Làk-kat

Overview

The racial politics of colonialism has left the Wolof people of Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania with many terms to describe the variations between white and black, while the names of many other colours are French loan words.

In Làk-kat, three Senegalese boys are taught words in the Wolof language that relate to lightness and darkness. The video exists in British, American and French versions. Anri Sala created the subtitles for each with people who are not professional translators: cultural theorist Stuart Hall in the UK; post colonial theorist Homi Bhabha in the US; and poet Nimrod in France.

The subtitles thus reflect each individual’s specific, linguistic relationship to race. The title refers to one whose native tongue is different from the language of the place where he is.


2013

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 11