A photography exhibition, Not A Country, presently holding in Brighton UK is currently celebrating and showcasing Africa’s cultural diversity that identifies it as a cultural powerhouse.
Not A Country is an event conceptualised by freelance documentary photographer, documentary filmmaker and digital storyteller, Tunde Alabi-Hundeyin, as part of the Culture Connex Festival Season in collaboration with Urbanflo, Pace, Brighton Fringe, Brighton Pride & the University of Sussex.
According to information provided by the organisers on its website, the event, which started on May 9th and will crescend on May 21, 2023 hopes to examine and challenge the notion of Africa as a homogeneous geographical entity.
This is being done “through an exploration of various attires and textiles,” as the project interrogates the black body within the British landscape.
“The exhibits recognise the significance of fabric as a representation of a community’s shared identity across the entire African continent, from the northern Sahara to the southern Cape. The series of photographs prompt discussions on how colonialism, capitalism, religion, and globalisation have impacted the traditional dresses of indigenous peoples across the continent, encompassing 3000 tribes in 54 countries.
“By employing migrant postgraduate students as models, the project scrutinises their material culture, using articles of clothing as intricate tribal symbols that represent history, culture, and the complexities of migration, identity, and difference,” the website says.
and then