Mother Africa – The faces of Africa
An Africa that plays, laughs, sings, and hopes. An Africa that prays, dreams, but also a committed Africa that studies, works, and teaches. An Africa at rest and, at the same time, an Africa in motion.
The history and culture of an entire continent revived in the shots here presented, with a particular focus on the lives of children: part of the photo contest held during African Regional Week, and thanks to which the many faces of Africa relive and sensitize our communities. An Africa as protagonist, sender, and not receiver, is the vision that L’Africa Chiama (Africa is calling), an association from the city of Fano, proposes and wants to make known to the public, since Africa is often looked upon in a sad and victimized manner, therefore, only partially. Yet, this is something that does not pertain to the people who live there.
The images are proof of a continent that lives and works, capable of looking towards the future, which moves forward, with its head held high and with dignity. These photos describe distant lands, which bear witness to the daily lives of men, women, and children who embody the pride and the desire of being the main players in their own future. Yet, how many faces does Africa have? How many cultures, traditions, and populations does the oldest continent in the world personify? Africa, the cradle of humanity. Immense and impenetrable with its deserts, savannas, and forests. Wild and untamed, like the many animals that inhabit it. Each year, the non-profit NGO, L’Africa Chiama, promotes a number of events, including African Regional Week, which aims at raising awareness for this country and the various initiatives spread over the territory that the association covers. An important moment during this week is the well-known photo contest where more or less experienced photographers present their way of seeing Africa. Artistic photos that contribute towards propagating the beauty of a country that, despite its potential and its resources, still finds itself in difficulty.
ph. Emanuele Stano
It is also thanks to this contest that one can meet the many faces of Africa, such as the children who flock the Kipepeo Nutritional Center in Tanzania, the street children who meet at the Day Center in the slums of Soweto in Kenya, or the young mothers with a midwife in the Shalom Clinic in Zambia.
In addition, the many faces of Africa can also be found in the volunteers. People of all ages and backgrounds, some eager to leave for the “black continent”, all with the desire to learn something more, something that the media does not recount about Africa, and who participate in the training course that the non-profit NGO, L’Africa Chiama, organizes twice a year to speak of Africa – according to an inverted perspective, which starts from “them” and not “us”.
Fifteen years ago, L’Africa Chiama started this journey and did so alongside Africans: social workers, teachers, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, cooks, representatives of EC organizations, moms, dads, youths, and many children.
These are the faces I see when I hear about Africa.
It is because of their efforts, their active involvement in creating and implementing projects in the fields of education, nutrition, and health realized up until now that, each year, basic rights are ensured for more than 10,000 children and their families in great difficulty.
To see more, take a look at Collezioni 03Baby