Now a feature of contemporary life world-wide, digital technology is intimately linked with the future of humanity. In Alun Be’s Edification series, he imagines a world perceived exclusively through screens and articulated from an African perspective. Examining technology’s profound impact on society, particularly for youth, Edification depicts pivotal moments of one’s life in the struggle to reach individual potential while balancing what is collective, taught, and inherited—experiences we all have despite gender, geography, or cultural background. Arranged chronologically, each image features a young protagonist wearing virtual reality goggles while engaging with visualizations of traditions specific to an African experience, yet recognizable to us all: the importance of play, elders and wisdom, the spirituality of place, the intentional communities we build through friendship, absolution. The nine themes crescendo through these moments, crystallizing narratives of personhood and respect for a past that will inform our place in the future. Be is here opening up a narrative about the impact of technology on society and cultural heritage, and how it mediates—and probably distorts—our reality. Our future is indeed in the hands of the youth and these young faces are increasingly more and more tied to media and technology. This sentiment is both hopeful about the promise of technological advances, while cautionary about its potential devastating effects. - Amanda M. Maples, Ph.D 

This artist is part of the AFRIKIKK partnership between Belgium and Senegal (with KIKK Festival, Kër Thiossane and the curator Delphine Buysse) thanks to the support of Wallonie-Bruxelles International - Bureau International de la Jeunesse & Africalia