Congolese artist and photographer Pamela Tulizo has launched a new series of 23 staged photographs titled "Mababu," meaning "ancestors" in Swahili. The series focuses on the strength and resilience of African women, particularly those whose stories have been overlooked in historical accounts of slavery and colonisation.
Tulizo, who grew up in Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, stated that her work aims to counter the portrayal of African women as vulnerable or lacking strength. She highlights figures such as Kimpa Vita and Queen Nzinga, known for their resistance against European colonisation in the 17th and early 18th centuries.
The photographs, shot in Goma and Belgium, incorporate fashion, vivid scenery, and elements related to natural resources like tobacco, sugar cane, and cotton, which were central to the transatlantic slave trade. Tulizo draws parallels between historical exploitation and contemporary conflicts in eastern DRC, driven by competition over mineral resources.
The exhibition, "Mababu – Spirit of the Ancestors by Pamela Tulizo," is scheduled to be shown at GC De Markten in Brussels from 8 to 31 October, as part of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel cultural diplomacy initiative.