Kujiona Series
Arafa C. Hamadi | Tanzania | Kenya
In this series, I explore my culture with an intent to find myself within it. I am from Dar-es-Salaam, and I have found myself actively and inactively living in other towns along this Swahili coast. This has led me to a process of relearning about my home, the cultures and the people who live here. The Kujiona Series is born from this process, and includes the conversations and creations I have accumulated in the past three months. The first part of the series – images of a scavenged and painted Swahili dhow – follows a three part progression that moves from collecting (Kusanya), relearning (Jifunze) and reimagining oneself (Jione). Through this work, I hope to present a very personal process of rediscovering my culture and an intentional repositioning of myself and my queer identity. The titular meditative film, Kujiona, follows the progression of a protagonist, myself, having two conversations. The first is with the scavenged dhow that I have created an artwork out of. The second is a conversation with Kevin Mwachiro – a queer Swahili man who has also found himself through engaging with the coast. This is presented through snippets overlaid with sounds from the coast that are familiar, and I hope this captures the continuous dialogue I am having with my home.
Production Credit & Tech Details
Artist: Arafa C. Hamadi
First Piece: Image, titled Kusanya.png Arafa C. Hamadi Kusanya of Kujiona series September 2020 50cm x 150cm
Second Piece: Image, titled Jifunze.png Arafa C. Hamadi Jifunze of Kujiona series September 2020 50cm x 150cm
Third Piece: Image, titled Jione.png Arafa C. Hamadi Jione of Kujiona series September 2020 50cm x 150cm
Fourth Piece: Video, 26minutes, titled Kujiona.mp4 Arafa C. Hamadi in conversation with Kevin Mwachiro Kujiona of Kujiona series September 2020
about the artist
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