Madaraja | 2023
This zine gives eight people from Tanzania a voice to speak for themselves about their country and show their views on politics, the environment and society. Accompanied by photographs taken during a project trip and illustrations by Tanzanian artists, the stories, wisdom, worries and dreams take us through the different phases of the individuals’ lives and provide an insight into Tanzanian life. Although these experiences do not represent the reality of life for the entire population of Tanzania, they reflect the unifying passion of the storytellers for positive change in the world.

What all people in the world have in common is their development as a human being from birth to old age, which is why the chapters are based on the individual developmental stages of a human life. It starts with childhood (‘Utotoni’) with fond memories, influences, medical problems and fairy tales. This is followed by adolescence (‘Vijana’) with topics such as mental health, experiences from adolescence and themes of growing up that occupy young people. Adulthood (‘Mtu mzima’) deals with becoming a mother, the challenges and joys of being a mother, as well as more serious issues and problems such as climate change and its impact on Tanzania. In the final chapter, the Old Age (‘Mzee’), there are stories about grandparents and elderly and a hopeful outlook with dreams and wishes for the future. A special focus is placed on women’s issues in order to strengthen their presence and representation.

There are many white spaces and large images throughout the design in order to give the stories space to take effect and to be able to delve deeper with the images. In addition, the images and texts correspond with each other, so that bridges are also created here in terms of design. By emphasising quotes, words of wisdom, handwritten messages and interspersed pages within the chapters in which the eight people are introduced, different narrative levels are opened up within the booklet.
For the complete version of the zine, please contact me.


