Nigerian-American artist, Jamal Ademola uses a broad palette to tell stories about African identity. Working across media as varied as film, painting, drawing, photography, and performance, he deploys an arsenal of tools to depict the African experience, frequently in a surreal way. He creates conversations around such themes as black identities, the divine feminine, cultural consciousness and society. The dreamworlds he erects are indicative of an awareness of self and others that is otherworldly. His knack for storytelling and love for fine art permeate throughout his body of work. Part of the film “I DREAMED OF SEEING MYSELF” is about taking back our power to tell our own stories and define our realities. “I had no real qualms with the term Afrofuturism until I discovered that it was a white male writer that created it. Finding that out made me consider the importance of controlling our own images and narratives. We don’t even control our own descriptions of ourselves. It’s hard for me to embrace it wholeheartedly even though I know that its intentions are good.”
SOURCE: OKAYAFRICA
More Stories
The Latest Sign of Progress in Ethiopia’s Peace Deal
Traditional Gender Norms are the Main Barrier to Ghanaian Women Pursuing Academic Careers
Tanzania is a Beautiful and Peaceful Country, but there is a Dark Side
Nigerian Official and Wife Found Guilty for Organ-trafficking Plot
Uganda Bill Makes Provisions for the Arrest and Imprisonment of LGBTQ People
Sex in a Mogadishu City
Algerian Authorities Dismantle an International Network of Migrant Smugglers to Europe
Blinken’s Trip is the Latest in a Series of Visits to Africa by US Government Figures
Film Tells the Story of a Tragedy Perpetrated in Africa by German Colonial Troops
The Top Ten Most Ethnically Diverse Countries are all African Countries
South Africa Still a Long Way Off in Building a National Culture of Human Rights
After Lawsuits and Demonstrations Led by Chagossian Women, Britain Paid Some Compensation through the Mauritian Government to the Exiled Chagos Population