This ongoing series uses colonial postcards to reframe historical narratives of human and more-than-human entities. Through this series, I aim to peel away the identity distortions of that era and its lingering impact today, exploring the deep connections and sovereignty shared between human and non-human beings—plants, fungi, water, insects, and more. 

 

This work contributes to my continued exploration of Africanfuturism, coined by Nigerian-American author Nnedi Okorafor. Africanfuturism is rooted in African culture, history, and experiences. Unlike Afrofuturism, which includes broader Black diaspora and Western influences, Africanfuturism focuses specifically on African settings, perspectives, and narratives, emphasizing the continent's realities and futures.

 

Each piece is crafted through a digital collage process, created entirely without the use of AI. If you look closely, you'll notice traces of the original postcard frames, which include descriptions of the subjects in the postcards. You can view examples of what the original images looked like here.

 

Sources for this series include the Biodiversity Heritage Library, Library of Congress, New York Public Library collections, and Wikimedia Commons. My intention was to focus on collecting images from East Africa, reflecting my heritage from this region. However, I discovered that many historical photographs are often inaccessible to the curious public, either held in private collections by local collectors or locked behind high paywalls within academic institutions and museums. This reality is disheartening, as it underscores enduring power imbalances in access to knowledge and cultural histories. It appears that those who have been historically exploited and experienced cultural disruption are often denied access to their own narratives, illustrating how colonial legacies continue to influence access to the past today. Reclaiming these narratives is crucial for informing present and future thinking, as it allows for a more authentic understanding of identity, resilience, and the pathways to envisioning alternative futures.

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​Each piece in this series is intentionally designed with dimensions that emulate the appearance of a large postcard.