Alongside the Centre Pompidou, MansA supports the Paris Noir exhibition through original restorations, engaged programming, and public events that bring Afro-descendant memories into the present.
As part of the Paris Noir exhibition (March 19 – June 30, 2025), the Centre Pompidou highlights Afro-descendant artistic circulations and struggles in France from 1950 to 2000. MansA contributes with complementary programming that showcases the cultural and political legacies of African worlds and their diasporas.
An Original Soundtrack to Accompany the Exhibition
To enrich the exhibition experience, MansA produced an original soundtrack tracing the musical influences that shaped Paris’s Afro-diasporic scene, from jazz to contemporary urban music. This auditory creation provides visitors with a complementary immersion alongside the artworks, emphasizing the role of music in the history of black artists and communities in Paris.
Sarah Maldoror Retrospective
MansA supported the restoration of two films by Sarah Maldoror and the retrospective dedicated to the filmmaker in April 2025. This event offered the opportunity to rediscover her committed and poetic work, which had long remained in the shadows.
Le Bal du Paris noir
On April 27, 2025, as part of its MansA Heritage program, MansA organized a grand festive musical evening at La Bellevilloise in collaboration with artist Jay Ramier. Entitled Jazz Sauce Combo, Le Bal du Paris noir the event celebrated the vibrancy of black Parisian nights, blending music, dance, and collective memory.
After an opening segment devoted to lectures and discussions on the musical and political effervescence of Paris from the interwar period to the 1970s, the Paris Noir Orchestra immersed participants in the rhythms and sounds of the century’s grand balls and soirées, featuring biguine, jazz, mambo, calypso, and rumba.
Closing night Electric Makossa
On June 26, 2025, a second evening curated by Jay One Ramier highlighted major Afro-diasporic music genres: funk, reggae-dub, jazz rock, soul, rap, zouk, afrobeat, shatta, bouyon, and amapiano. Despite their diversity, these styles share a common thread: serving as spaces for protest and expression.
The evening featured a lineup of artists led by DJ Chabin and DJ Dre Tala, accompanied by dancers, performers, and special guests, animating a long night of celebration.
Find out more:
