The image of Africa from the camera of an African. The photographic archive of Mohamed Amin

Abstract

This research analyzes the photographic and audiovisual archive of Kenyan photojournalist Mohamed Amin (1943-1996), generated from the work done by the company he created in 1963, Camerapix, to collaborate with local and international media. The objective is to offer researchers an overview of both the funds and the way of working in the company and to collaborate in the possible resolution of documentary gaps. The agreement with Google Arts & Culture for the digitization and online dissemination of part of its photographic material is also valued. In order to make these aspects more concrete, we delve into one of the themes present in the archive, centered on the representation of the Elmolo tribe, located in Lake Turkana. A descriptive methodology is applied to this material, which is completed with six in-depth interviews with those responsible for the archive and Amin's collaborators. It is shown that the historical and documentary value of Mohamed Amin's legacy goes beyond “humanitarian pornography”, a cliché that has remained by Amin's coverage of the 1984 Ethiopian famine. To this end, the work of this photojournalist in the representation of Africa is highlighted, making known peoples and customs hitherto ignored by the world, through the lens of an African. Through this study, the ethical responsibility of photojournalism, the preservation of visual archives and the role of the images in the representation of Africa are discussed. This study highlights the work of this photojournalist in the representation of Africa, making known peoples and customs hitherto ignored by the world, through the lens of an African. Through this study, the ethical responsibility of photojournalism, the preservation of visual archives and the role of images in shaping perceptions and narratives are raised.