Photography and Africa by Erin Haney is a thought-provoking exploration of Africa’s complex and enduring relationship with the photographic image. Spanning over a century and a half, this nonfiction work delves into the ways photography has both documented and shaped perceptions of the African continent. From the earliest colonial expeditions to contemporary African resistance photography, Haney weaves a nuanced narrative about image-making, power, and cultural identity.
Part of Reaktion Books’ Exposures series, Photography and Africa presents a rich collection of rare and striking photographs, ranging from nineteenth-century royal portraiture on the Cape Coast to evocative street scenes in old Cairo and defiant snapshots from apartheid-era South Africa. Haney’s commentary explores the contexts in which these images were created — by explorers, colonists, indigenous photographers, and activists — and how each photograph reflects its own layered history.
This title is an essential read for anyone interested in the intersection of photography, African history, and visual culture. Photography and Africa stands as a vital and visually compelling study of how photographs have recorded, influenced, and contested the narrative of a vast, diverse continent.
