I am more inclined to feel that they eroticise and dehumanise the Dinka by presenting them as objects rather than subjects, in the portrayal as well as the fact that it is other people who stand to gain from the commodification of their lives and identity. That for me is the greater concern, not whether or not they are clothed or naked. I think what is for sale here is not necessarily or exclusively their naked bodies but their entire being and way of life which is reduced to otherness. Doreen Gaura I cant deny these photos are beautiful, and they draw me in. But it seems they are there for rapacious consumption and not really for the ostensible reason of learning about the Dinka. Images like these just deepen the misunderstanding and otherness of people who dont live in our developed and privileged context. Frankly Im tired of western photographers embedding themselves in tribes and showing us pictures of exotic peoples living in their natural habitat. You cant help feeling that this could easily have been about wildlife. It raises the question of who has the power to represent whom, and to whom, for what purpose? Why do we still attach some mystery, strangeness, and other-worldliness to people who are not white and who dont live according to our modernised lifestyles?....making me wonder whether there are any photographers who depict non-westerners as people and not the indistinguishable wildlife/scenery/Africans images that are so prevalent. Ossob Mohamud
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 10:05:32 +0000