Portraiture & Photography in Africa. Edited by John Peffer and Elisabeth L. Cameron

472 pages.

First published in 2013.

Finished reading on 21 Sept 2020.

Genre: Non-fiction (essays).

Beautifully illustrated, Portrait Photography in Africa offers new interpretations of the cultural and historical roles of photography in Africa. Twelve leading scholars look at early photographs, important photographers’ studios, the uses of portraiture in the 19th century, and the current passion for portraits in Africa. They review a variety of topics, including what defines a common culture of photography, the social and political implications of changing technologies for portraiture, and the lasting effects of culture on the idea of the person depicted in the photographic image.

Here’s my longish thread on Twitter. Thoughts from there, and some pictures from the book:

Thinking about (because of this book) all of those African objects that are ‘lost’ in Western museums, how removing them from their context strips them of meaning. Particularly true of objects that weren’t created as “art” – things that maybe were used in ceremonies, or which derived their meaning from everyday function. Of what value are such things when they’re put in a glass case in Europe? And to whom are they valuable? 🤔 (Naturally, capital is partly to blame 🙃 because it attempts to place a dollar value on such artefacts, and removes much of the original meaning. The rest is just cultural arrogance, innit. Proof of conquest.)

(Only half kidding.)