Photography Archives – Tales of Us

Congo | Events

4th Congo Tales Exhibition Opens in the Netherlands

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When the beauty of nature, and the beauty of humanity, collide.

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From the preface of Congo Tales. Have you read the book yet? 💛

The Sabine Plattner African Charities have been a vital part of our working process. SPAC focuses on bringing education and biodiversity research to the communities of the Odzala Kokoua National Park, and we work very closely with both children and educators from Mbomo’s Sanza Mobimba educational center.

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-The Common Eye-

The story of the common eye ‘Unless it's given in a show of generosity, a taste of honey can fuel a quarrel.’ #congopositif #congobasin #congolesemythology #mythologieafricaine #africanmythology #talesofus #storytellingactivism #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism

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We couldn’t agree more, art changes how we see the world!❤️ #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism
#congopositif

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-The Antelope Family-

Each family has a totem animal passed on from generation to generation. The animal is to be studied, respected and never eaten or killed. 📸 @pieterhenket
#congopositif #congobasin #congolesemythology #mythologieafricaine #africanmythology #talesofus #storytellingactivism #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism

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🌳🦋🐒🌺🦂🐊🌍🕷🐸🦍🐍🦇🦜🐘🌈🌞🌳 Have you traveled to any of these countries? Tell us about it in the comment section below!
#congobasin #congolesemythology #mythologieafricaine #africanmythology #talesofus #storytellingactivism #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism

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-Ablution-

The story of The court of the Lion - Nkwe Mbali

When water falls on iron anvils a roar can be heard - but not a lion in sight. -A tale from Teke culture

#congopositif #congobasin #congolesemythology #mythologieafricaine #africanmythology #talesofus #storytellingactivism #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism

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It was a humbling and beautiful year! That 2020 brings light to all and that we take the time to listen to the ancient stories of our world. Thank you for being part of the journey ✨

The quote is an excerpt of a lecture given by Dr. Auguste Miabeto; a specialist on sub-Saharan African oral literature and traditions. In the lecture he tells the tale of how fire was passed down from the indiginous people to the Bantus. Many of the indigenous communities are referred to as ‘pygmys’ coming from the Greek ‘pygmaios’ which was used to describe dwarfs in Greek Mythology. The word is often used in a derogatory manner. He explains to his students that when we say ‘pygmy’; it's only a reference to the size of the people and it doesn’t reflect anything beyond that. He continues by saying that official history only tells about the small stature of the indigenous people, and by doing so it forgets about their knowledge and wisdom and all they handed down to humanity. We’ve learned that the term ‘autochtone’, which means - native, indigenous, from the land - is a far better way to describe the wise communities living in the Forrest.
#rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism
#congopositif #indigenouscommunities #indigenousstories

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-The Passing Tale-

The story of the two brothers ‘Between siblings, values may differ as much as life choices.’ 📸 @pieterhenket
#congopositif #congobasin #congolesemythology #mythologieafricaine #africanmythology #talesofus #storytellingactivism #rainforest #congobasin #congobasinrainforest #congotales #environmentalart #storytellingactivism

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An inspirational TED talk for our project, was the one by Turkish novelist Elif Shafak. In this talk she explains how listening to stories widens our imagination. How telling stories lets us leap over cultural walls, embrace different experiences and lets us feel what others feel. Shafak builds on the simple idea that fiction can overcome identity politics.
This concept has become an intrinsic part of our methodology. Fiction has shown to be a space where everybody involved in the project could freely express despite any cultural differences. The process of interpreting the stories to photography in this manner, was a very creative exchange.

Have a look at @shafakelif ‘s @ted talk titled ‘The Politics of Fiction’
#identitypolitics #fictionalstorytelling #tedtalk #elifshafak #congotales #mythology 📸 taken from a review done by Julia Philips in the @nytimes