“Three generations of white South African men were bound together at that table. Vermuelen was the first generation. He defined Africa, made it safe for Basson to defile. I was the last generation, the last to grow up in segregated neighborhoods. Between us was the silent photograph of Wouter Basson. Like a distant father, Basson was absent at the dining table.” – Henk Rossouw (Hole in the White ‘Hood). Also Mahmood Mamdani on Bantu Education at UCT, Gael Reagon on sisterhood, Binyavanga Wainaina on dis-covering Kenya, Gaston Zossou on African intellectuals and more…
Cover:
Strange Fruit by Lewis Allen
Masks off: Reflecting the African Art Movement from Modern to Contemporary from Local to Global by Adbelrahiem Faisal (Arak Collection, 2025)
In this publication, artworks are looked at as an expression and documentation of one’s experiences. The layers that make up an artwork overlap, just as much as the make-up of one’s personality. The conversation put forth focuses on both the subject matter of each artist and the languages and artistic vocabulary used. The publication also provides examples of artworks where iconography that is foreign (to the artist) can be used to express something familiar, such as one’s traditions or history, and vice versa. It provides a new narrative to understand the art of Africa in a world that is constantly exchanging thoughts and ideas.