W’ahu magazine, issue 1

From Mag Culture’s website:

Born of the Ghanaian capital Accra, W’ahu exists for both those living and loving in Ghana, as well as international readers to which it offers a snapshot of the ‘unwavering creativity’ coming out of the nation’s ‘glamorous and resilient group.’ Of course, this phrasing was not chosen lightly; it’s a true and necessary placeholder ‘for the sake of keeping everyone out of trouble’. As W’ahu’s editors explain:

‘Even within Ghanaian society today, there are many groups who express themselves authentically that are not truly seen for who they are, and are discriminated against as a result. … What we’re interested in is how the community views themselves through their own eyes when given a platform to do so. What do they want to say—and how do they want to be seen? […]

Physically then, the magazine is slim with a bold blue cover hidden by a second, thin cardboard cover with an eye-shaped cut-out revealing only the title logo, a nod to the the rough translation of the Akan-language phrase w’ahu: ‘Have you seen?’ The rich blue of the cover runs like a vein throughout the magazine’s matt pages, with glossy paper reserved for its vibrant visuals composed of photography, collage, illustration, and photo essays.

Inside this first issue, you’ll find a fashion shoot between friends in the cliff-top village of Akuma; surreal and disembodied collage as a means of ‘pushing back against traditional representations of black femininity’ by Efia Serwah; an exploration of pre-colonial language and its relationship to identity; conversations with queer Ghanaian elders; and submissions from the local community on love, sex, and identity. […]

In short, W’ahu is a particularly important addition to our growing collection of queer magazines and one that will leave you with just a taste of what Ghana’s queer community has to offer.

The main fonts used for the magazine are Anybody and PoW Savon. The W’ahu logo is custom lettering.