They captured the Shilluk warrior for a museum. I recreated him for our heritage.
Generative AI image of a Shilluk warrior — part of a powerful people who controlled vast stretches of the White Nile in the 19th century.
I searched for the Shilluk warrior in 19th century archival photography.
Black and Whites.
Sepias.
Artist Illustrations.
What I found was blue or hazel eyes behind the lens.
The Shilluk — a preeminent warrior tribe controlling massive stretches of the White Nile. Fierce enough to repel the Mahdist state. Loyal enough to their divine king , the Reth, to refuse Islam entirely.
Reduced to staged photography.
An artefact.
Warriors arranged for an audience. Something to carry across the Atlantic.
To hang on a museum gallery wall.
The African as an object of European curiosity.
The African as an object of European curiosity.
Leila Aboulela understood this before I did.
In River Spirit, Akuany resists a Scottish painter obsessed with her midnight blue skin.
She cannot imagine any of it can be captured.
Some things remain in the soul.
Some memories live in the river.
To place it on canvas was an extraction of heritage.
I wanted to recreate these warriors with authenticity and dignity. I wanted to give him back to himself. To us.
My imagination was fuelled by the faces I already know.
The Shilluk have the same ancestral roots as the Luo - the roots of my nephews. The Sudanese are our neighbours in Kilimani, Kileleshwa, Karen.
There was an ease in creation due to familiarity.
And then there were distinct features. Tribal marks earned at the threshold of adulthood.
Raised bumps across the forehead , identity written permanently into skin.
Transition. Ceremony. Belonging.
🗡️ Silent Assassin or 🇸🇩 Patriot?
She had one weapon and a secret that could change Sudan’s fate. A Shilluk warrior stood in her path. What would you do? Watch the microfilm.
These were faces that I recognised.
The fullness of their lips that I have seen at family gatherings. Their stature of men I have stood beside. Their 4c hair. Shrunken and Stretched. Like my own.
I used what was inherently in my conscience. In my memory. And recreated the Shilluk for the screen.
The Europeans captured the Shilluk for a museum. I recreated him for our heritage.
