African Soldier, Exhibition, IWM, London, 21 September 2018-31 March 2019

The ‘African Soldier’ exhibition at IWM reminds us of the global impact of WW1 and that it was in fact a world war. WW1 begun in 1914 and ended in 1918. During that time millions of African Soldiers assisted victories and laid down their lives. Their presence ranged from colonial campaigns in Africa all the way to the Western Front in Europe. Many of these soldiers died alongside, unknown, unheralded and undocumented transporters.

The IWM seeks to rectify this by remembering the many Africans who participated in WW1 with a multi-screen, innovative and immersive installation by artist John Akomfrah. Akomfrah guides the visitor through the African perspective of this momentous and catastrophic event by combining original footage with an emotive sound score and a new film (shot by the artist himself). By accessing the IWM extensive archive, Akomfrah is able to bring Africa’s untold stories of WW1 to life.

The name John Akomfrah may be familiar due to his other acclaimed videos, such as Purple (2017) and Vertigo Sea (2015), which exhibit a similar multi-layered visual style.

Imperial War Museum London:

IWM London, Lambeth Road, London, SE1 6HZ

Opening Times:

Daily 10.00 – 18.00

Closed 24-26 December