Angéle Etoundi Essamba
‘Photography is for me a need to express and to communicate. As long as the need will exist, I will create.’
Angéle was born in Douala and grew up in Yaoundé in Cameroon, but as a young girl went to Paris where she received her education. Later she moved to the Netherlands where she trained at the Netherlands Professional School of Photography ( Nederlandse Fotovakshool).
Angéle has gained international recognition with exhibitions all over the world (Africa, Europe, Asia, South America and United States).
In her work she has broken away from the stereotypical representations of an Africa torn by famines and wars, instead celebrating the cultural richness and diversity of the continent. She is focused in the creation of black women portraits that question the concepts of identity and cultural duality, in order to promote mutual respect, understanding and tolerance.