Tea Time
Where are all the East African artists? Tea Time isn’t meant to be educational but rather showcasing an under valued region of art. Not geographically limited to the borders of East Africa but expanding and encompassing its diaspora. This origin point is recently under spotlight particularly in the media with the following terms, “war-ravaged,” “poor,” “criminals,” “garbage,” and “terrorists” coming from our current administration. Rather than framing opinions of a certain region through a eurocentric framework, Tea Time encourages instead to directly seek out sources and consume media outside of the western lens. Tea Time exists as an environment typically seen in traditionalistic East African households, simulating the tranquility of everyday life while consuming East African media both in its historical and contemporary states. This isn’t meant to produce a monolithic image of the East African experience, instead it is to provide a glimpse of the diversity and beauty of East African culture and art.
Bio
Sam Yusuf is a graphic designer currently attending the Maine College of Art and Design. Their work is mainly digital and print with themes exploring the Black identity, their Somali descent, immigration, activism, gender, and language. Their work has been exhibited in the Maine College of Art & Design BFA exhibition and they’ve even worked on a special project for the Portland Museum of Art, redesigning their brand to fit their expansion project. At the moment, they’re working on their thesis exhibition which focuses on reframing the current view of East African through culture and art.
