Africa Rising

By Suzanne Révy

With the exception of the art and culture of Ancient Egypt, my elementary and secondary education lacked any real information about the continent of Africa. I was blithely unaware of the rich tapestry of countries, cultures and history of the second largest continent on earth. And media accounts from my youth tended to present Africans as tribal warriors, exotic bare-chested women or starving children. Happily, I now have a more balanced view of modern Africa and I am always seeking a more complete and nuanced understanding. If you are like me, try to visit the Fitchburg Art Museum, where Jean Borgatti, Consulting Curator for African, Oceanic, and Native American Arts has organized an extraordinary sampling in Africa Rising: 21st Century African Photography, on view through February 23rd, 2025.

“Are My Dreams too Bold for the Carbon Skin I Bear” by Wilfred Ukpong, 2011-2017, from the series Blazing Century 1: Niger Delta/Future Cosmos, Sinon Collection Fund, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

Photographs have a unique ability to convey not only descriptive information, but rich emotional undertones. By emphasizing the work of primarily younger photographers, Africa Rising brings attention to pulsating narratives from a wide array of voices. For example, Wilfred Ukpong’s surreal red and black portrait is a metaphor for the oil extracted from the ground and the blood spilled in violence in the Niger Delta. We learn from the edifying wall labels that its traditional hairstyle refers to the “spiritual and creative powers of earth, water and women.” Ukpong’s coiffe might be understood as nostalgia for an idyllic time when the delta was a lush forest before the devastating disruptions of industry. 

“Kubwa Macho NNE- American Darts” by Cyrus Kabiru, 2015 from the series C-Stunners. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

“Delta Black Gold, 2013” (top) and “Gas Flare, 2006” (bottom) by George Osodi (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

Ukpong employs an “Afrofuturist” aesthetic influenced by science fiction, history and fantasy that is also evident in Cyrus Kabiru’s sculptural eyeglasses constructed of e-waste. His self-portrait is both humorous and disconcerting as it addresses issues of environmental exploitation and degradation. Although metaphor is disquieting in those pictures, the pollution is all too real in George Osodi’s Gas Flare and Delta Black Gold, recorded through a conventional documentary lens that is no less jolting.

“Ballet in Kibera” by Sarah Waiswa, 2017. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

“Soweto Express” by Oupa Nkosi, 2007, from the series Middle Class/Black Diamonds, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

“Portrait, Studio on the Street, Sénégal” by Fatoumata Diabaté, 2013 (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

The exhibition features documentary works acclaiming the prosaic rhythms of daily life. Sarah Waiswa’s absorbing black and white photograph of children in a ballet class in Kibera, the largest urban slum in Kenya, stands in stark contrast to the images of African poverty from my youth. Their uplifted arms are hopeful.  Oupa Nkosi’s “Soweto Express” from his series Middle Class/Black Diamonds reveals prosperity in post-Apartheid South Africa. Fatoumata Diabaté’s playful portrait of children wearing cardboard animal masks is an exploration of Malian history and culture with animals, while her impressive “Portrait Studio on the Street” from Senegal is a nod to the African master photographers Seydou Keïta and Malick Sidibé. 

“Phumula, Paris” by Zaneli Muholi, 2019, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

“That Evening Sun Goes Down” by Tamari Kudita, 2020 (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

“Gabbazini Zuo, Enugu, Nigeria” by Pieter Hugo, 2008, from the Nollywood series. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

To me, the exhibition’s tour-de-force is portraiture and self-portraiture. They vibrate with the empowerment of surmounting historic patriarchies and asserting post-colonial independence. Zanele Muholi dredges psychological wounds in their self-portraits, employing a mirror for visibility in one image and a wire basket as both a cage and a crown in another, proclaiming their queer, Black, South African identity. Tamary Kudita’s “That Evening Sun Goes Down,” reveals two women in Victorian era ceremonial garb stirring a cauldron in silhouette. These imposing figures have thrown off the shackles of colonialism and embraced independence for themselves and their families. In his signature shocking style, Pieter Hugo’s violent and bloody portrait of the make-up artist Gabazzini Zuo from his series Nollywood blatantly skewers European colonialism and accuses it of tearing the heart out of the African continent. 

“Royal Generation 03” by Lola Keyezua, 2016. (Installation photograph by Suzanne Révy)

“Distant Echoes of Dreams” by Aïda Muluneh, 2018, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

Textiles and fashions from the traditional to western-influenced abound. Lola Keyezua’s model wears the bark cloth that recalls pre-Colonial Mbuti garb, whlle Aïda Muluneh honors women coping with the drought-stricken salt flats of Ethiopia by dressing them in a deep hue of blue. Shades of the African diaspora are evident in the costuming of Omar Victor Diop’s portrait of Dom Miguel de Castro who was a 17th century envoy to the Dutch. The added soccer gloves bring the concept of contemporary sports into the mix. Multi-culturalism is also found in the denim jeans paired with traditional bangles of Senegal called “Bin Bins” in a photograph by Angele Etoundi Essamba. 

“Dom Miguel de Castro” by Omar Victor Diop, 2014, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

“Bin Bins” by Angele Etoundi Essamba, 2008, courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.

The vibrancy of modern-day African cultures is powerfully expressed in the photographic narratives of today’s photographers who live and work there. Tackling history, conflict and identity through a range of genres, these artists personify the hopes of their kaleidoscopic continent. One of the most illuminating and enriching exhibitions of the year, Africa Rising: 21st Century African Photography is on view through February 23rd, 2025.

Also currently on view at the Fitchburg Art Museum is G.O.A.T.: The Sports Photography of Walter Iooss. Stay tuned for our upcoming review.

For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org