A Creative & Critical gaze of US!
“The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed...
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Our Story
Founded in 2025 as an initiative under Saro Media, Saro Magazine is meant to serve as a platform for black people on the continent and in the diaspora to engage in creative expression that is unfiltered through a western gaze and is also mindful of colonial history and neo-colonial narratives.
At the core of Saro magazine is the idea of interrogation!
The magazine offers a local gaze at the idea of Africa. At its root is the impetus for collective interrogation around what Africanness means. The magazine is situated at the intersection of culture, history, and collective identity – a space that is changing and contested.
Cognizant of this, Saro Magazine aims to understand “Africanness” through a creative and critical gaze, outside of the western narratives of the continent while also drawing on current trends in African creative expression, the untapped cultural capital on the continent, the plethora and diversity of lived experiences encompassing blackness, and Africanisms in the Diaspora to showcase the variety of ideas and understanding of contemporary Africa with the following goals:
Reimagining Africa’s future and exploring ways for liberation through Afrofuturism and black humanistic agency;
Complementing contemporary economic and political movements for black emancipation in order nurture and further black self-determination;
Excavating and reclaiming an innate shared heritage among black people across the world;
And centering blackness in understanding of cultural epistemological underpinnings and evolving nature of Africanness.
Our origin story is one grounded in social justice and black liberation, and our vision is of a world where black people are simply free.
Submission Guidelines
Saro Magazine accepts simultaneous submissions. Currently we only accept electronic submissions through Submittable.
Generally, all work is published as is. On occasion we work with submitters – around formatting/grammar (if necessary) to revise and publish work that is of the best quality without compromising the intent and core of the submitter’s work.
Additionally we provide feedback to authors for work under consideration – only as needed and if requested.
Submissions should include a short author bio and a headshot of the author.
We accept the following formats for works: .doc, .docx, or .pdf file format. Images may be submitted in .jpg, .tiff, .gif, or .png.
Use 12pt. and desired font style
Currently, Saro Magazine does not compensate authors for submissions. We believe the reward is the opportunity to showcase your work on our platform while also contributing to social justice work and black liberation.
Poetry and Prose Submissions:
We accept poetry/non-fiction and fiction prose in any format and authors can submit as many works as they want. For format guidelines, please refer to general guidelines.
Photography and artwork submissions:
There are no restrictions for artwork and photography submissions. We do not accept work that has nudity but can work with the submitter to find a work around in a way that aligns with our guidelines and core values, and does not compromise the integrity and intent of the submitter’s work.
We accept as many high-resolution (300 dpi) images for submission.
Caption information for submitted images (Title. Materials. Size. Courtesy (if any). Copyright year, artist name.)
A short bio (150 words or less) in docx format and headshot of submitter
Contact info, including name and email. We will reach out to you should your work be under consideration or if it is accepted to discuss nature of presentation and publication on our site.
We continuously seek new work from both published and burgeoning artists/writers from the continent and the diaspora. Generally, we look for work that is centered around interrogation of Africanness; challenges historical and contemporary narratives around what it means to be African; celebrates Africanness; and seeks to spark discussions/conversations around these ideas. We look forward to your work!