African Mood

The power of the human spirit

African Mood is Martin Osner’s black and white photography of rural Africa, made in Venda, Namibia and the Northern Cape since 2007. In his words:

“There is something so special about the rawness and the authenticity of the African feeling. I go out into the rural areas and drive through rural villages, in some places small plots of land, in others slightly denser living, and there is something about this rural way of life that feels timeless, aged. If it is not donkeys or goats or cows, it is children playing in the streets.

Especially in the winter months, when the fires are going and the food is being cooked, there is a haze from the smoke. None of these places have tarred roads, it is always gravel, so there always seems to be dust in the air. For photography that makes a very special, atmospheric haze. But there is also an atmosphere within the people. They are so authentic, so real.

One has to stop and ask, compared with the great cities of the world, New York, London, Tokyo, which of these people have the better life? I will tell you where I would rather live. Where the children can run and enjoy the open land, and where community is built not around television, radio and streaming, but around friendship, huddled in a small room sharing a meal by candlelight. For me that feels more authentic, and a better way to live.

That is why African Mood is made in black and white, because it is timeless. And it is not only a story about the power of human shape. It is about the power of the human spirit.”

Martin Osner