Click the star to add/remove an item to/from your individual schedule.
You need to be logged in to avail of this functionality.

Images05b


has 1 film 1
To exist is to be seen: the validity of African representation across space and time 
Convenor:
Victoria Osei-Bonsu (University of Ghana)
Send message to Convenor
Format:
Panel
Stream:
Images of the living and dead
Location:
Room 1221
Sessions:
Thursday 9 June, -
Time zone: Europe/Berlin

Short Abstract:

The tendency by some Western "experts" to be dismissive of artistic and critical works produced by Africans and about the African socio-cultural milieu is quite inescapable. This calls for deeper deliberation and re-engagement about the issues of representation from Western hegemonic perspectives.

Long Abstract:

'I don't want to see pictures from Africa,' […] 'I've been looking at them my entire career. It's too much poverty and propaganda.' At first, I was too embarrassed to speak, but then I grew angry. Were all African stories the same to her? Did they not have value? Because those were the stories I wanted to tell.

(Humans of New York, September 1, 2021: Paul Hinson Exposé)

In a Facebook post on the Humans of New York page, a young Ghanaian photographer tells his story about how his collection of photographs about Africa[ans] was dismissed as boring and redundant after a cursory glance because, according to the evaluating 'expert', such depictions always showcased "poverty and propaganda." However, the collection included many rich and vibrant recollections from the young man's life, cultural background, and adventures across several African spaces. After this rejection, the Western 'expert' then displays a collection of photos from her own life, staged within a Eurocentric milieu. Thus, this exhibition of the life of a Western subject is set up as the example of 'good' photography and a counterpoint to any depiction of Africa[ns]. Such tendency to dismiss the validity of representation of Africa[ns] continues to engender academic discussions about the ethics of representation, within photography, film, or literature.

This panel invites papers from multidisciplinary fields of study that present diverse perspectives of representation regarding Africa[ns].

We look forward to receiving proposals that emphasize compelling comparisons/ discussions about the value, ethics, legitimacy, etc. of objective ideological representation.

Accepted papers:

Session 1 Thursday 9 June, 2022, -
Panel Video visible to paid-up delegates