Enslaved by Debt: An Artistic Exploration of Africa’s Colonial Legacy

This thesis examines how Hassan Aliyu’s art, coupled with insights from his career in investment banking, offers a unique perspective on Africa's potential shift towards anarchy and systemic breakdown. It investigates the continent's path, shaped by the enduring effects of enslavement, European imperialism, and capitalist influences. The study employs Aliyu’s art to document and reflect upon the saga of the European slave trade and its ongoing impact. It focuses particularly on the neo-colonial role in capitalism, leading to escalating national debt within African countries, resulting in weakened governmental apparatus, mass migration and rising ethnic violence. These factors may collectively escalate strife and precipitate a potential descent into a dystopian state.

Aliyu’s artistic practice critiques these issues by integrating his position within global finance with his creative pursuits and lived experience of recurring violence. It employs his art not just as a form of expression but as a critical tool to dissect and understand Africa’s layered history and present condition, aiming to foster meaningful discourse on the continent's developmental trajectory and the quest for social justice.