Author Description

Joana Choumali is fascinated with African people of different social origins who proudly display their facial scarification. But the practice is disappearing in her native Ivory Coast and the surrounding countries, due to pressure from religious and state authorities and urban practices. Choumalis work involves the link between past and present, as well as self-image. For this project she sought out the last generation of people who bear the imprint of the past on their faces. What was once the norm, indicating social standing or tribe, is now excluded. Through portraits and testimonies, the series illustrates the complexity of identity in contemporary Africa, torn between its past and future.