Following from an earlier post on the Sapeurs, I am glad to see someone has produced a fairly comprehensive book showcasing the dandies of the Congo. Photographer Daniele Tamagni captures the fascinating subculture where designer suits and luxury items are the order of the day. Published by Trolley Books.
Absolutely beautiful collection by German photographer, Hans Silvester entitled “Les Habits de la Nature”, celebrating the unique art of the Surma and Mursi tribes of the Omo Valley, on the borders of Ethiopia, Kenya and Sudan. Amazing.
http://www.lamaisonpresbastille.com/habit_nature.php?test=1
The Bills were a youth subculture that dressed in cowboy outfits and opposed the current political view of late 1950s Léopoldville, Zaire (modern-day Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
They proliferated in the African sections of Léopoldville and based their image of blue jeans, checkered shirts, scarfs, boots, and hats on the American Western movies of the time, especially those of Buffalo Bill, like ‘Pony Express’ featuring Charlton Heston.
From the Bills came a new generation of sounds and bands, such as Zaiko, Bozi Boziana and Minzoto Ya Zaire, which differ from the Congolese rumba known by most. Jef De Laet (who became better known as Pere Buffalo), was a Passionist missionary at the time began working with the youth where the Bills roamed and helped channel their energies into a positive movement and helped start Minzoto Ya Zaire, as well as a cultural centre, Cabaret Liyoto, which featured a recording studio.
The photos are by Jean Depara, an Angolan-born photographer who was living in Kinshasa at the time, where he worked taking photos of celebrations, portraits and families, but at night he hung out in the Kinshasa clubs and here he captured an Africa stripped of conventional social codes.
Late posting, but seen recently at Stux Gallery (January 29 – March 21, 2009), new works by Ruud Van Empel.
http://web.ruudvanempel.nl/works.html
Ed Kashi’s engaging photographs of daily life and conflict in the oil rich Niger Delta has recently been published as a book.
Curse of the Black Gold: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta takes a graphic look at the profound cost of oil exploitation in West Africa, tracing the 50-year history of Nigeria’s oil interests and the resulting environmental degradation and community conflicts that have plagued the region.
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If you’re in the NYC area, come view the prints at The powerHouse Arena, 37 Main Street, Brooklyn from August 15-September 28, 2008.
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For more on Ed Kashi
http://www.edkashi.com/
For more on the book and powerHouse Books
http://powerhousebooks.com/curseoftheblackgold/
Image from CURSE OF THE BLACK GOLD: 50 Years of Oil in the Niger Delta, Photographs by Ed Kashi, Edited by Michael Watts, published by powerHouse Books.Â
Clayton Cubbitt’s take on skinhead fashions from the early seventies in an Afrikan style.
Link to online gallery