SPAZIO GRIOT

The SPAZIO GRIOT 2024–2028 artist residency program draws inspiration from the Second Congress of Black Writers and Artists, a historic event held in Rome from March 25 to April 1, 1959. Following the first congress in Paris organized in 1956 by Présence Africaine (the pan-African magazine founded by Alioune Diop), the Rome meeting was promoted by the African Society of Culture and coordinated by the Istituto Italiano per l’Africa. The second congress advanced critical discussions on key themes, emphasizing “the unity and responsibility of Afro-African culture,” as well as its autonomy and emancipation from Western conceptions and representations of it. It brought together 120 delegates, including writers, artists, intellectuals, and political figures from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and the United States. But what prompted these leading figures of the Black intelligentsia to choose Rome as the venue for the congress? What was the political and cultural climate of the time regarding colonialism?

This 1959 gathering marked a pivotal moment of reflection and debate for Black communities in Europe and the diaspora, yet it remains largely overlooked in official archives and collective memory. The residency aims to examine the historical and symbolic significance of the Rome Congress, viewing it as a crossroads between colonial and postcolonial histories. Through archives, personal narratives, and contemporary artistic practices, it explores the lasting impact of the Congress on the global Black diaspora and on Black communities in Italy.

Building on this historical legacy, the SPAZIO GRIOT residency is part of a broader program leading up to the Congress’s 70th anniversary in 2029. Each year, selected artists, writers, and creators are invited to stay in Rome to explore themes from the Congress while developing new works or advancing existing projects.

For the 2026–2028 cycle, the “SPAZIO GRIOT. Second Congress of Black Writers and Artists” program is being developed in partnership with the Villa Medici, in association with the American Academy in Rome, and with the support of Azienda Agricola Solaria.

The residency aims to provide a unique opportunity for artists, writers, and creators to connect with their peers in Rome, as well as with national and international networks and communities. In doing so, it seeks to transcend geographical boundaries and foster a sense of global solidarity and unity. At the same time, the residency contributes to ongoing discussions about accessibility, participation, and representation within the arts and culture sector.

The 2026 residency program features writers and artists Allan Cudicio, Maïmouna Gueye, Maria Muheombo, Carole Oulato, and Assia Ugoboro. The mentoring sessions and workshops will be led by guest mentors, including writer Ubah Cristina Ali Farah, Associate Professor Jessica L. Harris, and Professor Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, alongside SPAZIO GRIOT’s resident mentors, Johanne Affricot and Eric Otieno Sumba.

Allan Cudicio is a multimedia artist whose work spans interactive media, sound, and the visual arts. He explores rituals, diasporic systems of meaning, and the intersections between West African spiritual traditions and ancient Mediterranean pagan philosophies. He is the creator of The Wagadu Chronicles, an interactive universe presented internationally and inspired by African cosmologies, and performs under the name Hermetic Rhythm, a sound project focused on ritual and immersive soundscapes.

Maïmouna Gueye is a curator, filmmaker, and writer whose work explores cinema as a tool for memory, decolonial inquiry, and epistemic resistance, with a particular focus on African and Black film cultures. She is the founder of the Decolonial Film Fest in Genoa and the curator of the African Culture Archive, a platform dedicated to the rediscovery of underrepresented postcolonial films.

Maria Muehombo (M I M I) is a multidisciplinary artist and independent researcher whose process-oriented practice blends musical composition, herbalism, ritual sound healing, and DJing. Working in collaborative, performative, and institutional contexts, she has performed internationally at prestigious venues and biennials, including the Venice Biennale, the Dakar Biennale, and WIELS.

Carole Oulato is a researcher, author, sound artist, and anti-racist activist whose work explores music, decolonization, Black histories, and diaspora cultures through research, curation, writing, and performance. Since 2018, she has co-directed Abidjan Centrale, a musical and research project on decolonial processes. Her literary work includes the short story *Pomodori amari* and Italian translations of poems and essays by May Ayim, as well as editorial and cultural projects developed in community and institutional settings.

Assia Ugobor is an independent producer and programmer working in the fields of dance and performance, whose experience has been shaped through collaborations with institutions such as the Lia Rodrigues Art Center, MC93, and T2G. Her practice highlights marginalized narratives through decolonial and archival approaches, notably her work with Moteur de recherche at the Ballet National de Marseille—a curatorial space exploring reparation and the archive through the body—as well as her role as co-founder of OYA, a platform supporting emerging artists and curatorial experimentation. She served on the programming committee for the 16th edition of the Festival Parallèle in Marseille (2026).