History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Does Rhyme. Dumile Feni: African Guernica
Inaugural Conversation by Tamar Garb and Premiere of the Musical Piece Inkomo iwile by Philip Miller and Tshegofatso Moeng
Dumile Feni, You Wouldn’t Know God if he Spat in your Eye, 1975, detalle
© Estate Dumile Feni and Dumile Feni Family Trust
Held on 24 Mar 2026
On the occasion of the exhibition History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Does Rhyme. Dumile Feni: African Guernica, its curator Tamar Garb, introduced by Manuel Segade, Director of the Museo Reina Sofía, highlights the opportunities for reflection offered by the presentation at the Museum of African Guernica (1967), the African sibling to Pablo Picasso’s emblematic painting. The event concludes with the live premiere of a musical composition created especially for this event by the South African artists Philip Miller and Tshegofatso Moeng.
African Guernica, the monumental drawing produced by the South African artist Dumile Feni (Worcester, South Africa, 1942 – New York, 1991) in the 1960s, is presented for the first time outside South Africa in dialogue with Picassos’s Guernica (1937). Dumile Feni’s work is deeply connected to its place of origin, emerging from the context of state violence and institutionalised racial oppression under apartheid. Viewing both artworks side by side makes it possible to consider their shared references and strategies, their similarities and synergies, as well as the formal and figurative differences that largely result from their geographical and temporal separation.
The musical composition by Philip Miller and Tshegofatso Moeng intends to establish a parallel dialogue between traditional South African sounds and the classical repertoire for strings, voice and wind instruments. A full ensemble of performers from South Africa and Spain has been brought together for this purpose.
These inaugural conversations, which form part of the core strands of the Public Programmes Department, aim to explore in depth the content of the exhibitions organised by the Museo from the perspective of artists, curators and specialists.
Programme
Organised by
Museo Reina Sofía
With the support of
With the support of
Agenda
martes 24 mar 2026 a las 18:30
Inaugural Conversation
martes 24 mar 2026 a las 19:15
Inkomo iwile
Musical Premiere
Participants
Tamar Garb
is Professor at University College London and a specialist in Contemporary African Art and South African Photography, among other fields. She is the curator of the exhibition History Doesn’t Repeat Itself, but It Does Rhyme. Dumile Feni: African Guernica.
Manuel Segade
is the director of the Museo Reina Sofía.
Weronika Dziadek
is an emerging viola player trained at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía and at the Kronberg Academy under the guidance of Nobuko Imai. She has received numerous international awards.
Daniel Gandiaga
is a trombonist and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Darío García
is a double bassist and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Ángel González
is a saxophonist and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Miguel González
is a trumpeter and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Carlota Iglesias
is a cellist and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid.
Nokuthula Magubane
is a soprano who has performed in works such as Nkoli: The Vogue Opera (Philip Miller, 2023), Broken Chord (Gregory Maqoma and Thuthuka Sibisi, 2022) and The Head and the Load (William Kentridge, 2019); with the latter she has toured the United States and Europe.
Micca Manganye
is a percussionist. Since 2019 she has been part of the Centre for the Less Good Idea. In recent years she has toured the United States and the United Kingdom as part of the cast of Houseboy, a theatrical work directed by the artist William Kentridge.
Philip Miller
is a South African composer and sound artist who has collaborated with choreographers, filmmakers and visual artists. His recent project with William Kentridge, The Head and the Load, has been presented at Tate Modern and at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.
Tshegofatso Moeng
is a South African singer, arranger, composer and musical director. He holds a Master’s degree in Opera Performance from the University of Maryland on a Fulbright scholarship and has developed a notable international career across Europe, the Americas and Africa.
Javier Sicre
is a conductor and a student at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid
Resources
Inkomo Iwile, by Philip Miller and Tshegofatso Moeng
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