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Januario Jano

Januario Jano, Musseke, details, Eva Maria Ocherbauer 2017
Januario Jano, Musseke, details, Eva Maria Ocherbauer 2017

Januario Jano, Musseke, details, Eva Maria Ocherbauer 2017.

Born Luanda, Angola (1979), lives and works in Luanda, Angola, London, UK and Lisbon, Portugal

Musseke 2017
video, 8.49mins
Courtesy of the artist

Artist’s statement

Ambiguity is both a search for a personal identity and a proposal for an understanding of or a reflection upon a collective identity.

In search of my roots and of an understanding of the past, I critically examine aspects of Angola’s recent history and the “Ambundu” culture specifically, from Luanda and its surroundings.

The project “Ambundulando” is born of the contraction of two words: “ambular” and “Ambundu”. “Ambundulando”, which means wandering and walking around, and is  the exact starting point of the research that serves as a focal point for the project. By reflecting upon memory and its vicissitudes, as well as upon its role in the construction of identity, I learn that  immersing oneself in “Ambundu” culture does not occur in a linear fashion nor does it follow established itineraries.

Thus, I examine the relationship between myself and my grandparents, which evokes the ritual of making cassava flour (farinha musseque). By undertaking in-depth research into the “Ambundu” culture and its philosophy, this project spans a relationship and historical event by means of personal and collective memories.

Musseke is also the evocative process of activating memories; in this case I try to recover the process through a dialogue by returning to personal memories. I place my body in the center as object to make the connection, following the invisible steps of a present past.