LISTEN: So what exactly is the Noirwave Revolution?

27 May 2016 - 15:16 By Ntombenhle Shezi
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Petite Noir and Drone Goddess.
Petite Noir and Drone Goddess.
Image: Kristen Lee Moolman

In this week’s Sunday Times Lifestyle we speak to creative change-makers Yannick “Petite Noir” Ilunga and Rochelle “Rharha” Nembhard (also known as the Drone Goddess).

The stylish duo talk to us about breaking borders, Noirwave as a movement and changing reductive viewpoints of Africa.

At 25, Ilunga has already established an impressive music career as Petite Noir and his latest album, La Vie Est Belle, recently snagged a nomination for Best Alternative Album at this year’s South African Music Awards.

Noirwave art director Nembhard is currently completing her MA in Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Art, a programme run with the Tate, at the University of Westminster in London.

While Petite Noir first coined the term as a way to define his unusual sound, it is growing to be much more of a movement. Find out more about the duo in the sound clip below.

 

Read Ntombenhle Shezi's article on the The politics of Noirwave style in Sunday Times Lifestyle on Sunday 29 May.

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