Cover photograph: Borders of road blocks, Ore–Benin expressway · Emeka Okereke · Invisible Borders 2012.

Re-tracing the Path of Stars

Help make the 11th Invisible Borders Trans-African Road Trip possible.

From 23 January to 11 March 2027, twelve artists, writers, filmmakers and researchers are preparing to travel from Marrakech to Lagos over 48 days. Photography, writing and film will be ways of enquiry: into the road, the people encountered along it, and the lives, histories and knowledge that connect us.

Invisible Borders approaches Africa as a living story of journeys. This edition returns to the road as a place of remembering through the body, entering into relation and making work together. The journey is shaped as much by encounters as by destinations.

Nine countries, a shared road

The working route connects Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria. It covers an estimated 7,242 kilometres, from Marrakech through selected locations toward Lagos. The route remains flexible, responding to local conditions and encounters.

The proposed group brings together six core and six modular participants. Along the way, the project makes space for exchange with local artists, communities and hosts through photography, writing, film, screenings, makeshift exhibitions and spontaneous collaboration. Public events will be announced as arrangements are confirmed with hosting organisations.

Help care for the people who make this journey possible.

A journey like this depends on people: the artists who take to the road, and the local hosts and organising partners who help give each encounter its place.

For the Marrakech–Lagos 2027 road trip, we are raising US$65,000 to care for the artists along the way and create the conditions they and our local partners need to sustain the encounters and artistic work that will emerge.

Your contribution will help support travel, accommodation, artists’ welfare and the coordination that holds the journey together. It will also help us prepare encounters with local partners and support the creation and sharing of work along the route.

Care is part of the artistic work. It means having somewhere to rest, the means to move between places, and time and attention for the people we meet. It means recognising the work of those who welcome us and organise alongside us. These practical conditions allow artists and partners to give their energy to the encounters, relationships and work they are creating together.

We invite you to help sustain those conditions. Every contribution supports the shared journey and the people who make it possible.

As a donor, you will also be able to follow the road trip through the web and mobile app we are preparing to launch for this journey. It will offer a way to stay connected to the work you help support.

Give what you can. Help us care for the artists, support our local partners, and sustain what we create together.

Work that continues beyond the journey

The project plans field publishing during the journey, followed by exhibition and publication work. A digital companion is in development. Together, these forms allow the research and encounters of the road to enter a wider conversation.

Support the conditions that make this collective artistic enquiry possible. You can also help by sharing the journey with people who may wish to support it.

Read more about the journey on the Invisible Borders website.

Français

Aidez à prendre soin des personnes qui rendent ce voyage possible.

Un voyage comme celui-ci dépend de personnes : les artistes qui prennent la route, ainsi que les hôtes locaux et les partenaires organisateurs qui contribuent à donner à chaque rencontre sa place.

Pour le voyage par la route Marrakech–Lagos 2027, nous collectons 65 000 $ US pour prendre soin des artistes tout au long du parcours et créer les conditions dont ils ont besoin, ainsi que nos partenaires locaux, pour soutenir dans la durée les rencontres et le travail artistique qui émergeront.

Votre contribution aidera à soutenir les déplacements, l’hébergement, le bien-être des artistes et la coordination qui assure la cohésion du voyage. Elle nous aidera aussi à préparer les rencontres avec les partenaires locaux et à soutenir la création et le partage du travail tout au long du parcours.

Prendre soin fait partie du travail artistique. Cela signifie avoir un endroit où se reposer, les moyens de se déplacer d’un lieu à l’autre, ainsi que du temps et de l’attention pour les personnes que nous rencontrons. Cela signifie reconnaître le travail de celles et ceux qui nous accueillent et organisent à nos côtés. Ces conditions pratiques permettent aux artistes et aux partenaires de consacrer leur énergie aux rencontres, aux relations et au travail qu’ils créent ensemble.

Nous vous invitons à aider à maintenir ces conditions. Chaque contribution soutient le voyage partagé et les personnes qui le rendent possible.

En tant que donatrice ou donateur, vous pourrez également suivre le voyage par la route grâce à l’application web et mobile que nous nous préparons à lancer pour ce voyage. Elle offrira un moyen de rester en lien avec le travail que vous contribuez à soutenir.

Donnez ce que vous pouvez. Aidez-nous à prendre soin des artistes, à soutenir nos partenaires locaux et à soutenir dans la durée ce que nous créons ensemble.

Invisible Borders — Marrakech–Lagos 2027 Road Trip