Bubblegum Club

Tag: Somalia

  • Daily Paper // transcending borders with their latest women’s collection

    Daily Paper // transcending borders with their latest women’s collection

    The Amsterdam-based lifestyle and streetwear brand Daily Paper present their third women’s collection as part of their “Transcend Borders” Spring/Summer 18 campaign. Founded by Jefferson Osei, Hussein Suleiman and Abderrahmane Trabsini, who have their roots in Ghana, Somalia and Morocco, aim for every collection to have an element that pays homage to their cultural homes.

    In an interview with the Head of Design at Daily Paper, Berivan Cemal, she explained that this collection was built on the idea of transcending expectations. The idea came from a conversation she had with Jefferson, Hussein and Abderrahmane about their travels and global connections. Related to this was a larger discussion about why we seek relationships with people across the globe and how it is possible to identify with people from different countries.

    Conceptually, the collection also makes a comment on how bodies are governed through the use of passports and documents that are necessary for the policing of borders. “We challenge a system that aims to keep us within boxes and borders.” The collection tells a story that is influenced by globalization, with the intention of putting an end to ideas like racism and truly embracing multiculturalism. The focus on eroding borders has always been part of the Daily Paper DNA, but it was with the SS18 collection that they engaged in this conversation intensely. “We want the youth to talk to each other. If a conversation arises from someone noticing a print on a t-shirt then so be it. We realize that these kids are the future and they love to express their identity through clothing.”

    Oversized silhouettes, taking the form of trousers, blazers, pullovers and a statement snake-skin set, exhibits a revolving activewear theme with tracksuits and printed shirts all making noteworthy appearances.

    The editorial plays on afrofuturistic aesthetics, where shadows create a cryptic, other-worldly mood, visually tapping into the idea of transcending borders. Reflecting on the shoot, Berivan stated that she loves “when something looks beautiful and glamorous from afar and up close you discover small elements of surprise. We wanted it to seem like it was shot in a studio but reality, it’s a beautiful colored wall outside, taking advantage of Africa’s beautiful lighting. I wanted to create something only possible in South Africa, something only feasible with a team of amazing creative locals.”

    Check out the Daily Paper website to get a hold of this new collection.

    Credits
    Photography: Jamal Nxedlana
    Art Direction: Jamal Nxedlana & Berivan Cemal
    Styling: Berivan Cemal & Jamal Nxedlana
    Hair: Yonela Makoba
    Make Up: Nuzhah Jacobs
    Produced by: Bubblegumclub & Berivan Cemal
    Photography Assistant: Andrew Aichison
    Styling Assistant: Sarah Hugo-Hamman
    Models: Ideline Akimana and Gina Jeanz 

  • Mustafa Saeed – digital reimaginings of people and places in Somali

    Photography and other forms of digital imagery have the ability to unwrap the positive cloth that people in positions of power use to cover up the societal problems that they have not been able to address o have an active hand in perpetuating. Photographer and graphic artist Mustafa Saeed recognizes that releasing his shutter provides an engagement with these issues behind fabricated filters.

    His work titled Cornered Energies highlights the non-existence of youth platforms for youth in Somalia, as well as the lack of self-expression they face. The title of this work speaks to this directly, expressing how under these circumstances young people are forced to bottle up their creative energies, resulting in wasted energy that sits in the corner, untouched. Saeed photographed young people in various spaces that make up their everyday. Adding another layer to this engagement with suppressed energy, Mustafa interviewed the people he photographed about how they feel with regards to the lack of freedom to express their creative desires. The project culminated in a slideshow of images looping while the audio recordings of his participants provide voice and context to the visual narrative.

    Image from ‘Cornered Energies’

    Saeed’s work also sheds light on the high unemployment rate in Somalia. His photographic series, Division Multiplied, he depicts men sitting outside a telecommunication office in downtown Hargeisa reading newspapers in the hopes of finding job advertisements. Saeed’s ability to capture the raw reality many face demonstrates how this collective plight is more than a statistic. His humanist references for his work are clearly visible in these works.

    Image from ‘Division Multiplied’

    While a lot of his work reflects on the everyday issues that need to be addressed in Somalia, Saeed also finds it important to present a counter-narrative to the way in which his country is represented in Western media. Teaming up with eight other photographers, and tapping into the way in which apps such as Instagram provide a way to make counter-narratives reach the surface, he participated in the project Everyday Horn of Africa. The project also included photographers from Ethiopia. With the intention to dismantle the dominant visuals of their home  country, they took photographs that constructed an everyday that goes beyond images of poverty, and Western self-promotion through images of providing aid.

    Peace & Milk, 2015, Photography and digital collage

    To check out more of Saeed’s work visit his website or Facebook page. Below is the video for Cornered Energies.