ZAM is an international multi-media platform celebrating African creativity and new thinking. Committed to giving an edgy and contemporary viewpoint on Africa, ZAM’s content is free of clichés, platitudes or romantic notions of the continent. https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama 2026-02-20T15:06:16+01:00 ZAM crm@zammagazine.com Joomla! - Open Source Content Management 2016-07-01T11:02:25+02:00 2016-07-01T11:02:25+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/626-zanele-muholi-01 Somnyama Ngonya crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/fb5c27012bf7bd2b528a5fe03304bd91.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/fb5c27012bf7bd2b528a5fe03304bd91.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:09:02+02:00 2016-07-01T11:09:02+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/630-zanele-muholi-quote ZAM crm@zammagazine.com

<p>“When I was young, I was told that I was ugly, and I had to grow up with a sense of ugliness and shame. And I had to overcome it, because nobody can love you more than you”</p>

<p>“When I was young, I was told that I was ugly, and I had to grow up with a sense of ugliness and shame. And I had to overcome it, because nobody can love you more than you”</p> 2016-07-01T11:06:25+02:00 2016-07-01T11:06:25+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/628-zanele-muholi-02 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/ec9e5d4418cddeb916f54861fa51abb5.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/ec9e5d4418cddeb916f54861fa51abb5.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:07:13+02:00 2016-07-01T11:07:13+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/629-zanele-muholi-03 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p>Somnyama Ngonyama means ‘Hail, the Dark Lioness’. After having portrayed black queer and transgender women and men for years (which is ongoing), Muholi turns the camera towards herself to add a new chapter to her ‘visual activism’. With this she confronts the politics of race and pigment in the photographic archive. The result is both confusing and powerful. In her own words: ‘Experimenting with different characters and archetypes, I have portrayed myself in highly stylised fashion using the performative and expressive language of theatre. The black face and its details become the focal point, forcing the viewers to question their desire to gaze at images of my black figure. By exaggerating the darkness of my skin tone, I'm reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other.’</p>

<p>Somnyama Ngonyama means ‘Hail, the Dark Lioness’. After having portrayed black queer and transgender women and men for years (which is ongoing), Muholi turns the camera towards herself to add a new chapter to her ‘visual activism’. With this she confronts the politics of race and pigment in the photographic archive. The result is both confusing and powerful. In her own words: ‘Experimenting with different characters and archetypes, I have portrayed myself in highly stylised fashion using the performative and expressive language of theatre. The black face and its details become the focal point, forcing the viewers to question their desire to gaze at images of my black figure. By exaggerating the darkness of my skin tone, I'm reclaiming my blackness, which I feel is continuously performed by the privileged other.’</p> 2016-07-01T11:10:27+02:00 2016-07-01T11:10:27+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/631-zanele-muholi-04 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/0555bbe9368a05bff51437bdc1ff702e.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/0555bbe9368a05bff51437bdc1ff702e.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:15:07+02:00 2016-07-01T11:15:07+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/632-zanele-muholi-05 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/83a9554230ed6e6cccfe522a2a4bd53e.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/83a9554230ed6e6cccfe522a2a4bd53e.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:16:06+02:00 2016-07-01T11:16:06+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/633-zanele-muholi-06 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/9ad74ebcc3d83e86bcc0098026ed5e9f.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/9ad74ebcc3d83e86bcc0098026ed5e9f.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:16:50+02:00 2016-07-01T11:16:50+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/634-zanele-muholi-07 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/b48f2c03bbd159814922841bfb3fe7d7.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/b48f2c03bbd159814922841bfb3fe7d7.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:17:47+02:00 2016-07-01T11:17:47+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/635-zanele-muholi-08 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/983fb56032c1ac1b726360eae9dd3d18.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/983fb56032c1ac1b726360eae9dd3d18.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:18:33+02:00 2016-07-01T11:18:33+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/636-zanele-muholi-09 Christina Månsson crm@zammagazine.com

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/a28321ba8f3530fc856783a3123dd44c.jpg" /></p>

<p><img src="https://www.zammagazine.com/images/joomlart/article/a28321ba8f3530fc856783a3123dd44c.jpg" /></p> 2016-07-01T11:03:53+02:00 2016-07-01T11:03:53+02:00 https://www.zammagazine.com/photography/1-zanele-muholi-somnyama-ngonyama/627-credits ZAM crm@zammagazine.com

<ul> <ul> <li><span class="label">Photography: </span><span class="value">From the series 'Somnyama Ngonyama.' © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York</span></li> <li><span class="label">Artist website:</span><span class="value"> <a href="http://www.stevenson.info/artists/muholi.html" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">www.stevenson.info</a><br /></span></li> <li><span class="label">Text: </span><span class="value">Nicole Segers &amp; Bart Luirink with thanks to Stevenson, Cape Town</span></li> <li><span class="label">Quote: </span><span class="value">The New York Times Magazine, Oct. 8 2015</span></li> <li><span class="label">Editor: </span><a href="https://manzoo.nl/" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Christina Månsson</a> for ZAM</li> <li><span class="label">Curator: </span><span class="value"><a href="http://www.nicolesegers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nicole Segers</a> for ZAM, June 2016. Read her motivation <a href="https://www.zammagazine.com/photography" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">here</a>. <br /></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><span class="value">Want to buy work by Zanele Muholi. <a href="https://www.zammagazine.com/store/2-zanele-muholi" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Click here</a></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span class="value">Liked this Photo Edition? <a href="http://www.zammagazine.com/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm/profile/create&amp;gid=13&amp;reset=1" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Subscribe</a> to the ZAM newsletter</span></li> </ul>

<ul> <ul> <li><span class="label">Photography: </span><span class="value">From the series 'Somnyama Ngonyama.' © Zanele Muholi. Courtesy of Stevenson, Cape Town/Johannesburg and Yancey Richardson, New York</span></li> <li><span class="label">Artist website:</span><span class="value"> <a href="http://www.stevenson.info/artists/muholi.html" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">www.stevenson.info</a><br /></span></li> <li><span class="label">Text: </span><span class="value">Nicole Segers &amp; Bart Luirink with thanks to Stevenson, Cape Town</span></li> <li><span class="label">Quote: </span><span class="value">The New York Times Magazine, Oct. 8 2015</span></li> <li><span class="label">Editor: </span><a href="https://manzoo.nl/" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Christina Månsson</a> for ZAM</li> <li><span class="label">Curator: </span><span class="value"><a href="http://www.nicolesegers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nicole Segers</a> for ZAM, June 2016. Read her motivation <a href="https://www.zammagazine.com/photography" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">here</a>. <br /></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p> </p> <ul> <li><span class="value">Want to buy work by Zanele Muholi. <a href="https://www.zammagazine.com/store/2-zanele-muholi" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Click here</a></span></li> </ul> <ul> <li><span class="value">Liked this Photo Edition? <a href="http://www.zammagazine.com/component/civicrm/?task=civicrm/profile/create&amp;gid=13&amp;reset=1" target="_blank" rel="alternate noopener noreferrer">Subscribe</a> to the ZAM newsletter</span></li> </ul>