Africa in the West’s eyes has stereotypically been seen through the gaze of Afro-pessimism, only seeing Africa has a place of disease, famine, war, and essentially primitive, and static. Through this gaze the west has sought out “primitive man” as an exotic, sensationalized idea that fits conveniently into the dramatic documentary work of many western photographers, such as Kevin Carter’s work with Sudanese famine victims and Steve Mcurry’s work with National Geographic. These sensationalized images play into the idea that Africa exists in a stagnant state, never evolving, and therefore not existing in the same modern context as the west. Moyo Okediji refutes these Afro-Pessimistic views vehemently; he states” The artistic object in Africa is constantly evolving with unpredictable volatility, because society is always mutating and no identity is static or permanently determined in its interpretive potential.” Moyo Okediji also takes this a step further, not just denouncing the ridiculous views of Afro-pessimist view, he evokes the theory of Al Jabara to heal the injustices and inequities of representation. These theories of balance, healing and evolving identity relate closely to the work of contemporary African Photographers. They are currently analyzing their constantly changing identity, and balancing the sensationalized and shallow techniques of representation the West deploys, by creating Anti-photogenic works, that are personal, humanistic in their approach and a direct rejection of Western techniques, that over sensationalize, primitivism and ultimately create a commodity out of Africa. Contemporary African photographers are deploying the theories Okediji sets in motion of Al jarbara, seeking to balance out the vast collection of Afro-pessimistic work of the West, with photographic works that reject western techniques, and depict a dynamic, evolving, vital Africa, that seeks to balance out the illustrative Western view, with a realistic and humanistic view.



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Western problems of depicting Africa: Steven Mcurry, Leni riestahl, Kevin Carter


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Early African Photographers and how they differ from previous photography of the west:
Sedou Keita, Sidebe
Humanistic, honorable, seeing African life as it exists and allowing the people in the photos to be the subject not the heroric acts of the photographers, or the exotic content that stripes Africans of individual identity and makes them alien.



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How photographers are seeking balance to stereotypes, Moyo Okediji talks about algebra and how it is an African theory, that seeks to heal broken bones, to bring balance, and how the work of these photographers are doing that. They are exploring their culture, their post colonial identity, and bring just images to the surface. They ultimately become artists of Mami Wata that travel globally to show an African View of Africa. Reference Enwezor and his tools of anti photogentic eye and how they seek balance to the over sensationalized eye of the west. How it is more humanistic in its approach and
This needs to be a very long paragraph or several paragraphs, this is the meat of my argument and my paper, everything after this is the research that supports my theories.

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Adrew Dosunmu and Nontiskeolo Veloko south African photographers that use fashion photograph to celebrate a post apartheid identity

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Colonial tension and the the artists that reflect upon the past. Allan deSouza, Zarina Bhimji, Otobong Nkanga

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Guy Tillman bring insome stuff from grey areas. Communites have every right to be suspicious of outsiders. Talks about the sensitivity needed to photograph subjects where you are an outsider.

Paragraph 7 Conclusion