The Cultural Ledger
Series on how people live, talk and behave now.
SERIES // CULTURE
Say It Like You Mean It
Slang, phrases, memes and evolving language. Where a phrase came from, who uses it, what it signals and how it travels across borders.
Photo by Angelo Moleele on Unsplash
SERIES // CULTURE
The Group Chat
Friendship, gossip, dating, family politics, work, money, memes and collective decision-making.
Photo by Jim Nyamao on Unsplash
SERIES // CULTURE
Why Are We All Doing This?
Decoding sudden cultural phenomena. Why is everyone suddenly obsessed with a food (magwinya), a phrase, an app, a venue or a ritual?
Photo by alex on Unsplash
SERIES // CULTURE
Culture in Translation
How ideas mutate between African countries, diasporas, languages and generations. A dance becomes a meme; a local expression becomes global slang.
Photo by Andra C Taylor Jr on Unsplash
SERIES // CULTURE
Cultural Cartography
City-by-city creative scene guides: Joburg, Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Dakar.
Photo by Antoine Plüss on Unsplash
SERIES // CULTURE
Chronically Online
Internet culture through an African lens: memes, niche communities, TikTok behaviour, online identities, digital celebrities and viral controversies.
Photo by Olivier Bergeron on UnsplashThe Politics of Beautiful Things
Heritage
We gather the cultural modernities, ancient systems, and artistic rebellions that shape the African continent. This digital ledger archives our collective memory, questioning who controls the narrative of where we come from.
Seven ways in
Traditions & Objects
Unpacking regional histories through the preservation, study, and reclamation of sacred tactile archives.
Family Knowledge
Gathering oral histories, matriarchal memories, and domestic practices passed between generations.
Modern Rituals
Tracking how classic practices, spiritual codes, and ceremonies thrive in contemporary metropolitan environments.
Languages & Crafts
Preserving writing systems, local design methodologies, and physical skills of regional artisans.
Cultural Memory
Analyzing the physical urban spaces, architecture, and geography that document our political struggle.
Modernisation
Reconciling historical agrarian lifestyles and ancestral roots with fast-paced industrial development.
Ownership
Ownership, appropriation, repatriation, commercialisation and who gets to define African heritage.
Photo by Julia Kadel on Unsplash.Add to the story
The Heritage column is taking shape, and we're accepting story pitches and contributions.
More on the way...
CURATED ARCHIVE
LATEST STORIES
Deep dives into contemporary art, high fashion, and sonic culture shaping the modern continent.
FASHION & IDENTITY
The Future of African Fashion
How contemporary designers are weaving pre-colonial textiles into boundary-pushing silhouettes.
READ ARTICLE
MUSIC & SOUND
Sonic Landscapes
Mapping the underground music hubs that are transforming synthesized sound worldwide.
READ ARTICLE
ART & DIALOGUE
New Narratives
Inside the studios of visual storytellers reprinting histories through mixed-media canvases.
READ ARTICLEThe Politics of Beautiful Things
Read more →
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