A documentary photographer and aid worker presents a vivid portrayal of daily life for African women. The recent exhibition in Cocentaina, titled Africa is a Woman, features forty colorful images that center on adult women, elderly women, and schoolgirl voices in rural communities across Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, South Sudan, and Togo.
The photographs accompany the photographer’s latest book Afrorisms. Africa is a Woman (2020), which offers ethnographic and geographic context through dozens of words that illuminate the traditions of 54 African countries and nearly all of Western Sahara.
This volume builds on the first installment, Afrorisms. African Proverbs with Pictures (2017), a pedagogical project developed for schools and rural communities to recover, document, and honor ancestral oral cultures. Since 2017, the project has offered a practical educational and cultural tool that travels with communities, reinforcing the value of oral heritage in learning environments.
Cocentaina Municipal Public Library, Pla de la Font, 10, Cocentaina, remains open until December 23. Hours are Monday to Friday, 09:30–13:30 and 16:00–20:00, with Saturday visits available from 10:00 to 13:00.
Afrorisms as an Educational Project
Afrorisms. Africa is a Woman and Afrorisms. Illustrated African Proverbs form a multi-language educational resource, available in Spanish, French, and English. The project has been a vehicle for cultural exchange since 2017, engaging schools, NGOs, and civil organizations across Africa to recover, evaluate, and archive ancestral oral traditions.
The central aim is to show how students learn to interpret and apply the spoken wisdom of their families and communities. Teachers use the wisdom contained in these volumes as authentic text material to enrich classroom learning and cultural understanding.
Afrorisms is a personal venture funded and guided by the photographer. It operates independently, without affiliation to any organization, subsidies, or sponsors. Financial needs are met through book sales to African educational institutions, the rental of photographic exhibitions, cultural support activities, and locally crafted textiles sold to support the project. The resources generated are reinvested to expand the reach of Afrorisms within schools and communities, ensuring ongoing access to this living archive of oral heritage.