[Leica] Re: salgado et al.

[polylux@gmx.co.uk]

>who do you think is doing new interesting work?<

It is always the same: yes, I was impressed by McCullin's pictures, but
later a bitter taste came in my mouth when I reflected that his view is also a
colonialistic view. McCullin says he is not making a political statement, just
feeling. 
IMAGINE: WHAT WOULD YOU THINK, IF DROVES OF AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS WOULD
INVADE THE STATES AND TAKE PICTURES OF POOR AMERICANS THEN PUBLISH THEM IN THE
MAJOR IMPORTANT JOURNALS (AFRICAN JOURNALS THEN OF COURSE) ACCOPANIED BY TV
COVERAGE AN 'HELP AMERICA' CAMPAIGN FOLLOWS ...THE AFRICAN PHOTOGRAPHERS WOULD
SAY: "Photography for us is not looking, it's feeling. If you can't feel what
you're looking at, then you're never going to get others to feel anything"

Want pictures from africa? Ask african photographers. I sometimes think that
the western photojournalism is - in priciple - a major lack of respect for
other cultures. I've attended, some time ago an exhibition of african portrait
photography. The approximately 300 works of 40 artists showed the dealing of
African photographers with western modernism and the emergence of
independent aesthetics and picture languages in the urban centres of West, East and
South Africa.
While the western tradition favors 'the decisive moment', exploitation even
of the subject, there seemed to be more emphasis on the way someone wants to
be seen in pictures from african photographers.  

Watch out for e.g. Samuel Fosso, Seydou Keita, just to name some very
prominent photographers.
                       

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