Tropikos

UK, 2016. Director John Akomfrah. 36min.

Set against the waterways of South West England and the coasts of Africa, Tropikos presents a haunting reimagination of 16th-century encounters between British and African peoples during the dawn of the transatlantic slave trade. This was an era during which Britain’s rise as a global seafaring power caused the displacement and enslavement of millions of African people. Through meticulously crafted tableaux and luxurious Renaissance costumes contrasted with the coarse, utilitarian garments of enslaved Africans, Akomfrah interrogates how fashion served as both a marker of status and a tool of dehumanisation.  

Past screenings:

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – London
Thursday 22 May 2025, 19:00 | Barbican, Cinema 2
Presented as a part of the programme ‘Colonial Threads’.