Nicola Lo Calzo: obia

Abstract

Obia' is originally an Akan word, specifically attributed to the Fanti. It points to a belief system developed by Maroon peoples since their arrival from West Africa. The Obia photographic project – undertaken in the historical Maroon territories of Saamaka-Land and Maroni-Land, in both Suriname and French Guiana – seeks to interrogate the links between the exceptional magical-religious legacy of Maroon people and the new challenges that stem from modernity: intergenerational conflict, loss of references, unemployment and rural migration. This book is part of Lo Calzo’s long-term photographic project Cham about the living memories of colonial slavery and anti-slavery struggles. Exhibition: Memorial to abolition of slavery, Nantes, France (10.05. - 30.09.2015) / Galery Dominique Fiat, Paris, France (20.05. - 20.06.2015).