Abena (23) is a London-based photographer and filmmaker. Her series From The Maghreb reimagines the presence of North African Romans in this country in an attempt to highlight Africa’s connections to English history. Her work features a series of portraits presented alongside landscapes that capture the environment surrounding Hadrian’s Wall as if through the eyes of a North African Roman.
“Inspired by the history presented in Peter Fryer’s Staying Power and the words of writers and poets including James Berry and Édouard Glissant, whose work explores themes of identity and migration, the project reimagines the presence of North African Romans in this country in an attempt to give voice to the African contribution to English history.”
“From The Maghreb is a series of portraits presented alongside landscapes that try to capture the environment surrounding Hadrian’s Wall through the eyes of a North African Roman, connecting with elements within their newfound landscape that invoke memories of home – a search for common ground.”
“On the whole, the work seeks to explore feelings of belonging and identity, through referencing and combining elements of both North African and Roman cultures and forming a dialogue between them – an idea that transcends time and place and is even more relatable and relevant in the multicultural society we live in today.”
