M & G Soul Food Diner, 125th Street Harlem

PHOTOGRAPHY: Invincible Cities, Camilo Vergara photos of the “unmaking of a ghetto” taken in Harlem from 1970’s to 2007.

ILLUSTRATION: Black Panther: The Revolutionary Art of Emory Douglas

Screenshot from Aperture web site

PHOTOGRAPHY: The Black Panthers: Photographs of Stephen Shames. Great book.

Screenshot of Tillim’s child soldier image series on Michael Stevenson gallery web site

Guy Tillim: Soldiers.

Guy Tillim is one of South Africa’s foremost contemporary photographers. Learning his trade as photojournalist nearly two decades ago, Tillim’s oeuvre has proven to be far more than that of orthodox reportage. His photographs have become increasingly recontextualised as art object within the space of the artbook and gallery.

Source: Artthrob
[via Conscientious, a great contemporary art photography blog which incidentally is doing a series of posts on African photographers. Check it]

Screenshot from Jan-Joseph Stoke’s multimedia photo essay

See also: “War Without End: Congo”

DRC symbolises the promise of Africa as much as it does its desolation. Its soil is full of diamonds, gold, copper, tantalum and uranium. The waters of its river could one day power the continent. Yet because DRC is so rich in resources, its problems, when left to aggravate, tend to suck its neighbours into a current state of abuse and chaos. Fixing Congo is essential to fixing Africa.

Jan-Joseph Stok

PHOTOGRAPHY: WNYC Culture: Streetshots Jamel Shabbazz at work in Central Park.

Screenshot from 21st Century Maroon Colony website
FASHION: 21st Century Maroon Colony Fall/Winter 2007 Collection. Great photography/styling highlighting this streetwear fashion collective repping the “Afro-triangle”. Not sure about pangas as props, though, (too much of a negative connotation to me, given the panga-executed violence in Kenya recently) [via EA collective]

Screenshot of slideshow on website for “Curse of the Black Gold”
PHOTOGRAPHY: New book: Curse of the Black Gold: 50 years of Gold in the Niger Delta [quicktime movie]. Photography and audio commentary on the impact of oil on the land and people of the Niger Delta.

“I just wanted to finish the process which was started. I don’t want to say who I voted for. I just wanted ink on my finger.” –Judith, 65

A fearful day in Zimbabwe. New York Times photo essay of partially obscured portraits of voters in Zimbabwe with statements of why they voted.

Photojournalist Olivier Jobard documented the 6-month epic trek of a 23-year old Cameroonian named Kingsley, who’s “mission” was to make it to Europe to make a better life for himself and his family. Interesting perspective in that Jobard and Kingsley travelled together; Jobard providing the “eyes” to complement Kingsley’s narration. Check out the boat that they used to try to cross the Atlantic and you know how determined (desperate?) Kingsley and his fellow migrants were to reach their destination, or more importantly leave their current hopeless state.

NOUS COEUR OBAMA: Article on the resurrection of black pride and negritude in France in the wake of the rise and rise of Barack Obama.

BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: Provoked by the paucity of black models (and other models of color) on the runways and in the ads of haute couturiers, Italian Vogue has decided to feature only black models in their July issue. From the article:

Under its editor, Franca Sozzani, Italian Vogue has gained a reputation for being more about art and ideas than commerce. Ms. Sozzani also doesn’t mind controversy.

She said that, as an Italian, she has been intrigued by the American presidential race and Mr. Obama, which was one source of inspiration when she and Mr. Meisel began discussing, in February, the idea of an all-black issue. Also, she was aware of the lack of diversity on the runways in recent years and the debate it fueled last fall in New York, where Bethann Hardison, a former model who ran a successful agency, held two panel discussions on the topic.

Slide show of images from article here.

