London/Africa (Commonwealth Union)_The world’s idea of Africa has more often than not historically been defined, shaped and moulded by the west with little known about contemporary Africa, which for the most part lives through its past but uses the present to shape the future. A World in Common is a remarkable exhibition that opens in London to showcase contemporary African photography seen through the lens of the continent’s artists and one of the largest collections ever curated.
Exhibiting at the Tate Modern, the photographs are powerful, the videos riveting and the installations captivating – each encapsulating the quintessence of the realities of the fastest-growing continent in the world. Eschewing the west’s idea of Africa, each artist explores the diversity of the vast continent – a collective of 36 artists from Africa and its diaspora in total. Whether they are veteran artistes from Malawi like Samson Kambalu or Ghana’s James Barnor or new kids on the block like Ethopian Aida Muluneh or Nigeria’s Ruth Ossai who also experienced growing up years in Yorkshire, the 150 works maps out possibilities of an exquisite and complex Africa.
It takes the viewer on a journey of three chapters – identity and tradition, counter histories and imagined futures, each traversing paths from the bustle of Kinshasa to the arid desert of Mauritania. The entire collection is revealing; a vivid tapestry that pushes the contemporary modernity of Africa into becoming the central spotlight of the world. The collection journeys from colonial history to post-independence revolutionary movements to places where Africa has shaped and re-shaped itself to becoming a strong presence in the world.
Inspired by the work of pioneering Cameroonian historian and intellectual Achille Mbembe, the exhibition is a bold invitation to reconsider how the world views Africa and its place in the world. The Tate Modern places African talent at center stage unpacking traditions, culture, history, ideas, definitions and tribal ancestry from a treasure trove that seems infinite.
