The 6th edition of the Biennale de Lubumbashi, entitled Future Genealogies, Tales From The Equatorial Line, probes the possibilities of repurposing the cartography of the world.

The concept of the Biennale is to take the Equator's imaginary line not as one of demarcation-the majestic Congo River disregards it by straddling it twice-but rather of imbrication. At its closest a place where earth gravity alleviates and where the poles' magnetic attractions balance each other, the equatorial latitude opens the possibility for narratives that respond to alternate compasses, recognizes new centers of gravity and where de-polarized stories can unfold. At the same time, a region where the sun rises and sets quicker than anywhere else, the swift transition from night to day reminds that the possibility for renewal and change is always on the horizon. The Biennale wishes to explore the geographical paradox of being set in a region where history continues to be steeped in the depth of the soil's resources, but whose unique position also has the potential to serve as a model to uproot established perspectives.

Anchored in the history of the city and its photographic past, the Biennale is conceived as a two-folded platform-historical and contemporary. The historical axis revisits the local uses of photography in the Congo, both by the colonial propaganda and African practitioners of the time. Based on previous research and on a new image call, the integration of these private archives in the reinterpretation of Congo's colonial past allows to subvert and reshape the dominant historical narratives. By opposition to the contemporary situation that still sees the West too often hold the exclusivity of the commentary about the colonial past, this exhibition is intended as a repatriation of the discussion about colonial visual regimes to the Congolese communities of people and artists.


In many respects, the year of this 2019 new edition marks a pivotal moment of history. It is a time when many countries in Africa are about to celebrate the 60th anniversary of their independences; when the Berlin Wall will have fallen almost exactly 40 years ago; and when the global upheaval of 1968 is a little over 50 year-old. These events have largely shaped the post-socialist and post-colonial "constellation" in which the world has since lived in. At the same time, the signs of climate change underway, as well as the rise of new waves of feminism and migration undeniably propel us into a new era. The Biennale proposes to seize that turning point, to linger on this epochal threshold to deploy the array of imaginative ideas and creations that our societies will need to persist.

Participating artists
Sinzo Aanza (République Démocratique du Congo)
Younes Baba-Ali (Belgique/Maroc)
Sammy Baloji (Belgique/République Démocratique du Congo)
Hilary Balu (République Démocratique du Congo)
Steve Bandoma (République Démocratique du Congo)
Coletivo Cadjigue (Filipa César, Milena Iocha, Marinho Pina) (Allemagne/Portugal/Guinée Bissau)
Onejoon Che (Corée du Sud)
Marjolijn Dijkman (Belgique/Pays-Bas)
Ghislain Ditshekedi Mabiala (République Démocratique du Congo)
Jihan El-Tahri (Egypte)
Pélagie Gbaguidi (Belgique/Bénin)
Matthias de Groof (Belgique)
Athar Jaber (Belgique/Irak)
Délio Jasse (Italie/Angola)
Phumzile Khanyile (Afrique du Sud)
Justice Kasongo Dibwe (République Démocratique du Congo)
Jean Katambayi Mukendi (République Démocratique du Congo)
Lebohang Kganye (Afrique du Sud)
Kemang Wa Lehulere (Afrique du Sud)
Gosette Lubondo (République Démocratique du Congo)
Ibrahim Mahama (Ghana)
Nelson Makengo (République Démocratique du Congo)
Trésor Malaya (République Démocratique du Congo)
Vincent Meessen (Belgique)
Mega Mingiedi (République Démocratique du Congo)
Dorine Mokha (République Démocratique du Congo)
Wendy Morris (Belgique/Afrique du Sud)
Sarah Mukadi Kadima (République Démocratique du Congo)
Edmond Musasa Leu N'seya (République Démocratique du Congo)
Tiecoura N'daou (Mali)
Grace Ndiritu (Kenya/Royaume-Uni)
Hadassa Ngamba (République Démocratique du Congo)
Alain Nsenga (République Démocratique du Congo)
Do Nsoseme Dora (République Démocratique du Congo)
Emeka Ogboh (Allemagne/Nigéria)
Uriel Orlow (Suisse)
Susana Pilar (Cuba)
Léonard Pongo (Belgique/République Démocratique du Congo)
Ruangrupa (Indonésie)
Georges Senga (République Démocratique du Congo)
David Shongo (République Démocratique du Congo)
Cauleen Smith (USA)
Daddy Tchikaya (République Démocratique du Congo)
Pathy Tshindele (République Démocratique du Congo)
Pamela Tulizo (République Démocratique du Congo)
Maarten Vanden Eynde (Belgique)
Guy Woueté (Belgique/Cameroun)
Portia Zvavahera (Zimbabwe)
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