“Mandela was not the only head of state taken in by Koagne. Le king kept snapshots of himself with many a man of power, among them Mobutu Sese Seko and Denis Sassou Nguesso […] He took Mobutu for 15 million dollars. Blaise Compaoré of Burkina Faso lost 40 million to him. Sassou, Etienne Eyadéma of Togo, several high officials of Gabon, Tanzania and Kenya, a member of the Spanish government and an ex-operative of the Israeli Mossad were bamboozled as well.” – Dominique Malaquais (Blood Money: A Douala Chronicle).
Bantu Serenade by Ntone Edjabe (featuring Nah-ee-lah) (read excerpt)
Santu Mofokeng: Trajectory of a street photographer (part1) (read excerpt)
Binyavanga Wainaina: Hell In Bed With Mrs Peprah (read excerpt)
Dominique Malaquais: Lindela (the winnie suite) (read excerpt)
Boubacar Boris Diop: Myriem (read excerpt)
Cover:
Neo Muyanga
A trip across the intersection between reality and its multiple possibilities of the future. Jamil Osmar (Parasol) is the curator of Split infinity: A glimpse into a harmonious future. Jamil is an Angolan curator, artist and video game developer. Split infinity was curated in 2023. He is the ARAK Collection third 2023 Curatorial Residency Fellowship Recipient. Split infinity: A glimpse into a harmonious future brings together selected works from the ARAK collection to carefully craft a story profoundly impacting us to stir public opinion in the hopes of creating a space where everyone can experience a minimalistic multiple choice narrative that addresses social, psychological and environmental themes in the African context; deconstructing the concept of afro-futurism, standing apart from Western narratives of progress and modernity. Split infinity presents beautiful, colorful and meaningful works by thirty-five contemporary artists.