South African artist Zayaan Khan will present the installation “The Pan-African Cemetery” during the 9th edition of Maputo Fast Forward (MFF), taking place from 23 October to 1 November in Maputo.

The work is part of this year’s biennale programme, under the theme “Artificial Realities: The Infinite Mirror”, and proposes a reflection on Pan-Africanism, memory and the borders that continue to shape the continent.

In the installation, Khan imagines a cemetery where African leaders, thinkers, artists, activists and freedom fighters are brought together. The space is constructed using food items such as puff pastry, butter biscuits, crushed cookies, herbs, flowers, fruits and seeds. The gravestones take the form of edible monuments, while the pathways are made of crumbs.

According to the artist’s concept, food also becomes a way of thinking about memory, migration, land, labour and belonging. Mirrored surfaces expand the landscape and reflect visitors, incorporating them into the installation’s space.

The work begins with a question about the current state of Pan-Africanism in a context marked by xenophobia and Afrophobia. At the same time, it questions what has happened to the ideals of freedom, self-determination and solidarity among African peoples defended by generations of independence fighters.