African topographies in India: (in)visible heritages, African prints and contemporary art across the Indian Ocean

Abstract

The Indian Ocean is recognized as a space of circulations and interactions. If Asian communities are well known for having settled in East and Southern African coasts for centuries, African circulations are equally significant for the cultural landscapes across the Indian Ocean. This essay discusses an ongoing research that aims to understand the contemporary presence of Africa in India interrelating three main locations: the (in)visible presence of plural Afro-Indian communities, the production of African print textiles by Indian companies and contemporary art projects that critically engage with African migrants in Indian metropolis. Intending to associate fields of research that are apparently disconnected, this research establishes dialogues between legacies of the past with contemporary Afro-Asian connections.