Recaptioning Congo - New perspectives on the history of photography in colonial Congo

Recaptioning Congo presents images from Congo’s long and turbulent history as a colonised country, spanning nearly 100 years from its formal establishment in 1882 to independence in 1960.

The exhibition shows the contrasting perspectives of African and European photographers. The images are revealing, at times disturbing, and shed light on the relationships between past and present, Africa and Europe, Belgium and Congo.

Recaptioning Congo is the result of years of international research by curator Sandrine Colard and represents the first extensive exhibition to tackle the multilayered history of photography in the Belgian Congo. With works ranging from propaganda to amateur and studio photography, Recaptioning Congo is a chronological journey through the various media, historical events and communities that shaped the development of photography in colonial Congo.

Curator: Sandrine Colard

Publication

Recaptioning Congo places the photographic history of colonial Congo in a new perspective. Various African writers everyday Congolese urban voices take a ​ look at the imperialist archive images and provide them with creative, contemporary and/or literary 'captions'.

This book appears in conjunction with the exhibition Recaptioning Congo in FOMU – Fotomuseum Antwerp, curated by colonial Congo's photography expert Sandrine Colard. The exhibition contains a wealth of revealing images that highlight the relationship between past and present, Africa and Europe, and Belgium and Congo.

The publication 'Recaptioning Congo - African stories & colonial pictures', published by Lannoo, is for sale in the FOMU shop for € 45.

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