In order to decrease systematic racism and/or oppression, decolonization of thoughts, governance and processes is essential for change. Understanding what literacy requires within the audience we are engaging in englobes: visual literature, sound, touch and other sensories of knowledge absorption. In other words, Africans need to empower and support their visual artists, filmmakers, architects, authors, artistic initiatives within spaces created by them, with Africans in mind as a foundation. This means extracting the installation of exterior influences or interpretations of African storytelling.
From streets and avenues baptized in foreigners’ names to considering having more stories of local philosophers, critics and thinkers in our books, to feature films and many cultures. There is a deep need to work towards one main goal which is reappropriating the curricula and school of thought of our contemporary academics, artists and scholars.
One of the impactful ways is to use urban culture to change the narrative approach, for example, having graffiti artists create relationships and opportunities to work on street names of avenues boulevard, ways, roads such as « Boulevard General Degaulle » to Boulevard Dr Hady Ba in honor of the accomplishments and contributions to the advancement of its society that look like the local context.
Imagine nowadays tv series that show the transmission of photography and film classical school of thoughts prevalent to our current times. A show like “Maîtresse d’un Homme Marié”, a series speaking on senegalese societal relational encounters with nuances while still paying homage to elements of cinematography of our forefathers such as Djibril Diop Mambety or Ousmane Sembene.
In order to start the process of decolonization we must start rewriting our visual literacy modules to reflect the society and civilisation we live in and have marked as our blueprint rather than adopting foreign concepts constructed with realities that may not represent our societal functions.
https://www.acasaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/ACASA-Triennial-2024-Open-Panels-and-Roundtables-1.pdf
Credit Photo, courtesy of Bubu Ogisi and Djibril DRAME from their series titled Celestial Beings, 2022
