Today in the ArtZany Radio studio Paula Granquist welcomes artist and educator Stephanie Cox and professor and filmmaker Chérif Keïta to preview their talk and comic book about the South African Nokutela Mdima Dube and her connection to Northfield, Minnesota.
Chérif Keïta teaches Francophone literature of Africa and the Caribbean, as well as advanced languages courses at Carleton College. A native of Mali, he has published books and articles on both social and literary problems in contemporary Africa. His special interests include the novel and social change in Mali, oral tradition, and the relationship between music (traditional and modern), literature and culture in Africa. Professor Keïta is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker, with a trilogy of films about some of the founding figures of the African national Congress of South Africa.
Stephanie Cox is a Senior Lecturer in French at Carleton College. She enjoys bringing artists to campus to connect with community and explore how we can talk about identity through art. Stephanie is an illustrator who enjoys historical research, collaboration, and bringing back to life overlooked female historical figures who deserve the limelight. Her collaborations include Lulu White: Queen of Diamonds, Chronicles of a Black Madam in New Orleans with Nathalie Rech and Finita La Gringa: A Cuban American in Search of Her Past with Caridad Jimenez.”
“A Zulu in New York” Want to know how the small town of Northfield, MN played a part in the life of Nokutela Mdima Dube, a South African forgotten woman who worked to liberate her people?Talk with Chérif Keita and Stephanie Cox
Thursday, January 16, 5-6pm at Northfield Public Library: What is the Northfield connection to South Africa’s Nokutela Mdima Dube? Chérif Keita and Stephanie Cox will present their comic book about her life using photos from his historical research and images from her artwork with a prepared slide show. Chérif will talk about who Nokutela was and about her husband John, who is already an important national figure in South Africa. Stephanie will talk about why they decided to make a comic book and how they made it happen. They will talk for about 30 minutes and take questions for the rest of the hour. Free copies of the comic book will be given away. All are welcome! Register for this event at the https://mynpl.libcal.com/event/13542282
Saturday, January 11, 1-3pm at Northfield Public Library: MAKING COMICS: Comics Workshop for ages 12+ with Stephanie Cox. Our goal is to start a story project. No experience with comics is necessary but participants should come with a story, a character or an idea to develop. During this workshop, we’ll doodle and do some collaborative activities to get comfortable drawing as a group. Stephanie will demonstrate the process she learned to make comics and she will show a sample. Then, she will give everyone time to see how far into the process they can get. She will provide scrap paper and pencils and erasers as well as some nice 11×14 mixed media paper and pens for those who get to the final stage. The workshop will last 1.5 hour and Stephanie will stay 30 minutes extra in case anyone wants to keep working. Register for this workshop at https://mynpl.libcal.com/event/13551932
