ARU Press Release: Kalingalinga to Cambridge – ARU collaborates with Zambian photographers

A powerful photography exhibition that promises to change people’s perceptions of the African continent will open in Cambridge in January.

“Stories of Kalingalinga” highlights some of the rapid economic and social changes that have taken place in the neighbourhood of Kalingalinga in Zambia’s capital Lusaka.

Kalingalinga is being squeezed on all sides by more affluent suburbs and the images in the exhibition capture the rich diversity in this community as changes due to modernisation begin to gather pace.

The exhibition, which will be on display at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) from 16 January 2020, will feature the work of 11 photographers and visual artists who were invited by ARU and the Zambia National Visual Arts Council to take part in a workshop in Lusaka earlier this year. 

The photographers created their own personal interpretations of Kalingalinga, in a wide range of lens-based styles and approaches, with the resulting images challenging the idea of a singular visual narrative of Africa.

The exhibition directly questions post-colonial representations of Zambia, and Africa more broadly, and highlights the power of imagery and the importance of looking out for hidden narratives and voices.

Muchemwa Sichone, one of the Zambian photographers, said: 

“Throughout the workshop, my perspectives on how I look at photography changed. But more importantly, I learnt that photography is not only about great images, but also how it influences the way people look at the world.”

Video interviews with each of the photographers will be on display around the gallery. The videos provide a voice for this new generation of creatives to speak about their experiences and their own approaches to photography.

The exhibition, and the workshop in Lusaka, have been organised by Kerstin Hacker of ARU, who has also been working closely with the University of Zambia to establish the country’s first Photography degree course, which will begin in 2021.

Kerstin, the Co-Course Leader for Photography at ARU in Cambridge, said: 

“As well as producing some visually stunning images, these photographers have tackled important questions such as what are the topics that are important to Zambians and how are they different from what we already know?

“To help shift perceptions, it’s important to give Western audiences access not only to the photographs, but also the photographers and their stories.

“’Stories of Kalingalinga’ is not the end but the beginning of a journey as photographers find outlets to tell their Zambian stories. They are creating new images that are visually diverse, culturally sensitive and have a rich narrative.

“They move beyond stereotypical representations and give a voice to both the people of Kalingalinga and the photographers themselves – and it’s time these voices are heard.

“This exhibition gives a glimpse of what is to come as Zambia begins producing talented graduates, not just in photography but in a range of art and design disciplines. University-level art education is vital if African countries are to self-govern their visual narratives.”

The “Stories of Kalingalinga” exhibition will feature work by Edith Chilliboy, Danny Chiyesu, Zenzele Chulu, Natalia Gonzalez Acosta, Kerstin Hacker, Margaret Malawo, David Daut Makala, Dennis Mubanga, Scotty, Muchemwa Sichone and Yande Yombwe, and will be on display at the Ruskin Gallery, at ARU in Cambridge, from 16 January until 13 February 2020. 

There will also be a symposium – Telling our tales through ambiguous photography: Decolonizing the visual library of the African continent – on 31 January, where invited speakers will discuss photography in Africa, visual identity, and the role the photography can play in reducing inequality.

All exhibitions in the Ruskin Gallery are free of charge and open to the public. For further information, visit https://artseventsaru.co.uk/kalingalinga-photography-exhibition/ 

Stories of Kalingalinga - Danny Chiyesu

Stories of Kalingalinga - Natalia Gonzalez Acosta

Sikwazi Road

Kalingalinga's market runs along Sikwazi Road. The vibrant atmosphere of the street, where commerce and life coexist at the edge of the tarmac, invited me in. People negotiated their photographs, day by day, more sitters came forward and for a brief moment, I was part of it. The roughness of the road balanced the gentleness but also the determination of the people working and living in Sikwazi Road. I was invited behind the scenes, made friends and will come back.

Stories of Kalingalinga - Kerstin Hacker

Mary makes a living off selling empty bottles. She gets 1 Kwatcha for 2 bottles. She is a single mum and has 1 girl and 2 boys. She is living with her mother. She finds rent and electricity payments very expensive. She would like to move away to a plot near Great East Road where rent is cheaper. She would like to sell live chickens.

Margret Mulenga is 23 and has lived in Kalingalinga for 15 years. She was in school for 9 years.  She had a son who passed away. She is selling Chitenge cloth for a living. She finds life in Kalingaling too difficult. “Here is nothing I can do to help myself”. She would like to have a wholesale business for Chitenge materials.

Kalingalinga is rapidly changing on the edges with modern buildings sprawling along the main road, but behind the scenes, the same people still live in makeshift buildings. Kalingalinga is an illegal settlement in the middle of town and provides much of the workforce that drives Lusaka’s development. Amongst the settlers are many who survive day by day with odd jobs, as permanent jobs are hard to come by. The land that their homes are built on is often owned by landowners, who live in other parts of town and are making a tidy profit of the land. Rents are high, and wages are low.

Many of the women I photographed dream of moving away, to a place where they can afford life a little bit more easily. But being in the middle of town is also attractive to others, who see the opportunities that the new development brings.

I photographed a series of women who will have to make a decision soon, on what turn their life will take. I will be back to see what life has in stall for them.

Reflections on the Stories of Kalingalinga workshop by Geoffrey Phiri

The potential or rather the ability to tell our own stories is very much the essence of the "Stories of Kalingalinga" workshop. These images tell our tale. From where I have been sitting in the workshop, it was interesting to observe that there has been a lot of enthusiasm from the participants. Some are professionals in their own right and some very enthusiastic up and coming artists. There is definitely no doubt that we are headed in the right direction, we are building a network that will be active long after the workshop. The energy that the participants have continued to exhibit outside the workshop is another positive that needs commendation. My hope is that other institutions will come on board and thus the visual stories of Kalingalinga and Zambia will continue to develop.