CAROL BECKWITH AND ANGELA FISHER ANNOUNCE SIX UPCOMING EXPEDITIONS TO CONTINUE DOCUMENTING AFRICA’S VANISHING CULTURES


Problem viewing click here CAROL BECKWITH AND ANGELA FISHER CONTINUE DOCUMENTING AFRICA’S VANISHING CULTURES IN SOMALILAND Carol Beckwith, Zeeno– a Kara friend of many years, and Angela Fisher; Ethiopia Renowned photographers and chroniclers of Africa’s vanishing cultures, Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith took seven exciting fieldwork trips this year. Each expedition took them into the heart of Africa’s most remote regions, often at the invitation of local Chieftans and village elders. The 2014 expeditions were: Masquerades in Burkina Faso; Turkana Rain Rituals in Kenya; Yoruba Diaspora of Voodoo in Cuba; Salampasu Male Initiation in DR Congo; Pende Masked Ceremony in DR Congo; Traditional Seven Day Wedding Ceremony in Somaliland; Fourteen Royal Kingdoms in Cameroon and 2015 Moulids on the River Nile in Egypt. Somaliland – October 2014 “Following the festival we travelled 350 kms.” say Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher “to a small oasis village to record a traditional seven day Somali wedding. Groom and bride of Samali Wedding, Somaliland: All Photo by Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher En route we visited one of the most famous rock art sites in the Horn of Africa, called Laas Geel, a site believed to be over 4000 years old. On rock faces and in caves we photographed scenes of herders with their decorated cattle . Famous rock wall paintings, Somaliland Two days later we arrived at the wedding and were welcomed warmly as outsiders, invited to live in the village and experience all the wedding rituals from dawn till dusk We were impressed by the beauty of the Somali women and their extra ordinary eye for colour, adornment and dress . Bride getting hair braided for wedding, Somaliland The men outdid themselves in passionate and vigorous dance while the elders recited poetry extolling the beauty of the bride and handsomeness of the groom. Woman and man ritual dancing during a Somali Wedding, Somaliland Somaliland is a nation which has successfully fought for its independence from Somalia (1991) and deserves to be recognised and appreciated by the outside world . We are including this increasingly rare, traditional wedding ceremony in our next book, African Twilight.”
Commenting on the rapid changes facing traditional Africa, Carol and Angela remark, “We have witnessed the loss of traditional cultural practices and beliefs as each new generation moves forward and embraces the 21st century, bringing with it the powerful influence of the outside world. We have felt compassion for the elders as they watch their traditional world and values disappear, and empathy for the young generation seeking a new way of life. We are touched by the children of this generation who come to us asking about their grandparents — who were they, where did they come from and what did they believe in? Over 40% of what we have recorded during the past 35 years no longer exists or has changed dramatically. We have dedicated our lives to documenting the last of the truly traditional cultures on the continent.” Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher met in Kenya over thirty–five years ago and teamed up to form one of the greatest duo’s in photography. Their unique, award–winning images, covering 150 African cultures, were taken on journeys totaling 270,000 miles throughout Africa. As young female explorers, they saw Africa through the eyes of the people they lived with, photographing each group meticulously, from their body adornment to their ritual passages through life. Each image tells a story of the lives of the men, women and children within the vibrant traditions of these cultures. Their extraordinary photographs are recorded in fourteen best–selling books and in their films. Their new book “Painted Bodies” (2012) follows “Maasai” (1980), “Nomads of Niger” (1983), “Africa Adorned” (1984), “African Ark” (1990), “African Ceremonies” (1999), “Passages” (2000), “Faces of Africa” (2004), “Lamu: Kenya’s Enchanted Island” (2009), and “Dinka” (2010). The special limited edition books, hand printed in Santiago, Chile, are titled “Surma,” “Karo,” “Maasai,” and “Dinka.”
The photographers have made four films about traditional Africa, including Way of the Wodaabe (1986), The Painter mand the Fighter, and two progras for the Millennium Series Tribal Wisdom and The Modern World. Numerous exhibitions of their photography and films have been shown in museums and galleries around the world. In 2000 their Passages exhibition opened at the Brooklyn Museum of Art featuring 97 mural photographs, six films and a selection of African masks, sculpture and jewelry. This exhibition travelled to seven museums on three continents and can now be viewed on the Google Cultural Institute’s website. Kara Jumping of the Bull Male Initiations in Ethiopia and Masquerades in Burkina Faso Salampasu Initiations in Congo
For more information and interviews contact: Caroline Graham (caroline@c4global.com) C4 Global Communications Santa Monica, CA 310-899-2727 www.c4global.com

CAROL BECKWITH AND ANGELA FISHER
CONTINUE DOCUMENTING AFRICA’S VANISHING CULTURES IN SOMALILAND

Carol Beckwith, Zeeno– a Kara friend of many years, and Angela Fisher; Ethiopia

Renowned photographers and chroniclers of Africa’s vanishing cultures, Angela Fisher and Carol Beckwith took seven exciting fieldwork trips this year. Each expedition took them into the heart of Africa’s most remote regions, often at the invitation of local Chieftans and village elders.

