The Center for World Performance Studies (CWPS) presents a guest scholar lecture by ethnomusicologist and curator Dr. Jennifer Kyker.

The Chicago Dzviti Photograph Collection presents the work of Chicago Dzviti (1961-1995), a pioneering Zimbabwean photographer whose archive offers an extensive visual record of Zimbabwean social, cultural, and musical life. In this talk, Dr. Kyker discusses her work as curator of the collection, including the touring exhibit “Portrait of Zimbabwe.” She focuses particularly on Chicago Dzviti’s intimate portrayals of Zimbabwean musicians, which make up a significant portion of the collection. As curator, Dr. Kyker’s ethnographic approach explores relationships between visual culture and sound, using collaborative methods such as feedback interviews with musicians, curated playlists, and live performances by contemporary artists. Throughout, Dr. Kyker emphasizes how the Zimbabwean philosophy of hunhu/ubuntu, which articulates a vision of human identity predicated upon moral relationships between the self and others, is reflected in Chicago Dzviti’s photographs as well as in the musical traditions they portray.

Free and open to the public.

For more information visit smtd.umich.edu/cwps or email CWPS.Information@umich.edu