Everything Is Sampled: Digital and Print Mediations in African Arts and Letters

Everything Is Sampled explores how African artistic forms have shifted since the 1980s, focusing on digital culture as the most current setting. It addresses two main questions: how representational impulses in African arts and letters have fared compared to digital cultures, and how a long view of these artistic forms across media and settings can affect our understanding of art, text, and authorship. The book offers an innovative approach to appreciating the work of African writers, directors, and artists by examining five modes of creative practice: curation, composition, adaptation, platform, and remix.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 392 pages
Publication date: 02 May 2023
Publisher: Indiana University Press

Everything Is Sampled delves into the ever-evolving dynamics of African artistic production and circulation, with a particular emphasis on the role of digital culture in shaping these transformations. Drawing from a wide range of artistic mediums, including cinema, literature, music, and visual art, Akin Adekan explores two central questions. Firstly, he examines how the representational impulses in African arts and letters have fared in comparison to those prevalent in digitally-driven cultures. Secondly, he investigates the impact of a long-term perspective on these artistic forms across different media and contexts on our understanding of what constitutes art, literature, and authorship.

In the digital age, African artists are acutely aware of the media-saturated environment in which they operate, and they actively engage with it by making ethical choices that shape these circumstances. Everything Is Sampled offers a groundbreaking approach to appreciating the work of numerous African writers, directors, and artists by examining five modes of creative practice: curation, composition, adaptation, platform, and remix. These artists no longer merely serve as intermediaries in the transmission of a work but rather actively view and reconfigure their creations through diverse modes of creative practice.

Through its innovative development and analysis of these modes, Everything Is Sampled provides a rich and nuanced understanding of African artistic production. It challenges traditional notions of art and literature and encourages us to reevaluate our assumptions about authorship and creativity. By exploring the interplay between different media and artistic practices, Everything Is Sampled offers a fresh perspective on the enduring legacy of African art and its potential for continued growth and innovation in the digital age.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253065667