TRAINSPOTTING: spotted this Candace Feit image, especially the black borders with the dual “v” notches on the left frame that indicate they were taken with a Hasselblad medium format FILM camera. Yes, film is not dead yet, digital supremacy notwithstanding.

screenshot from Jim Chuchu’s site
PHOTOGRAPHY: jim chuchu {photography}. Photographer, animator, musician Jim Chuchu’s photography site. [via Ntwiga]

MUSIC: Iwinyo Piny: Just A Band. Music and visuals by aforementioned Jim Chuchu who is also a member of JAB. Band member Dan posts on kenyananimation blog their thinking process in creating the video. He also discusses how JAB had a rough time pitching this video to Kenyan TV stations: one Program Manager responded that they couldn’t air it as it would alienate their viewers since it was 5 years ahead of its time. You know you are doing something right when you get a response like that. [kenyanimation blog link via paula callas].

screenshot of Ian van Coller’s photo essay, “Interior Relations”
PHOTOGRAPHY: Ian van Coller: Interior Relations (portraits of black South African domestic workers taken in the homes of their white employers).

BOOKS: Chinua Achebe and the great African novel: it’s been 50 years since “Things Fall Apart” was published.

FILM: Tropa de Elite (The Elite Squad). High concept: “City of God from the police perspective, but with more brutality and violence and less nuance”. Director Jose Padilha meant to shoot this story as a follow up to his acclaimed documentary “Bus 174″, but chose to fictionalize it based on interviews and a book by 2 ex-BOPE cops. Raises some serious moral questions about how to combat out of control urban crime in townships/favelas/slums that have been criminally ignored by governments. Showed (not so) recently at Tribeca film festival, not sure when it will get wide release.

screenshots from “american pictures” website.

jacob holdt: american pictures

My photography is thus a result of non-violent communication with the victims of a violent racism. My parents - in disbelief of my written accounts - sent me after one year a pocket-size Canon Dial for my birthday asking me to send some pictures home. I had never photographed before and saw it first as my visual diary helping me to remember all the people who gave me hospitality and food in more than 400 homes over 5 years as a “vagabond”. This is my term for a hitchhiker who with no exception says yes to every invitation he receives and thus throws himself into the arms of many abusive people whom - at least I - had been brought up to avoid in my safe Danish rectory. The half-frame camera took 72 pictures on a roll, so by selling my blood plasma twice a week for $5 each time, I could afford 2 rolls of film a week. Often I hitchhiked enormous distances to go to e.g. New Orleans, where the blood banks paid $6,10, but during the last two years I made small picture books to show to better-off drivers after which I often got small donations – the highest was $30 from a businessman in Philadelphia.

Since I had to economize with the film I often sat for days with people whom I lived, not using the camera before I saw “the right face” which I felt showed the situation before the interference of a stranger – and then shot just one or two pictures. My first priority was always survival - housing and food – and the photography only my extravagant hobby.

speaking of trudging around the country taking pictures to illustrate the collective condition of a people, here are some amazing pictures taken by danish “vagabond” jacob holdt. he criss-crossed the united states in the early 1970’s for 5 years hitchhiking around with no money, no means of support, staying with over 400 mostly dirt poor rural and urban american (black, white, latino, native indian) families and individuals. in the process those people became the subjects of the 15,000 slides that he eventually took on his travels. i don’t know what to say about these pictures, i have held onto this link for a week trying to find some insightful words to describe how much they say about the crushing psychological effect of american poverty, black, white or otherwise. as kids i remember going to visit people upcountry who lived in mud homes without electricity or running water/sanitation. but i never saw the sense of hopelessness that pervades the pictures, the poverty here is as much mental as it is material. enough words.

you can put your mouth to a firehose of the imagery here (i much prefer to experience them viscerally) or view them in an online presentation format here [via the constant siege]

Benetton puts the spotlight on entrepreneurial Africa. Its global communication campaign for 2008 promotes the Birima micro-credit programme in Senegal, a co-operative credit society founded by the Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour. The programme will also receive financial support from Benetton Group. Africa Works - the slogan of the campaign developed by Fabrica - will appear on billboards and in the press throughout the world, from February 2008. It features Senegalese workers who have used micro loans to start small, productive businesses. Photographer James Mollison portrays them with the tools of their trade against a neutral background. They include, amongst others, a fisherman, a decorator, a musician, a jewellery-maker, a farmer, a tailor, two textile sellers and a boxer. These everyday people become tangible symbols of an Africa that uses the dignity of work to fight poverty, promote equitable development, maximise its resources and take back responsibility for creating its future.

africa works brings together positive social change (birima’s microcredit program), and the power of celebrity/media to focus attention (youssou n’dour and benetton). those are fascinating topics on their own but what intrigues me most are the unique “street studio” portraits by photographer james mollison of the senegalese who are beneficiaries of birima’s program.

