| Toubabou... Toubabou... ~ Adrien Sina 2007 |
| This video
depicts the psychology of the crowd, of rumors spreading, of individual
and collective behaviour. I walk in the city with my camera carried
vertically, in order not to show the poverty of the neighborhood. I
film the skipping of children surrounding me... There are three, then
six, then twenty, then thirty or more... a cloud of minuscule beings
agitated around me. Suddenly a child pronounces the word ‘Toubabou’. A word that parents teach their children, indicating - without rancor or hatred - the white man. Toubabou comes from toubib, doctor... Once this word pronounced, it spontaneously structures the amorphous collective movements and transforms the random noise into a song and dance whirling around me to the chanted rhythm of ‘Toubabou... Toubabou... Toubabou...’ Looking at their behaviour, it is clear who will be who tomorrow, who will do what, who will have a lust for success at the expense of others, who will be left on the borders of society... Richness or poverty is also visible in their clothing – as is the care or affection given or withheld by their parents. A rising crescendo within the logic of crowds reveals steps leading from curiosity, enthusiasm to protective or aggressive power relations. video 16/9, 07:18 min, Bamako (Mali), 2007 |
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 Farafin a ni Toubabou - black and white ethical projects Adrien Sina Artist and theoretician Adrien Sina presents a compilation of film works and documentation taken from performances, instruction pieces and videos from 2005-2007. This dvd contains eight works made on location in France, UK and Mali and reflects aspects of Sina's interests in ethics, human rights and political representations through participatory practices. A full colour brochure to accompany the DVD can be downloaded here. Adrien Sina and Live Art Development Agency, 2009, DVD-PAL, 40 minutes. |
| © Adrien Sina |