'There’s always been a belittling of African women': honouring history’s invisible heroines
Congolese photographer Pamela Tulizo uses costume and vivid scenery to celebrate women’s strength and give a new perspective on slavery
TL;DR
- Pamela Tulizo, an artist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, created the photo series 'Mababu' ('ancestors' in Swahili) to explore the strength of African women.
- The series features 23 staged photographs portraying historical figures like Kimpa Vita and Queen Nzinga, who resisted European colonization.
- Tulizo's work challenges the portrayal of African women as vulnerable and lacking intelligence, emphasizing their resilience and fight for freedom.
- Her photography career faced obstacles as a woman in a male-dominated field, but she was motivated to persevere.
- The series uses cinematic staging, costumes, and vivid scenery, with some images shot in Goma and Belgium.
- Fashion elements in the photos are used to symbolize hope, courage, and strength, even in depictions of suffering.
- The titles of some works reference commodities like tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton, linking them to the transatlantic slave trade and the pursuit of natural resources.
- Tulizo draws parallels between historical slavery and modern conflicts in eastern DRC, driven by competition over mineral resources for global progress like electric cars and nuclear weapons.
- She believes humanity is repeating mistakes, with modern slavery fueled by technology and the demand for raw materials, resulting in war and sexual violence.