjoy!” [Source: Nairobi Kitchen]
Click here for the full recipe! (via Nairobi Kitchen)
Reading: An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence by Zeinab Badawi
“Everyone is originally from Africa, and this book is therefore for everyone. …Visiting more than thirty African countries to interview countless historians, anthropologists, archaeologists and local storytellers, [Badawi] unearths buried histories from across the continent and gives Africa its rightful place in our global story. The result is a gripping new account of Africa: an epic, sweeping history of the oldest inhabited continent on the planet, told through the voices of Africans themselves.” [Source]
Watch the docuseries, The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi, now available for free on BBC YouTube!
Listening #1: A Musical Dialogue Between Senegal & France — Djiyo by Ablaye Cissoko & Cyrille Brotto
“Titled *Djiyo* (which means "water"), this album flows like a river, uniting the lands it touches and weaving together the Manding and Occitan traditions. It is the fruit of over 100 concerts shared with Cyrille, a journey that deepened not only our friendship but also the connection between our instruments—the kora and the diatonic accordion. With *Djiyo*, we’ve reached a new level of understanding, creating a luminous conversation, filled with poetry and a touch of melancholy. It’s an intense and heartfelt dialogue—a tribute to the beauty of music and the humanity it brings.” — Ablaye Cissoko [Source]
“'Meuno Ma Térée' is a song that stands against all forms of injustice. Carried by a hauntingly memorable and deeply moving melody, our message is that many of our freedoms can be taken away, but nothing can ever stop us from smiling. The melody, once heard, seems to linger within us for a long time.” [Source]
Listening #2: La BOA Meets Tony Allen by Tony Allen & La BOA (La Bogotá Orquesta Afrobeat)
“Few sounds transcend time and space quite like the driving pulse of Afrobeat. And few artists have defined their own domains quite as profoundly as Tony Allen — the very beat of Afrobeat itself. … Across this LP, Allen’s recordings lay down the canvas upon which La BOA [La Bogotá Orquesta Afrobeat] paints its own vision of Afrobeat — raw and expansive, locking step with his drum tracks while building around the unmistakable blueprint of their Colombian rhythms: Exuding Caribbean beat, rolling with Pacific groove, and, above all, shaped by the rarefied air of the Andean melting pot that is Bogotá.” [Source]
Looking: Artsy Celebrates Black History Month with Black-Owned Galleries Now: February 1 – 28, 2025
“Black-Owned Galleries Now is an online showcase spotlighting 50+ Black gallerists and the Black artists they champion. This Black History Month, explore fresh works from these galleries, all available on Artsy—and connect with the visions of Black gallerists across the globe.” [Source]
We’ve chosen to highlight work from one of these amazing exhibitions:
The Grass is Singing: Artsy Exclusive Black History Month Exhibition at BKhz Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa (founded by eSwatini born artist, Banele Khoza)
“Every era of time has thrown the citizens of the world into frenzies of hatred and atrocious acts against humanity. Simultaneously, hope and progress, in their illuminated pockets, have always continued to quietly go to work. The Grass Is Singing turns the face of focus towards the acknowledgement and appreciation of the present as a time of harvest. … As a black owned art gallery, stationed in Johannesburg South Africa, BKhz honours and celebrates black creators in every space they inhabit. There is an organised dedication which has led not only to the gallery’s existence, but to the channels which have allowed it to work with some of the most incredible thinkers, makers, and wayfarers from Africa and its diaspora.” [Source]
Featured artists:
Stephen Langa ( stephen_langa_ )
Sphephelo Mnguni ( @sphephelo_mnguni )
Nthabiseng Kekana ( @nthabibkekana )
Zandile Tshabalala ( @zandiletshabalala_ )
Athi-Patra Ruga ( @athipatra )
Terence Ntsako Maluleke ( @terencentsako )
Banele Khoza ( @banelekhoza
Jomad ( @jomad_ )
WonderBuhle ( @wonderbuhle )
Enfant Précoce ( @enfant_precoce )
Oratile Papi Konopi ( @papikonopi )
Francesco Mbele ( @franadilla )
Visit The Grass is Singing exhibition at BKhz Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa (on view until February 28, 2025)
View the online exhibition (including works for sale!) via Artsy
View all of the galleries (including 1500 artworks!) participating in Black-Owned Galleries Now at Artsy!
Viewing: Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat — directed by Johan Grimonprez (Kino Film Collection)
Featuring jazz legends Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Abbey Lincoln, Max Roach, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus & more!
“The Oscar-nominated doc Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat is layered and unconventional, as sprawling in its critique as it is unusual in its delivery. … Johan Grimonprez’s essayistic film focuses on the colonial powers’ suppression of Patrice Lumumba, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo — while also telling a story of jazz, Nikita Khrushchev, Black Power and the fractious United Nations.” [Source]
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat Review – Superb Study of How Jazz Got Caught Between the Cold War and the CIA (via The Guardian)
Also, listen to a jazz playlist featuring the official soundtrack here:
Tasting: Dinner at Rozmarinë Restaurant in Sarandë, Albania
“Welcome to Rozmarinë, your top spot in Saranda for delicious Mediterranean food, with a special focus on fresh seafood. Our menu offers a variety of seafood dishes, select meat options, and vibrant salads, all made with high-quality ingredients to capture authentic Mediterranean flavors.” [Source]
So that’s it for this week! But in the tradition of our Mid-Week Libations, we’d like to end with this week’s words of wisdom. We started the podcast with some words of wisdom from our friend Solveig Saether, and now we’re going to end with an apt quotation Solveig shared this week, from the award-winning American poet, Toi Derricotte:
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: Toi Derricotte
Thank you for joining us for Season 3 of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
Share this post