A little about us!
Saro Magazine is a Black-led digital publication and social enterprise dedicated to amplifying Black artists, creatives, and writers across the Diaspora and the African continent.
We exist to address the lack of visibility, access, and sustainable income opportunities for Black creatives. Through storytelling, commerce, and funding, we support artistic expression while building pathways to long-term financial independence. Rooted in a For Us, By Us (FUBU) ethos, Saro Magazine increases access, visibility, and income opportunities for Black artists and writers across the Diaspora and the African continent.
Our Offerings:
Saro Magazine: A free, seasonal online publication providing broad exposure for Black writers and artists.
Merkato Marketplace: A revenue-generating, ethical, marketplace for Black artisans using a Buy-One-Give-One–inspired model that reinvests proceeds into artist sustainability and organizational programming.
Black Creatives Fellowship: A funded fellowship supporting emerging Black artists, primarily financed through marketplace revenue.
Together, these pillars create a circular ecosystem where visibility generates income, and income funds future talent. While we operate at the intersection of art, social justice, and economic liberation, we are driven by the belief that Black creativity deserves visibility, value, and sustainability.
Our Values: Black Liberation, Social Justice, and Black Creative Expression
We approach social justice through the lens of Black liberation, defined in part by economic independence and creative autonomy. Our integrated model combines new media/art, commerce, and funding to support both emerging and established creatives.
Our Goals:
(1) strengthen creative ecosystems,
(2) support sustainable income for Black artists
(3) And invest in and support the next generation of Black creative talent.
Our Vision:
A self-sustaining, global ecosystem where Black creativity is valued, compensated, and leveraged as a tool for cultural and economic liberation.
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 are the ideas of excavation, interrogation, and re-imagination of collective memory and experiences!
The magazine offers a local gaze at the idea of Africa and Diaspora. At its root is the impetus for collective interrogation around what Blackness 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 “Blackness” through a creative and critical gaze, outside of the western narratives of the continent and the Diaspora 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 but above all, our vision is of a world where black people are simply free to be and express themselves in a way that is reflective of their lived experiences while also allowing for liberation, which we see as encompassing but not limited to the following goals:
Nurtures knowledge of Self;
Centers blackness;
Supports Spiritual and Pyschological Freedom;
Fosters collective awareness;
And most importantly, utilizes joy - through artistic expression - as resistance.
Submission Guidelines
Saro Magazine accepts simultaneous submissions. Currently we only accept electronic submissions through our online form.
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.
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 Blackness; challenges historical and contemporary narratives around what it means to be Black; celebrates Blackness; and seeks to spark discussions/conversations around these ideas.
We look forward to receiving and reviewing your submissions!
Ready to submit? Please click here and we will get back to you shortly.