Son[i]a #418
Samia Henni
Samia Henni is a writer, historian, educator, and curator whose work spans the realms of architectural history and colonial studies, and addresses questions of archives. With a sharp focus on colonial histories and their enduring impacts, Henni’s research explores the intersections of space, power, and representation, bringing to light stories that have often been obscured or erased by colonial regimes, state powers, and institutional biases. Her work reveals how these forces have selectively shaped historical narratives, silencing voices of resistance and marginalising experiences that challenge dominant frameworks of authority and control.
In this podcast, Samia Henni offers insights into her wide-ranging curatorial and research projects, which delve into key topics such as the role of archives in reconstructing histories, the desert as a colonial construct, and the ongoing impact of colonial toxicity on landscapes and communities. We talk about nuclear tests in Algeria, about contradictions, war propaganda and traumatic exhibitions, and about the absences in colonial archives.
Sound sources:
Insects sounds around Biskra, Algeria, spring 2014. By Bruno Auzet
Night orthoptera, France, June 2023, By Bruno Auzet
French meadow, Brittany, July 2020, By Bruno Auzet
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