Thanks to photographs of craftsmen, farmers, transporters and market vendors, we get a unique picture of the social and economic organisation of this Central African people. His curiosity is particularly aroused by Congo’s still-vibrant cultural heritage and its arts and crafts. His photographs testify to the power of ancient ceremonies and the excitement that popular celebrations still generate. They reveal at the same time the still intact prestige of the traditional leaders and the undiminished attraction of the ancient cults. In this spectacle, Angelo Turconi is not just a witness, but a guardian of knowledge, an archivist, a historian of images. His photographs take us to a fascinating world that is equally contemporary, but where traditions and magic – not yet diluted by the globalisation of culture – are still alive and well.
Julius Mwelu & the Mwelu Foundation. Nairobi
€29.00This book tells the story of a human adventure, that of the photographer Julius Mwelu, a talented and generous Kenyan, who was born in the valley of Mathare and has survived there. This part of Nairobi is one of the immense slums that make the Kenyan capital a permanent social scandal.