When I am photographing my surroundings, I see a colonized landscape impossible to ignore. Capitalism and Imperialism have left their mark on every corner of society around the globe. In Egypt, it manifests itself through Coca-Cola and Pepsi advertisements that decorate every corner store. A ‘kosk’ (kiosk) is a makeshift storefront that sells snacks, drinks, cigarettes, and more, located all around Cairo and the rest of Egypt. Brilliant red and blue soda advertisements have become the signals and aesthetics of all kosks. By photographing and compiling information on these Kosks, I am calling attention to the fact that their existence is not accidental. Each Coca-Cola sign and Pepsi refrigerator is given to shop owners for free, intentionally creating an extreme presence of advertisement. “Coca-colonization” refers to the spread of American consumerist culture as a tool to maintain imperial power, cultural dominance, and economic control in the global south. This photo project, a blend of street and documentary photography, is an investigation into American imperialism’s effect on Egypt’s landscape through documenting the consumerist advertisements and the culture that is created around them. Some shopkeepers, aware of this, use red paint and cardboard to cover the logos, also in response to popular boycotts that resist against consumerist control. 

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