Episode 1: Repairing bodies and land with Aisha Conté
Ikọ zone featuring: Adelle Nqeto
October 7th, 2020
In this first episode, Otobong Nkanga will be in discussion with Aisha Conté, a Senegalese doctor in Pharmacy and founder of Nyara, a brand and store of jewelery, cosmetics and phyto-aromatherapy products. The conversation will take us on Aisha Conté’s journey, from pharmaceutical industry to production and distribution of natural care products made from local ingredients. We will learn how through its model and many activities Nyara contribute to sustaining social, environmental and economic life of African territories.
Within the Ikọ zone we will listen to Adelle Nqeto, a singer and songwriter from South Africa, now living in Berlin, who sings her song In Memory.
Doctor of Pharmacy graduated from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (UCAD), Dr Aïsha Conté has worked in various professional fields related to the health sector, including medicinal herbalism. Deeply pan-African, the promoter of the NYARA brand believes that "Africa will only develop on its own, proof being that the continent abounds in wealth, much of which remains to be exploited". She wishes to transmit her passion for valued products from African lands, through a return to nature, at a time when more and more chemicals used in the composition of drugs and cosmetics are criticized, because of their harmful effects on health. She is a woman committed to societal causes related to the health and public hygiene problems experienced by African populations: the depigmentation of African women, the pollution of plastic waste, among others. Through her personal commitment to the promotion of African culture, she wishes to convey the message in an indirect or subtle way that it is through women that the continent will finally develop!
Adelle Nqeto music stems from the gaze of an introverted observer with a passion for melody and stories. Rooted in South African folk and exploring Jazz, Indie and Pop, Adelle's work expresses not only the realities of being human – but also how beautiful such reality is. Quite fittingly, her music style has been labelled as "Alternative African Folk".
Now based in Berlin, Adelle’s second EP Home was released in May 2019, focusing on elements of social justice in South Africa through the lens of a musician native to its soil.
For an upcoming series of concerts, Adelle is joined by fellow South Africans Robin Brink (drums/production) and Tsepo Kolitsoe Pooe (cello) to create a sonic landscape of organic and electronic elements that support the bittersweet melodies Adelle has conjured up about our everyday existence.
