African Agenda ëFocusí Reveals Stereotypical Images of Central Africans From Colonial Times by Carolyn Chapman The photographs displayed at the National Museum of African Art in ìIn and Out of Focus: Images From Central Africa, 1885-1960î follow strikingly similar themes. There are portraits of men dancing, displaying their hunting gear and showing off their native dress. There are portraits of beautiful women with body decorations, adornments and elaborate hair. There are also images of workers on steam ships, on caravans, on fields, on railroad tracks and in quarries. And there are photographs of ceremonies, rituals and royal families. These photographsótaken by Western photographers during the period of colonial domination in Africa by Belgium, France and Portugalófollowed the same themes for a reason: They all had an agenda. Many of the images became postcards or stenographs, which were widely distributed in Europe. They created and perpetuated stereotypes and ideas about Africans and served the purpose of popularizing colonialism. ìThese photographs were taken through the eyes of Wes tern photographers,î said curator Christraud M. Geary. ìThis is the kind of stuff that you would have found in magazines at the time.î What most viewers didnít know was that nearly all of the photographs were highly staged, and the photographers usually even provided the props for their subjects. Western photographers didnít just happen to stumble on these ceremonies and royal family gatherings, they orchestrated the scenes, posing their subjects in rigid ways, particularly when the goal was type photography. When Westerners depicted Africans in this way, ìthey became depersonalized types, and they lost their identity because they were characterized by their physical characteristics,î said Geary. ìIt was based on racial classification, and it allowed the colonialists to control the Africans through photography. It allowed them to create an overview in which everybody fit.î Force was often a factor in creating the photographs and the ìposing was often done during duress,î said Geary. ìBut we donít have any explanation about how the encounters unfolded.î The Africans at that time were getting used to the idea of photography, and they were not clueless as to its uses. ìThe photographer often became irrelevant in portrait photography because the portrayed chose how they were depicted,î Geary pointed out. ìAs they were photographed, Africans became familiar with the photographic practice.î In particular, the Mangbetu of the northeastern Congo, the Tutsi in Rwanda, and the Kuba in the southern central part of the Congo became extremely adept at being photographed. ìWe have to imagine that there were photographers coming through at all times because the Tutsi had acquired a mythic image,î said Geary. Photographs featuring these groups also attracted filmmakers, and the iconic images found their way onto postage stamps, sculptures, jewelry and even hood ornaments for cars. One of the highlights of ìIn and Out of Focusî is the work of Casimir Zagourski, a Polish photographer who opened a studio in the Belgian Congo and became one of the top photographers photographing Africa between World War I and World War II. Zagourski was convinced of the idea that the African people were on the verge of extinction. ìIt was his labor of love to do a documentation to show the beauty of Africa and Africans,î said Geary. ìHis technical skills were remarkable, and he always got up very close to his subjects.î Although some of the photographs in the exhibition seem to be amateurish, many of them are beautiful and were produced by photographers with an obviously high level of technical skill. However, these photographs are viewed very differently from a present day perspective than they were when they were taken. The photographs that were meant to portray colonial achievement and economic success look more like exploitation, abuse and forced labor to viewers today. And even though type photography was used to perpetuate stereotypical ideas about Africans, photography has also been used to the benefit of its subjects. It brought the publicís attention to the atrocities being committed in the Congo and ìphotography in the Congo led to the demise of the regime of King Leopold II,î noted Geary, ìwhich is one of the earliest instances where photography has been put to social uses.î ìIn and Out of Focus: Images From Central Africa, 1885-1960î runs through March 16 at the National Museum of African Art, 950 Independence Ave. SW, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. In conjunction with the exhibition, the museum will sponsor a variety of programs, including discussions, film screenings and reading programs for children. For more information, please call (202) 357-4600 or visit www.si.edu/nmafa. Carolyn Chapman is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.