Understanding Art: Contemporary Art of Africa

At a Glance
- Live online course
- 10 weeks | October - December
- Mondays 18:00 - 20:00
- Fee: £99 (all applicants)
- Tutor: Alinta Sara
Enrolment deadlines
Courses starting in October 2023
- 8 October 2023
Courses starting in January 2024
- 8 January 2024
Africa is a huge continent with over fifty different countries and thousands of different ethnic groups. The cultures of each of these differ dramatically, making Africa a rich and fertile ground for the creative arts.
On this course we will join Alinta Sara on a journey around the modern and contemporary art of Africa. As well as seeing some astonishingly beautiful works of art made over the past 100 years, the course will challenge the assumption often made by art historians that African art belongs under the categories of folk art or so-called 'tribal' art.
As we will see, Africa has an exciting art history, sometimes unique to the African experience, and sometimes chiming with the interests of non-African artists.
The course is taught in an open and inclusive way, so your thoughts, experiences and opinions will be welcome as part of the discussion. It is aimed at complete beginners, and no previous qualification or knowledge of art or art history is necessary.
Class Recordings
These classes are not recorded
Attendance Certificate
Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an Imperial College attendance certificate
Terms and conditions apply to all enrolments to this course. Please read them before enrolment
Course Information
Course Programme and Additional Reading
Course Programme (may be subject to some modification)
- Week 1: Representing Africa, Modernity and the contemporary
- Week 2: Négritude and Natural Synthesis In the formation of modernism in West Africa
- Week 3: Beyond Négritude and the École de Dakar
- Week 4 Modernism in Sudan: Ibrahim El-Salahi
- Week 5: Photography in Mali
- Week 6: Malangatana & Modernism in Mozambique
- Week 7: Cheri Samba and Popular Painting in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Week 8: South African Artists in the Struggle against Apartheid
- Week 9: South African artists after the Apartheid
- Week 10: Modern art in North Africa
Your Tutor
Alinta Sara is an art historian and independent curator who studied at SOAS University of London.
Her current research focuses in the cultural links between Africa and the Diaspora, and also includes looking at Afro-Brazilian architectural heritage in the Bight of Benin and reflects on the link between collect memory, space and architecture. She co-founded Bokantaj, a collaborative initiative to raise greater awareness about the historical trajectories and universal themes that connect communities in the global South.
Alongside her research, Alinta works as a French language tutor at Imperial College London as well as an independent curator and freelance workshop producer with various organizations and galleries in London, such as the October Gallery, Lon-Art, the Africa Centre, Greenwich Maritime Museum, and the Tate Modern.
She co-curated the Divinations of Worlds to Come exhibitions at the Agency Gallery (2018), Our Story, Our Journey at the Black Cultural Archives (2021), and curated The Colour of Pain at Imperial College (2019). In 2021, she managed the Sickle Cell Society heritage project "Our Journey, our story," which looked at the history of sickle-cell disease in the UK.Lately she works as curator for Art 360 Artist legacies project in museum. Her curatorial practice links oral histories and visual arts and finds innovative ways to engage audiences.
Course Fees and Rate Categories
Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate | ||
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10 | £99 (single rate) |
£99 (single rate) | £99 (single rate) | ||
Please note for this course a single rate applies. The fee rate quoted is for the whole course. No early bird rate available. Part-payments are not possible. |
Rate Categories and Discounts (for information only)
Standard Rate
- Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category.
Internal Rate
- Current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors)
- People enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
- Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes, including City & Guilds College Association members
- Students, staff and alumni of the Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music and City and Guilds of London Art School
- Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School
Associate Rate
- Austrian Cultural Forum staff
- Co-operative College members
- Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
- Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
- Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
- Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
- Friends of the Royal College of Music
- Harrods staff
- Historic Royal Palaces staff
- Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
- Members of the Friends of Imperial College
- Members of the Kennel Club
- Members of the London Zoological Society
- Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
- Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- National Health Service (NHS) employees
- Natural History Museum staff
- Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
- Royal Geographical Society staff
- Science Museum staff
- Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
- Students (non-Imperial College)
- Teachers and other staff of UK schools
- Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
- Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
- Victoria and Albert Museum staff
Late enrolment
It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
Friends and Family Scheme
This course is eligible for allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.
Term Dates 2023-24
Weeks | Autumn term | Spring term | Summer term | ||
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10 | Week commencing 9 October to week ending 16 December 2023* | n/a | n/a | ||
*This is a 1-term course |
Enrolment Process
Web enrolment starts 1 August 2023
Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:
- Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
- If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.
When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:
What is sent | When is it sent | What does it contain | |
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1. Payment confirmation | Is sent straight away following submission of your online application |
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2. Enrolment confirmation | Is usually sent within 10 working days. Please treat your payment confirmation as confirmation that your applicant details and payment have been received |
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3. Programme information | Is usually sent on Friday late afternoon the week before term starts |
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Any Questions?
If you have any questions about the academic content or teaching of this course please contact the Course Tutor, Alinta Sara, at a.sara@imperial.ac.uk
If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, at eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk