Movement

A Photograph by Maingaila Muvundika

His bare back sits at the centre of the frame. He offers a subtle glance as he gazes over his right shoulder. Grains of sand populate the space behind him while the expanse of a body of water is seen ahead of him. The soft water caresses the grey rocks that surround him. In the distance, a man on a canoe offers a gesture of balance, much like the photograph's composition

— Sana Ginwalla

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“I can bring what I witness and what I author into one photograph.”

Going on vacation with my friends to the town of Siavonga has become a yearly tradition. The slow and quiet nature of the town contrasts heavily with the loud hustle and bustle of everyday Lusaka life. It affords me a break in reality. A year before this self-portrait was taken, where I’m sitting in the landscape was completely submerged under water. It was because of the declining water level of Lake Kariba at the time that we were able to access the shore. 

The environment and I were both important subjects to this photograph. As I was shooting, I spotted a stationary fisherman and was interested in creating an image that showed an interaction of how we are able to exist on different elements of nature, but also share how this novelty to me was just a way of life for the people of Siavonga. 

I have a love for photographing people. There’s something so special about being able to freeze a moment of time forever with so much control on what that “time” is. As a photographer, I am able to create a tangible personal worldview. I am forced to engage with how I actually see the world and communicate it to someone who isn’t in my head. I can bring what I witness and what I author into one photograph.

— Maingaila Mavundika

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About Maingaila Muvundika

Maingaila Muvundika is a Zambian visual artist and photographer whose work explores how different demographic elements of a community inform how people interact and navigate within the wider community. Through costuming and the production of sets, Maingaila produces staged photographs that are deeply personal and observant. His practice probes aspects of individuality, fashion, beauty standards, spirituality and belonging as a discovery into how identity and sense of self is shaped. More of his work can be found on Instagram and via these features on Nkwazi Magazine and Contemporary And.

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LAST WEEK — “Ndi Nne Ochie” by Amarachi Nnoli

This photo was taken in my village after my father’s 60th birthday mass in our Anambra home. The subjects of the photo are my paternal grandmother in the middle looking directly at me, flanked on both sides by my grand aunties. I think about this photo a lot – sad about how in the next 20 years or so these women would not be here, but also joyful because I immortalized them with this single photograph. 

Read more.

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This is the 105th edition of this publication, edited by Sana Ginwalla, one of our editorial fellows. The newsletter also read on web (best for viewing images), and via the Substack iOS/Android apps.

TENDER PHOTO is a newsletter on African photography. Every Wednesday we feature a photograph and a short caption about it, and include a statement from the photographer. Every Friday, we publish commentaries or photo-essays in response to photographs previously featured on the newsletter. The most recent series is INDEX, and the next series will begin on February 16.

Our goal is to work with African photographers by creating a platform in which they lead the cataloguing and engagement with their work.

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