The voices in this book offer a multi-perspectival approach to Africa, focusing on the skills and the knowledge underpinning visual cultural expressions ranging from Akan symbolism to embodied performances by dancers and storytellers, even re-designed models of Western cars. Educators, designers, artists, critics, curators, and custodians based both in Africa and in Europe are configuring spaces for public, private, institutional as well as digital conversation – whether through pottery or portraiture, furniture or film, shoes or selfies, buildings or books. Readers are encouraged to question how African visual cultures are both ‘in’ and ‘of’; identifying and confrontational; post- and decolonial; preserved and practised; old and new; borrowed and authentic; composite and complete; rooted and soaring. Disciplines being engaged include visual culture studies, media studies, performance studies, orature, literature, art and design – as well as their histories.
The book was launched on 11 April at a ceremony during the EVC meeting at TUK Nairobi. Prof Lize Kriel from Pretoria, co-editor, presented the book and handed over the first copies to the Vice Chancellor of TUK, Prof Francis W. Odhiambo Aduol, the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Paul Mwanza Shiundu, the Dean Prof Peter Maina Matu and the co-editor, Dr Mary Clare Akinyi Kidenda.
Mary Clare Kidenda, Lize Kriel, Ernst Wagner (Eds.). Visual Cultures of Africa. 2022, 256 pages, br., with numerous coloured illustrations, ISBN 978-3-8309-4523-9 // E-Book: Open Access: Link // Hard copies: Order via Email