Woven Histories: Hair in East and Southern Africa — Ritual, Resistance, and Rebirth
Woven Histories: Hair in East and Southern Africa — Ritual, Resistance, and Rebirth The eembuvi-plaits of Mbalantu women before the Ohango initiation ceremony, Namibia, 1930s. Photograph by C.H.L. Hahn. Collection Antje Otto. Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Guzangs’ ongoing exploration of African hair traditions, tracing their evolution from spiritual practice to global artistry. […]
How Colonial Morality Still Polices African Fashion
How Colonial Morality Still Polices African Fashion Akamba Warrior (Kenya): Image No. 10768. Courtesy of Penn Museum Archives. Before colonial rule, most communities wore practical, hand-made garments: woven cotton wrappers in West Africa; smocks and robes for traders and farmers; leather and beadwork in parts of the Sahel and southern Africa; wool and barkcloth where […]
The Milaya Project: Embroidering Resilience in Uganda’s Largest Refugee Settlement
When Swedish/German photojournalist Nora Lorek first set foot in Bidibidi, northern Uganda—one of the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to over 250,000 South Sudanese—she did not expect to discover a textile tradition that would transform her work. It was 2017, and she had come to document Uganda’s refugee response, curious to understand how a functioning […]
Hair Culture in West Africa: A Historical and Modern Perspective
Editor’s Note: This feature is part of Guzangs’ ongoing exploration of African hair traditions, tracing their evolution from spiritual practice to global artistry. This installment focuses on West Africa, following Part I, which explored North African hair traditions. Hair in West African cities like Lagos, Accra, Dakar, and Lomé has long been a profound symbol […]
Homegrown to High Fashion: African Musicians’ Style Journey and Cultural Pride
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Burna Boy (@burnaboygram) Burna Boy in Ozwald Boateng at The Met Gala 2025 African musicians have long used fashion to reflect their cultural roots and global ambitions. In the early 2000s, as genres like Afrobeats gained momentum, artists championed local designers, wearing traditional fabrics […]
Ananse Center for Design Opens in Lagos: A New Integrated Hub for African Creatives
For years, Nigeria’s creative industry has dazzled the world with talent and imagination, yet struggled to translate that brilliance into sustainable business growth. From fashion to furniture, countless designers and innovators have been constrained by inadequate infrastructure, limited access to global markets, and deep dependence on imported materials. The result: a sector overflowing with ideas […]
Anthony Azekwoh is The Nigerian Artist Building His Own Cinematic Universe
When Anthony Azekwoh began drawing, he could hardly imagine how far that impulse would carry him. His trajectory—from writer to digital painter to sculptor and curator—speaks to a restless creativity and a conviction that has positioned him as one of the continent’s most successful digital artists. Born in Lagos, Anthony describes his childhood as formative. […]
Not Every Lot Sells: What Bonhams’ African Art Auction Really Reveals
When Bonhams launched the auction for Modern & Contemporary African Art in London, it added yet another chapter to the evolving story of how African and diaspora art is being valued and revalued on the global stage. Now scheduled for 8 October 2025, it will arrive with all the usual signals of a market-watching moment: […]
Africa Fashion Arrives in Montreal: A Global Conversation Continues
Walking into Africa Fashion in Montreal feels like arriving at the latest stop in a global conversation — one that began in London, traveled through Brooklyn, staged in Melbourne, and now lands here to shed new light on diasporic and local voices. Originally mounted at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from July 2, […]
Woven Histories: Hair in North Africa
Hair across Africa has never been a mere accessory. It has long functioned as a living archive, carrying messages of lineage, spirituality, and social status. In every braid and parting, identity is inscribed. Today, conversations around African hair have widened beyond what past generations could have imagined. On Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, hairstylists, cultural historians, […]