b.1977, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (former Zaire). Lives and works in Courcouronnes, France.

Michèle Magema’s 2002 video installation Oyé Oyé examines the role of the individual and femininity during Mobutu Sese Seko’s dictatorial rule (1965 – 1997) in her native county of Zäire (now Democratic Republic of Congo.) An image of the flag of Zäire is flanked by facing video displays, the first displaying black and white imagery of Mobutu-era parades and public performances, and the second showing the torso of the artist as she marches in place wearing a re-creation of the state-imposed blue and white school uniform she wore as a girl. The first video appropriates footage from Thierry Michel’s documentary film Mobutu, roi de Zäire, in which the dictator is shown coolly observing dancing women who perform in his honor. Magema situates the image of herself, uniformed and faceless, in opposition to that of Mobutu, in direct address to his campaign for a more “authentic” Africa and utilization of the female body as a tool for propaganda.

Image Credit:
Michèle Magema, Oyé Oyé, 2002,
two-channel video installation, DVD, color, black and white, 5 min. 30 sec., dimensions variable.
© Michèle Magema. (Photos courtesy of the artist,
© 2006 Artist Rights Society [ARS], New York/ADAGP, Paris)