LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

We're excited to present Black Creatives Aotearoa’s (BCA) first printed zine, a collection of Black literature and artwork that highlights our diverse and nuanced interpretations. Inspired by our community's creativity, we aimed to explore and promote a deeper understanding of the Black experience with an eye to the future.

The ‘Black to the Future’ theme supports our freedom of expression, and encompasses a variety of personal experiences and reflections. Curating this zine, we focused on highlighting our diversity, while respecting a collective creative vision. Our contributors each have their own personal perspectives on Blackness

Each piece intersects and diverges along themes of identity, time, the environment, and Black Joy. These universal themes can strengthen links and create empowering spaces within our communities. We hope the content draws readers in and inspires them to create their own work Understanding Black experiences in new ways and contexts matters more now than ever.

Aotearoa's connection to the land and nature stems from its Mana Whenua and Te Ao Māori Recognizing the intricate relationship between Blackness and indigeneity is essential to understanding what it means to be Black in Aotearoa. Our contributors explored their connection to themselves, the land, and time in inspiring ways We hope the zine will resonate with future generations helping us envision a better future where Black lives genuinely matter.

Our art moves us beyond our pain and trauma towards love, laughter, and joy. As a collective, we extend our gratitude to all creatives for their courage, vulnerability, and willingness to share their unique expressions of Blackness.

We received the stewardship of these pieces with honor and empathy and hold our contributors close to our hearts and minds. We're grateful for BCA, Ellen Melville Centre, and Auckland CBD Library for supporting this initiative Thank you to all our funders, you make community endeavors like this possible.

We hope you enjoy our voices, visuals and stories as much as we enjoyed bringing them together.

Fathom

by Nancy Howie

2 3 - 4 5 6 7 8 - 9 10 - 11

My Daughter’s Skin

by Jane Benny Kelly

A Missionary Falls in Love with a Coloniser by

Takunda Muzondiwa

Itsy Bitsy Spider

by Mwangileni Kampanga

Un-named, 2023

by Bareeka Vrede

the consciousness of a black woman by

DK Verrian

Citrus Women

by Grace Bentley-Tsibuah

Indelible Impression

by Acacia Cochise

18 - 19 20 - 21 22 23

Isis by

Mary Adeosun

A New Dawn-Reflections on the Zombie War by

Edward Ennion-Dickison

Black Imagined Future

by Daisy Remington

Africa and Environmental Ethics by

Justin Sobion

Q Letter to Us by

Phodiso Dintwe

Fade to Black. A Barbershop Story by Ladi Ajayi

Black Joy by Diana

Simumpande

Founders Statement and Thank You's

Black Creatives Aotearoa

To find out more about the contributors and other BCA initiatives, visit blackcreativesaotearoacom