Jollof Diaries – A letter from the frontline
[hr] By Folakunle Oshun [hr] 30 October 2015 It was the first day of the road trip from Lagos to Saint-Louis, Senegal. I was journeying to explore the migratory and ownership controversies surrounding the popular West African dish, Jollof rice, as part of the research for my project, Wolof/Jollof. I wanted to get the facts […]
Maggic Cube
[hr] These images are from photographer Adji Dieye’s series titled “Maggic Cube”, based on her research on the influence of advertising on visual culture in Senegal, and, specifically, the omnipresence of stock cube advertisements in Dakar. Her project responds to the words of the late revolutionary, Thomas Sankara: “It’s natural that the person who provides […]
Second Transition
[hr] “Second Transition” refers to the phase of liberation struggle in South Africa which began after the 1994 elections. It is also the title of a project by photographer Thabiso Sekgala (1981-2014), to document the ongoing struggle for land ownership and economic freedom in rural South Africa. [ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”13″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_basic_imagebrowser” ajax_pagination=”0″ order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” […]
In Bond We Trust?
[hr] Nearly a decade on from the worst postcolonial turmoil that saw their currency devalued by thousands of percentage points, Zimbabweans have had to brace themselves as the government introduced another face-saving tender. The bond note, pegged at equal value to the US dollar, but not legal outside the country, is traded more often in […]
Your Own Hand Sold You: Voluntary servitude in the Francafrique
[hr] In the CFA franc, the French colonial mission in West Africa found a way to ensure a paternalist and pernicious stranglehold on the economies of a vast region of the continent. Critics are vociferous and persistent in decrying its catastrophic effects on the socio-economic development of 150 million people in 15 countries over more […]