“if i can’t bring subjects to my studio, i will take my studio to the subjects”. this is the concept behind the “street studio”. most famously, richard avedon took a large format camera and his trademark white background around the american west and came back with photographs of working class americans that de-glamorized the common perception of the “cowboy” west. clay enos and stefan ghufkvin [quicktime movie] set out to photograph as many new yorkers as possible in a year with their new york 000 project and captured the bewildering variety and individuality of the people who walk the streets of the city’s 5 boroughs.

james mollison’s street studio. from africa works microcredit site

hauling a studio-style camera, lights, reflectors and backgrounds into the field and the process/performance that is a portrait session removes a portrait subject out of the everyday. in the process the subject working with or against the photographer makes a decision on how to be portrayed, in a way a quick portrait taken with a portable camera in a natural environment doesn’t. the process also removes context/background and heightens what is captured (the farmer’s muddy feet above, for e.g.). a body of work developed this way over time enables a photographer to deeply examine and present a subject matter, hopefully illuminating a social truth about the individual or some group that that person represents. august sander who created the epic “people of the 20th century” a series of over 600 portraits of individual germans is the grandaddy of all field portraitists. his work is still unequaled as both a monumental social document about germany in the early 20th century and a work of art that generations of photographers still emulate.

i started this blog mostly because i was (am) dissatisfied with what kinds of pictures i was taking and did not know how to progress beyond taking what i now call “pretty pictures”. it was (is) part of a process of looking inward and outward to find a way to grow into taking pictures of social relevance/truth both to myself individually and as an african. what mollison’s africa works images do is to offer a glimpse of a way forward for me, to make images that are both art and social document. as we kenyans try to find some kind of national identity, what better time would there be to trudge photography equipment around the country putting together a social document of kenyans now, and then trudge right back around again with a giant exhibition of those photographs so that we kenyans can gaze on each other and understand a thing or two about our collective condition.

screenshot of landing page of hector mediavilla’s photo essay on ZoneZero web site

Stunning photo essay The Congolose Sape by hector mediavilla. back in the day, it was easy to spot a congolose man on the streets in nairobi. they were fashionable and elegant in a way we kenyans just weren’t. we loved to contrast them with the stereotype of the rich kikuyu farmer with muddy safari boots and suit jacket with the funky hems that turned inward, pockets bulging with papers and money.

i now know that their style was influenced by the sapeurs of congo brazzaville whose style, elegance and manners were then popularized in congo kinshasa and eventually all over east and central africa by papa wemba (and other congolese musicians) who sang about them and emulated their fashion sense.

from mediavilla’s statement:

Sape is French slang for “dressing with class”. The French often use the expression “il est bien sape” to talk about a sharp dressed man. The term “sapeur” is a new African word that refers to someone that is dressed with great elegance.

However, the Congolese sapeurs are not only concerned about elegance, but also with good manners, politeness and morality. Generally, they only dress up on weekends and special occasions. Designer brands of suits and accessories are a big deal to Sapeurs. Complete attire can cost up to 1500 euros, although ironically, many of them don have a job. To get the whole outfit that can get them the sought-after prestige can take several years. Most of them start up with suits borrowed from established sapeurs that initiate them in the secrets of the Sape.The Congolese Sape, except for very rare exceptions, is a man thing, which sometimes is inherited whereas most of the times is acquired by choice.

see also: brief history of les sapeurs on sapeur supreme papa wemba’s site. it shows how the sape style started out as imitation of parisian style and elegance and a desire to escape congo mentally and physically. it was driven underground and became a rebellious fashion expression by the youth in the 70’s in response to mobutu sese seko’s repressive “authenticity” decree that changed congo to zaire, rochereau to tabu ley and banned the wearing of imported/western clothing styles.

more:
photos: sapeure shot by liz johnson-artur in paris. here is the fader article [PDF], where johnson-artur’s images appeared.
documentary: today the sapeur perspective has evolved to more of a competitive, brand worshipping form of expression somewhat like the hip hop bling scene as highlighted by a 2003 documentary the importance of being elegant.

[congolese sapes link via verve photo]