Tricksters is part of a series of screenings, talks and workshops organized in collaboration between Lagos-based Monangambee and London-based Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) with the support of the British Council, engaging artists of African descent and the diaspora in conversation with John Akomfrah’s oeuvre, in terms of aesthetics, practice and social commitments. This project was prompted by John Akomfrah's work at the 2024 Venice Biennale, Listening All Night to the Rain.

We borrow our title for this program from one of the main characteristics of the orisha Èṣù in Yoruba spirituality and Ananse in Akan mythology. Tricksters hold a double edge — playful, mischievous and open to possibilities, they hold promises but also the risks and perils associated with uncertainty and irreverence towards colonial law and norms.Program:



Karimah Ashadu, Apapa Amusement Park, 2013, colour, sound, 2 min 38 sec

Faren Humes, Liberty, 2019, colour, sound, 17 min

Julianknxx, On Freedom of Movement (wi de muv), 2022, colour, sound, 10 min

Onyeka Igwe, Specialised Technique, 2018, black & white, sound, 6 min 57 sec

Olukemi Lijadu, Trading Memories, 2022, colour, sound, 3 min

Larry Achiampong, A Letter (side B), 2023, colour, sound, 20 min