52 Annual University of California, Berkeley
Master of Fine Art Graduate Exhibition
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MFA - Thesis Exhibition, 2022: For his most recent exhibition at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Hambira created an installation that is grounded in a large multicolored flag, on which Namibia is spelled out phonetically, a nod to former President Trump’s mispronunciation of the country’s name in a speech to the United Nations in 2017. Quilted with colors that are found in both the German and Namibian flags, the piece enforces a correction while tethering the error to the colonial violence that defines Namibia’s history and present. Alongside the flag is an otjikaiva, a Victorian-style hat like those worn by nineteenth-century German missionaries but made of Namibian fabrics—an important sign of cultural identity for the Herero in resistance to the history of the genocide.
Nuh~Mi~Bee~Uhn
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MFA - Thesis Film Project, 2022: Playing as part of the installation, Hambira’s film draws together personal and historical contexts for the work. The stitching and pinning of the fabric in the otjikaiva’s and flag, as well as the composition of the film, emphasize the constructed nature of racism and the persisting impacts of Germany and Namibia’s inextricable histories. Kavena delivers his opening remarks and previews an excerpt of his new short film Nuhmibeeuhn, at The 52nd Annual UC Berkeley Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition, May 2022, Berkeley, California.
The People's Uncle
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Student Film - MFA Show, 2021: After the murder of his nephew Oscar Grant by a BART police officer in 2009, Cephus “Uncle Bobby” Johnson emerged as a national social justice activist. At the forefront of the struggle to end police violence in the United States, the story of “The People’s Uncle”-- his journey and his work with families affected by similarly brutal experiences- is told in this moving documentary by Namibian filmmaker Kavena Hambira.
Volunteerism
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Volunteer Work, 2014 - Present: Myrtle Beach, SC, the Love Not Blood Campaign and Families United For Justice held their annual 2022 gathering. Their focus is on serving those who lost loved ones to State and community violence. The work includes healing strategies, legal battles, advocacy, legislation, direct action and organizing. Video filmed and edited by LNBC volunteer, Kavena Hambira.
Experimental
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Live in Kampala - Kampala, Uganda, 2016 |
May Day - Oakland, California, 2015 |
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Amongst the Natives - SF, California, 2015 |
Welcome to the Outbound - SF, California, 2014 |