Embodied Resistance: How AFiRIperFOMA Reclaims Performance as an African Art Form

In the sprawling megalopolis of Lagos, where the frenetic pace of Africa's largest city creates a constant cacophony of sound and motion, a quieter revolution has been taking place over the past decade. On a humid evening in November 2013, a small but determined group of artists and cultural workers gathered in a modest venue at the Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Lagos's Yaba district. Led by performance artist Jelili Atiku, they were united by a singular vision: to reclaim performance art as an indigenous African practice and establish Nigeria's first international platform dedicated to this often-marginalized medium.

That inaugural gathering marked the birth of the AFiRIperFOMA Biennial, a name that cleverly merges "Africa," "performance," and "art" into a single, resonant identity. What began as a local initiative has since blossomed into a vital platform that connects Nigerian and African performance artists with the global contemporary art world, while simultaneously challenging Western-centric narratives about the origins and development of performance as an art form.

"It is indisputable that before the advent of colonialism in Africa, performance art was a popular art form on the continent," says Atiku, who serves as the biennial's artistic director. "African art, which has contributed immensely to our modern civilization, lays heavy emphasis on performance. The numerous costumes and superior ancient African art sculptures, especially masks that are in reputable museums and galleries all over the world, were created for use in performance contexts."

This understanding—that performance is not a Western import but rather a practice with deep roots in African cultural traditions—forms the philosophical core of AFiRIperFOMA. The biennial deliberately positions itself as both a continuation of these indigenous practices and a contemporary response to the challenges of postcolonial African identity. Through the bodies and actions of its participating artists, it creates a space where traditional rituals and avant-garde artistic strategies can coexist and inform one another.

The journey from concept to established biennial has not been without obstacles. Operating in a context where infrastructure for contemporary art is limited and funding for experimental practices is scarce, AFiRIperFOMA has relied heavily on the dedication of its founding team and the collaborative spirit of participating artists. "In the beginning, we were working with almost nothing but our conviction that this platform was necessary," recalls Folakunle Oshun, who has served as a co-curator for the sixth edition. "Artists would pay their own way to Lagos, sleep on each other's couches, and pool resources to make performances happen."

This spirit of mutual support and artistic solidarity has become a defining characteristic of the biennial. Unlike the market-driven atmosphere that pervades many international art events, AFiRIperFOMA emphasizes exchange, dialogue, and collective growth. Workshops, symposia, and collaborative performances are as central to its program as the main exhibition, creating multiple entry points for both artists and audiences to engage with performance art practices.

The biennial's development has coincided with—and contributed to—a growing recognition of performance art across the continent. When AFiRIperFOMA began, performance was largely absent from major art institutions and educational curricula in Nigeria. Today, it is increasingly acknowledged as a vital medium for addressing contemporary African realities. The Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos, a key partner institution, has incorporated performance into its regular programming, and younger artists are increasingly drawn to the form's directness and political potential.

"What makes AFiRIperFOMA unique is its insistence on connecting contemporary performance practices with traditional African embodied knowledge," explains Bisi Silva, the late founder of CCA Lagos who was an early supporter of the biennial. "It doesn't treat performance art as something that began with European and American avant-garde movements of the 20th century. Instead, it traces a genealogy that includes masquerade traditions, ritual ceremonies, and oral storytelling practices that have been part of African cultures for centuries."

This reclamation of performance as an African medium has proven particularly powerful in addressing issues of identity, colonialism, and cultural heritage. Many performances presented at AFiRIperFOMA directly engage with the legacies of imperialism and the ongoing processes of decolonization. Atiku's own work frequently examines how colonial histories continue to shape contemporary Nigerian politics and society, using his body as both a site of trauma and resistance.

The biennial has also created space for artists addressing pressing social issues that affect daily life in Lagos and beyond. From environmental degradation in the Niger Delta to gender politics and economic inequality, AFiRIperFOMA provides a platform for artists to respond directly to the lived realities of contemporary African societies. The performances often spill out from conventional art spaces into public areas—markets, streets, transportation hubs—bringing art directly to communities that might otherwise have limited access to cultural institutions.

As it approaches its sixth edition in November 2025, AFiRIperFOMA has evolved into a significant node in the increasingly interconnected network of performance art events across the Global South. It maintains exchanges with similar initiatives in Latin America, Asia, and other parts of Africa, creating transnational solidarities and knowledge-sharing between artists working in diverse postcolonial contexts. The 2025 edition, themed "Bodies in Transformation," will bring together more than 40 artists from over 20 countries to explore how performance can reimagine physical and social boundaries in an era of technological acceleration and ecological crisis.

The growth and persistence of AFiRIperFOMA represents more than just the development of a single arts organization—it signals a broader shift in how contemporary African art is produced, presented, and theorized. By insisting on the centrality of African traditions to performance art's global history, and by creating infrastructure for contemporary practitioners to develop their work outside of Western institutional frameworks, the biennial contributes to the ongoing project of decentering the global art world. Through embodied actions and temporary interventions, it suggests alternative ways of making, sharing, and experiencing art that draw on both ancestral knowledge and future possibilities.