Whoosh! gone to the printer like a boîte de Banania!

The April issue of the Republic has gone to the printer and the PDF edition has gone to the various subscribers who get it that way. Whew. Hard-copy subscriptions to go out this weekend, probably. Here's the cover, in the meantime, for those of you who like a sneak peek:

The cover photo was taken by Leah M. Hill, of some assemblage/found art on her sister Hannah's house. I love that Banania drink poster. Cheerful, unadulterated pop racist culture in a handy, well-designed and branded package…French, colonialist identification of Senegalese blacks, with an evident parallel in Aunt Jemima and maple syrup. Alain Mabancko, novelist and poet, has an interesting entry about it on his (old) blog (in French, note) with 55 comments. The drink is made from cocoa, banana flour, sugar, grain, and honey, and mixed with milk. The French Wikipedia entry on it has more extensive history and commentary, with some great links to art, games, and the company site.

The placement of the poster within the various empty frames makes this a rather interesting piece. Great social commentary...