The 2014 expeditions were: Masquerades in Burkina Faso; Turkana Rain Rituals in Kenya; Yoruba Diaspora of Voodoo in Cuba; Salampasu Male Initiation in DR Congo; Pende Masked Ceremony in DR Congo; Traditional Seven Day Wedding Ceremony in Somaliland; Fourteen Royal Kingdoms in Cameroon and 2015 Moulids on the River Nile in Egypt.

Somaliland – October 2014

“Following the festival we travelled 350 kms.” say Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher “to a small oasis village to record a traditional seven day Somali wedding.

Groom and bride of Samali Wedding, Somaliland: All Photo by Carol Beckwith & Angela Fisher

En route we visited one of the most famous rock art sites in the Horn of Africa, called Laas Geel, a site believed to be over 4000 years old. On rock faces and in caves we photographed scenes of herders with their decorated cattle .

Famous rock wall paintings, Somaliland

Two days later we arrived at the wedding and were welcomed warmly as outsiders, invited to live in the village and experience all the wedding rituals from dawn till dusk We were impressed by the beauty of the Somali women and their extra ordinary eye for colour, adornment and dress .

Bride getting hair braided for wedding, Somaliland

The men outdid themselves in passionate and vigorous dance while the elders recited poetry extolling the beauty of the bride and handsomeness of the groom.

Woman and man ritual dancing during a Somali Wedding, Somaliland

Somaliland is a nation which has successfully fought for its independence from Somalia (1991) and deserves to be recognised and appreciated by the outside world . We are including this increasingly rare, traditional wedding ceremony in our next book, African Twilight.”

Commenting on the rapid changes facing traditional Africa, Carol and Angela remark, “We have witnessed the loss of traditional cultural practices and beliefs as each new generation moves forward and embraces the 21st century, bringing with it the powerful influence of the outside world. We have felt compassion for the elders as they watch their traditional world and values disappear, and empathy for the young generation seeking a new way of life. We are touched by the children of this generation who come to us asking about their grandparents — who were they, where did they come from and what did they believe in? Over 40% of what we have recorded during the past 35 years no longer exists or has changed dramatically. We have dedicated our lives to documenting the last of the truly traditional cultures on the continent.”

Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher met in Kenya over thirty–five years ago and teamed up to form one of the greatest duo’s in photography. Their unique, award–winning images, covering 150 African cultures, were taken on journeys totaling 270,000 miles throughout Africa. As young female explorers, they saw Africa through the eyes of the people they lived with, photographing each group meticulously, from their body adornment to their ritual passages through life. Each image tells a story of the lives of the men, women and children within the vibrant traditions of these cultures. Their extraordinary photographs are recorded in fourteen best–selling books and in their films. Their new book “Painted Bodies” (2012) follows “Maasai” (1980), “Nomads of Niger” (1983), “Africa Adorned” (1984), “African Ark” (1990), “African Ceremonies” (1999), “Passages” (2000), “Faces of Africa” (2004), “Lamu: Kenya’s Enchanted Island” (2009), and “Dinka” (2010). The special limited edition books, hand printed in Santiago, Chile, are titled “Surma,” “Karo,” “Maasai,” and “Dinka.”

The photographers have made four films about traditional Africa, including Way of the Wodaabe (1986), The Painter mand the Fighter, and two progras for the Millennium Series Tribal Wisdom and The Modern World. Numerous exhibitions of their photography and films have been shown in museums and galleries around the world. In 2000 their Passages exhibition opened at the Brooklyn Museum of Art featuring 97 mural photographs, six films and a selection of African masks, sculpture and jewelry. This exhibition travelled to seven museums on three continents and can now be viewed on the Google Cultural Institute’s website.

Kara Jumping of the Bull Male Initiations in Ethiopia and Masquerades in Burkina Faso

Salampasu Initiations in Congo

For more information and interviews contact: Caroline Graham (caroline@c4global.com)
C4 Global Communications Santa Monica, CA 310-899-2727 www.c4global.com