Parallel Photographic Histories

Today we discussed parallel photographic histories of the African continent, looking at photographers like George Rodger, Leni Riefenstahl, Bob Gosani and Peter Mugabane who all worked during the same period of time, but recorded very different African lives. We discussed the importance of audiences and how they influence the choice of subject.

Danny Chiyesu and Zenzele Chulu

We looked at Pieter Hugo's Hyena and Other Man, and how these images are read in different contexts. In the West, viewers were attracted to the exotic relationship between man and animal, while in the Africa Hyenas are associated with superstition. They, therefore, generate a different response. We discussed the importance of cultural awareness and the importance of reading images in their cultural context.
Critiquing Pieter Hugo's became an interesting debate about access to the art market by African photographers.

David Makala and Muchemwa Sichone 

Today's talk is making me question a  hotographer's intention before, during and after taking a picture as well as what they want to communicate. How do they want the message to reach their selected audience? How do they select the audience? It's making me question what they want to preserve and why they want to preserve it. What role does a photographer play in a period of time? Which is, in turn, making me question myself and my intentions and what role I play right now and what I would want to represent the world I see around me.

Edith Chiliboy


I am learning a lot, from a picture to a picture with a story. I now understand how each story is attached to an image and can impact each and every society with its power to speak different languages and based on what it was taken for. Images can also bring awareness to communities. I have learnt how to attach an image to its story, how to draw a line between images that have purposes and those that don’t. Kalingalinga has a lot of stories that really fascinated me.
This project should be of national importance. We should produce and question our nation through photography and how we can use it to change lives and living standards.


Muchemwa Sichone



Workshop participants presenting their work during yesterday's morning session:

Yande Yombwe

Yande Yombwe and Margaret Mumba

Margaret Mumba

Danny Chiyesu

Photography by Natalia González Acosta