AfricaIs aCountry

The African Lion Hunt

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

The African Lion Hunt

By
Mari Haugaa Engh

Some young Danes thought they'd have some fun with colonialism.

Facebook.

At this year’s edition of Roskilde Festival outside Copenhagen in Denmark, guests were invited to join a group of brave, self-declared, male Imperialists from Denmark on an African Expedition, circa 1814. The themed festival camp entitled Afrika-Expeditionen was set up by a group Danish of experts in various scientific fields, such as (French) Security, Medicine, Ethnography, Anthropology, Ornithology, and offered festivalgoers the opportunity to join their journey of ‘scientific’ inquiry into local customs, rituals and dancing. As with all great “explorers,” the Danish Imperialists set out to explore the Dark Continent with a suitably re-drawn and re-named map of Africa.

On Tuesday, July 1st, the brave men of Afrika-Expeditionen hosted a “Lion Hunt.” After several months of exhausting exploration the Danish Imperialists claimed not to have the strength to conquer the beast they have discovered near to their camp. Hence they appealed to Natives for assistance (because we all know that these large feral felines are a real hazard in the Danish countryside…).  In exchange, generous bounties will be awarded to the best hunter, followed by a real ‘hunting party’ to ‘hot African beats.’

unnamed-1

Continuing the perverse collapse of festival revelry with ‘scientific’ inquiry of the African territories of Gongo and Jongo, Afrika-Expeditionen appeal to Danish saviour complexes and offer festival-goers with humanitarian inclinations a ‘Malaria Party.’ On this night, Danes determined to conquer the dangerous disease plaguing Natives and Imperialists alike, will administer a special medicinal concoction of Gin and Tonic to those in need.

In a Scandinavian context shaped by notions of humanitarianism and multiculturalism, supposedly humorous endeavors such as Africa-Expeditionen sustain claims to colonial innocence and non-participation in colonial projects in Africa. These kinds of ‘artistic’ and ‘creative’ projects close down the possibility of meaningful engagements with historical and present reality of Scandinavian- African relations.

Here’s their Facebook page and the WordPress blog.

Further Reading

No one should be surprised we exist

The documentary film, ‘Rolé—Histórias dos Rolezinhos’ by Afro-Brazilian filmmaker Vladimir Seixas uses sharp commentary to expose social, political, and cultural inequalities within Brazilian society.

Reading List: Barbara Boswell

While editing a collection of the writings of South African feminist Lauretta Ngcobo, Barbara Boswell found inspiration in texts that reflected Ngcobo’s sense that writing is an exercise of freedom.

Kenya’s stalemate

A fundamental contest between two orders is taking place in Kenya. Will its progressives seize the moment to catalyze a vision for social, economic, and political change?

An annual awakening

In the 1980s, the South African arts collective Vakalisa Art Associates reclaimed time as a tool of social control through their subversive calendars.

More than a building

The film ‘No Place But Here’ uses VR or 360 media to immerse a viewer inside a housing occupation in Cape Town. In the process, it wants to challenge gentrification and the capitalist logic of home ownership.