Photographer: Lamote Carlo (1928-2017).
Title: untitled (Femme Babira).
Date: 1955.
Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Medium: unmounted gelatin silver print.
Size: 39,7 x 30 cm.
Condition: very good.
Reference: CLV0419/1.
Provenance: collection family Carlo Lamote.
Extra: The Babira (Bira) inhabit the region located along the lower course of the Epulu river and part of the Ituri.
A lip plate is a round disc made of clay or wood that, in some African and American cultures, is traditionally inserted into a hole in the upper or lower lip to stretch it. By continuously inserting a larger disc, the hole gradually becomes bigger.
There are lot of speculations on how lip plates originated, but one common belief is that it started because the men of some tribes wanted their women to look uninteresting to foreign men during the time of slavery. Hence, it could be perceived as a response to colonialism.
Location: region Bunia, province Ituri (former province Orientale).
Photographer and cameraman Carlo Lamote (1928-2017) left for Congo in 1950 to work for the colonial information service. For ten years, he travelled to every corner of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi to highlight the colonial achievements. Propaganda is the name of the game, but he turned out to be an excellent photographer. Together with his colleague Henri Goldstein, Lamote has shaped our image of the Belgian Congo. Open any book about the 1950s in the colony and you will find their names under the photos.
After independence, he set up his own film production company and news agency, with Visnew, ABC and CBS as regular customers. He was also the founder of Congovox, the news service of the Congolese state broadcaster.
 
Price: 600,00 € (unframed) or 780,00 € (Framed - float-mounted using archival, acid-free materials. It features a non-adhered backing to allow for natural expansion and contraction, and is glazed with museum-grade glass offering 99% UV protection and maximum anti-reflective performance).