Culture

Afro-futurist artist shows striking comparisons between Africans and African Americans [PHOTOS]

Jessi Jumanji, aka Jessica Lofton, is a visual artist, graphic designer, and photographer who specializes in Afrofuturistic collages. As she aptly describes herself on social media, she is “YourFavArtistsFavArtist”, visionary, ancestral artist, and cultural curator.

Jumanji’s work combines pop culture iconography with tribal African people and designs, drawing connections between black heritage, world history, and the metaphysical.

Her recent throwback is no less important – connecting African American cultural icons to their, by and large, ancestral counterparts. In a number of stunning collages, we sell the striking resemblance between Africans and African Americans both physically and aesthetically.

At a time when the relations between Africans and African Americans seem to be constantly mended then strained, Jumanji’s work is yet another powerful reminder that the lasting truth is that we are one people.

1935 vs. 2013 Arkansas sharecropper vs. Wesley Snipes

 

1961 vs 1916 Stokely Carmichael vs Cameroonian Warrior

 

1896 vs. 2015Pygmy woman vs. actor John Boyega

 

1925 vs. 2013 Rwanda native vs Kevin Garnett

 

1904 vs 2014 Senegalese man vs actor Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out/Black Panther)

 

1927 vs. 2017 Madagascar Woman of Bara tribe vs. rapper, Lil Yachty

 

1889 vs 2016 Somalia Native vs Rapper Asap Rocky

 

1911 vs 2011 Congo Native vs basketball star Metta World Peace

 

1869 vs 2018 Afro-Brazilian woman vs actor/comedian Tracy Morgan

 

1889 vs 1981 Dakar, Senegal Native vs Rick James

 

1907 vs 2017 Andassa boy of French Congo vs Kodak Black

 

1884 vs 2000 Afro-Brazilian woman of Bahia vs Maya Angelou

 

1917 vs 2017 Tutsi tribesman of Rwanda vs Rapper Nipsey Hussle

 

1945 vs. 2013 “Straight Outta Georgia” Gangsta Granny vs. Gucci Mane

 

1916 vs. 2016 Annie Turnbo Malone vs. Former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama

 

1869 vs 2017 Afro-Brazilian man vs. actor, rapper Lakeith Stanfield

 

1900 vs 2000 Uganda Native vs actor Wood Harris

 

1869 vs 2016 Afro-Brazlian woman of Bahia vs singer Alicia Keys

 

1908 vs 2008 Uganda Native vs. Comedian Eddie Griffin

 

1903 vs. 2015 Algerian Kabyle woman vs actress Kyla Pratt

 

1935 vs 2017 Somalia native vs rapper Lil Uzivert

 

1955 vs 2015 Congo Prime Minister Patrice Lamumba (1925-61) vs Mike Epps

 

1930 vs 2017 Congo Native vs. rapper Fettywap

Bridget Boakye

Bridget Boakye is a writer, activist, and entrepreneur based in Accra, Ghana. Raised in both Ghana and the U.S., she is particularly interested in issues that draw on the experiences, insights, and values from both Africa and the African Diaspora. She is currently an Amplify Africa Fellow and member of the Global Shapers Accra Hub. You can find her on Instagram at @boakyeb

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