The exhibition juxtaposes the fate of trafficked African women on their often-perilous voyage
A photo exhibition dubbed: About Africa, and supported by the Ghana Embassy in Italy, has opened in Trapani on the West Coast of Sicily.
The exhibition by international documentary photographer, Francesco Bellina, is hosted by the Museo San Rocco (San Roco Museum). Curated by Don Liborio Palmeri, it features works from two separate projects by Bellina namely, ‘Oriri’ and ‘Pray for Seamen’.
In his ‘Oriri’ project, Bellina highlights the personal lives and challenges of trafficked women, enslaved during their voyage from Africa to Europe for greener pastures, depicting the often-attendant aberrant religious rituals.
The other project, Pray for Seamen, captures the lives of fishermen enslaved by the new industrial fishing methods that have distorted, in Africa as in Europe, their genuine relationship with the sea.
The exhibition juxtaposes the fate of trafficked African women on their often-perilous voyage through the high seas to seek greener pastures, on one hand, and the lives of fishermen caught between disruptive fishing methods while at sea, on the other.
Through the exhibition, Francesco Bellina aims to open a conversation on urgent issues that affect all of humanity and the life of the planet earth.
Within a month of its opening, the exhibition has welcomed more than 3,000 visitors, including David Hinds, leader of Steel Pulse reggae band, and several Italian politicians.
During a tour of the exhibition, Francesco Bellina, highlighted the responsibility of Europeans in the enslavement and impoverishment of the African continent.
He also explained the values of the Ghanaian society, tradition and history, including chieftaincy, the importance of Ghana’s independence in 1957, and history of the Ashanti Kingdom.
A Trapani-born photographer based in Palermo and Accra, Francesco Bellina attended the Faculty of Law in Palermo and simultaneously devoted himself to photography.
His artistic works focus mainly on contemporary socio-political issues, with particular focus on issues of migration and climate.
Bellina developed a significant connection with Ghana, where he has opened a creative studio and initiated as well as supported several educational projects.
He, also, frequently collaborates with African, American and European universities and institutions offering lectures on photography, geopolitics and colonialism.
Bellina’s works have featured in major international media such as The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Globe and Mail, Le Monde, L’Espresso, The Washington Post, among others.
