Afro Futurism with Jacque Njeri

piece by Jacque Njeri

Africa has always had image issues. The rest of the world doesn't really know what to expect when going to Africa but Africans know Africa. When asked about the misrepresentation experienced in Africa Lupita Nyong’o said “We come from a continent of great wealth but it’s also a continent that has been assaulted, abused and exploited in many ways. What colonialism did was change our narrative, and now our global narrative is one of strife & poverty and the wealth of the continent is very seldom seen on a global scale.”and Africans are beginning to wake up to the fact that no one will change the narrative for us, we have to do it ourselves. But who does this task fall to? Well, a narrative is a story, therefore, this responsibility falls on storytellers. The writers, poets, artists and musicians are the ones to carry this responsibility. They are the voice of one generation that simultaneously lights the way for the next.

Because of the ability to re-tell the African story we have seen some progress into Science with countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Egypt launching their own advanced Space and research programmes.

Afro-futurism is one of the ways in which we tell a different story about Africa. It focuses on expressing authentically African themes with a hyper-futuristic concept.

Jacque Njeri is an avid afro-futuristic Digital Artist based in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work is reminiscent of the surrealist Salvador Dali. She depicts a future where the Maasai warrior touches the stars.

In a one on one Interview she opens up about her journey so far, creativity and so much more.

Jacque Njeri

Who is Jacque Njeri?

That’s one of the toughest questionsto answer. Amm, I’m an artist, a lover

of music, a lover of human beings. I am so curious about people and social connections. I’m the last born, but coz of the very wide age gap, I grew up almost as an only child.

How does one become a Graphic artist?

For me it started pretty early. I remember in primary school I’m the one who’d be given the to ask of drawing maps or like the digestive system. I began to notice that I’ma very visual person. I loved thenewspapers and magazines morefor the images than the stories. I alsoloved interesting, provocative andunconventional advertisements.

I remember stumbling onto my brother's art books and from there, there was no stopping me. I pursued art in high school and decided to study art and Design at theUniversity of Nairobi.

To be honest I never thought I'd end up doing this. But in retrospect, everything sort of pieces together and all these random things seem to come together to make sure I ended up where I am.

Why graphic design of all the arts?

After I graduated from University, I did graphic design and went into advertising. I had always really loved creative adverts and for a moment I thought that was what I wanted to do.

Art requires someone to be comfortable with Vulnerability. How do you approach that?

It takes a lot for an artist to actually put their work out there. It’s serious to the point that it can even be crippling. Personally its tough as well. But I constantly remind myself of this quote ‘for a photographer, the first 10,000 photographs you take will be the worst of your career’ and try to apply it in my field. The more I do the better I’m gonna get. I’m always moving onto the next project and making sure that I’m consistently growing.

I’m also very unashamed about criticism. I’ve developed a thick skin because I grew up in an environment where I saw criticism used constructively. My Father used it to motivate me. The team of creatives that I work with also won’t spare me the truth.

Have you had any obstacles so far?

Yes. But in some ways, the challenges I’ve faced pushed me towards art. I grew up very sheltered, as most last-born children do, and so the transition to high school was a bit harder than I expected. Boarding

school is always challenging at first and I gravitated towards art. I’d draw and spend time in the art class because it felt familiar.

After graduating and finally finding a job I had a hard time balancing my job and my art. I was under contract and I didn’t have the creative freedom that I craved so much. This was challenging because the art I wanted to create was a priority for me. And On the occasion when I had an exhibition I’d be bound by contract and the mandatory number of days that I had to be in the office.

I also feel like Creatives in Kenya lack a body that can represent us and help us navigate business. We need to have talent managers who understand how to manage to motivate us. I personally feel like I’d be able to get a lot more done if I had some help with talent management. There needs to be a whole support structure around art and intellectual property. Some changes have to be made to the policy because this is what puts food on the table for a lot of creatives.

piece by Jacque Njeri

In the event of creative block how do you stay committed and inspired?

Someone once described me as an all or nothing kind of person and I thought that was accurate. When the creative juices aren’t flowing, I take time off and just try something else for a while. I also draw from other arts, As I said before, I’m very visual. So music videos from artists like Kamau, Anderson Paak and Benjamin Clementine really move me.

But further still from external sources of inspiration, there’s also an internal drive. I’m constantly thinking or asking myself ‘how we get more women into this creative space’. And now that I’m here what could I do to be an example.

Let’s talk about the use of substances to heighten creativity.

Interesting! There are some creatives who do, but personally, I am so afraid of drugs. A lot of people imply that I must’ve been on something to create the content that I do, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I started on the Maasai project on a Wednesday morning when I was particularly bored and thought that the concept would be really cool to do.

I think that creativity comes from the artist and that I have the ability to challenge myself and Imagine.

I’d ask fellow creatives to challenge themselves as well.

Is what you do sustainable?

When handled correctly, yes! Again, there needs to be a better support structure around art in Kenya and Africa. I’ve seen people make a living off of art and go to the point where they could purchase a beachfront house.

However, just off of self-drive, I’ve been able to sell a collection for a fair pay-off.

How much?

Haha. In the range of hundreds of thousands. That’s all I’ll say.

What’s the end game for an artist?

It depends on the artist and his unique path. Some people die artists others go back to formal employment. While others stay in the art scene as curators and gallery owners. However personally, once I’ve explored art to the fullness of my potential and learnt a lot, then I’d want to teach art and help mould the next generation of artists.

I was those serious kids when it came to my studies. I actually wanted to be an Engineer professionally, but things didn't go as planned. And I found myself in entertainment while studying Economics and statistics. Life is just funny that way sometimes.

piece by Jacque Njeri