Page 78 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 9

COMMUNITY

love Afrika and sincerely
speaking, I am passionate
about her image and how that
I image speaks for her both
within and outside of Afrika. Image
and expressions are powerful tools
that can be used for telling the story
of a people and also a tool that can
used for controlling those same peo-
ple. I believe this is why the media
as a sector that uses a lot of imag-
eries and expressions to sell news
and narratives, is the most powerful
sector alive today, when it comes to
creating, twisting, telling, re-telling
and changing of a people's narrative
and expectations.
Reframing Afrika
Why is that?

He who controls the media, con- A CALL TO AFRIKAN PHOTOGRAPHERS
trols the tools of creating narratives Samuel Phillips
and he who controls the narratives,
controls the perceptions, concepts,
ideology, thinking, expectations of
the people and by that, controls the of tools, especially photography agencies don't like to hire local tal-
people and their own reality. This to keep this untrue narrative of ent for their local projects. And this,
is a foundational tool in the war by dependency, poverty, malnutrition, she was speaking from the direction
the imperialists to subjugate others, violence, terrorism in Afrika. But of photography and the talent that
especially as it relates to the proud can you really blame them or will is available in Afrika. I don't have
West and even the East that are try- you blame Afrikan photographers permission to put the article here,
ing to keep Afrika in perpetual slave whose only reason for going into but I will highlight a few things
chains and the cave-men narratives photography is for the money they from what she wrote for clarity.
that they keep spinning everywhere make at weddings and parties. Most
about Afrika. of them are not thinking about the She said "When UNICEF needed
positive Afrikan narrative that can photos from Bolivia, India, Jordan,
The innate passion within me, which truly create the right image about Malawi, Myanmar and Niger to
seeks to project a more accurate and Afrika through their craft. illustrate their clean-water campaign,
real image of Afrika as a continen did they hire local photographers in
and Afrikans as a people, is one It's not just me each of those countries? No, they
major reason for my passion for Sometimes I really wonder if peo- engaged an Australian man living in
photography. I love photography ple, or let me say, Afrikans are really New York."
to bits and obviously, photography passionate about creating change She tried to give reasons for this
is one major part of my creative in Afrika or they are just ok with abnormal behavior. She went
tools to tell a more accurate and true complaining and throwing punches further to say that " In the case of
story of Afrika's diverse life, culture at every wind blowing around them, photography, there’s simply no good
and people. without taking time to critically excuse. Every country has photog-
reason out what is needed for the raphers able to produce excellent
It is not new news that Afrika and change that they want. But recently work… and they’ll charge less than
Afrikans are going through a lot of I saw an article that showed me that a globe-trotting Westerner. Why
foreign and local propaganda just to there are others out there who are does the aid industry give so many
keep her in a state of dependency getting their hands and boots dirty assignments — especially the bigger
on those who claim that without just to create a better image of Afri- ones with higher pay and travel
them, Afrika is lost - yet the op- ka. In this article that I read recently, opportunities and which are cru-
posite is true. They use all manner the author wrote about why aid cial for building up resumes — to

78 | Heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika