During a virtual walk through her new solo exhibition, BATTLECRY, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum hinted at her volcanoes in conversation with curator Elvira Dyangani Ose. Speaking to her work Trooper, she described the volcano shimmering on the horizon as both “a physical earthly sensibility” that suggests the flow of the unseen and unpredictable, as well as…
Black mysticism, African space travel, Ghetto surrealism, Queer futurism, Black intimacy, hood futurism—enter Black Science Fiction. Home of all things experimental. Afro electronica, live instrumentation, loops, beat-making, soundscapes, synths and streams of consciousness. The object is music! The objective; a combination of notes evoking a response from multiple sensory systems towards an enriching experience. Through…
Mia Arderne is no stranger to writing as an expressive form, with an incredible reputation as a writer across journalistic publications, exploring identity politics and mental health. Her first novel manuscript—while unpublished—received recognition by being shortlisted for the Jacana Dinaane Debut Fiction Award in 2015. Reflecting on her literary background, Mia shares that she “worked…
The people of the Gold Coast had had their own Assembly under the British but not independence in 1957 they became the first Black Africans to get complete freedom, ‘For Dr Nkrumah—main architect of Ghana’s independence—this is a day of fulfilment, the longing to be free, the need to be free; these are part of…
SEX WORK is a political term that covers and embraces: street-level prostitution, erotic dancing, camera work, adult film, agency escorting, sensual messages, dominatrix work, and all other occupations through which one sells their sexual(-ized) services to clients. It is a legitimate form of labor that must be decriminalized so as to function as a safe…
RAPTURE An expression or manifestation of ecstasy or passion A state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion A mystical experience in which the spirit is exalted to a knowledge of divine things The Rapture Institute; curated in collective communion by Zara Julius and a selection of friends playing and practising in various…
Working through seed, land and food from a socio-political perspective; Zayaan Khan turns to the earth as her source of knowledge, weaving together an astounding and continual offering of reclaiming indigenous food practices and food justice while critiquing our collective dependency on neo-liberalism. I was first introduced to her work a few years ago with…
Writing about Azibuye – The Occupation is almost as tricky as watching it. I had to move mountains to lay my hands on a headset, then realised my ancient iPhone wouldn’t work in the Samsung VR Gear headset which meant also procuring a Samsung phone. After fumbling through the Android system, I somehow managed to…
“I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve been in public space, particularly early in my transition, when I would walk into a subway car and people would just burst into laughter.” Laverne Cox Cox is an Emmy-nominated American actress and LGBTQ+ advocate who came to prominence through her role as Sophia Burset on…
“One day I hope we won’t need the term “intersectional” to preface environmentalism. One day I hope that when people think of an environmentalist, they’ll automatically envision an activist that cares about both people and the planet. I truly believe that day will come soon if environmentalists wake up and begin advocating for those whose…
The past few weeks have been really difficult for most of us. To paraphrase Baldwin, to be Black and relatively conscious in this world is to be in a constant state of rage. Between dealing with my own feelings about the police brutality here in South Africa, as well as the world over, and thinking…
take me to the place where judas kissed jesus i want to remember what he tasted like holy turn my water into wine holy paint my face with your holy seed holy keep me on my knees holy fuck me sanctified holy fuck me happy holy fuck me normal holy help me make it through…
