This clip is a collection of brief samples from the themes of our short film, further enlivened with musical drama! Please join my free (advance registration required) webinar on Nov 9 to hear more about all these topics. Our full 9-minute film is on the registration page, also. The webinar is sponsored by the UK-based Anglo-Ethiopian Society and starts at 7pm UK time (that’s 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern in the US). “See” you there, I hope!
In several scenes of this closing clip, you may have noticed my small book (which is 8”x8” in size, with 62 pages). Talented designer Elisabeth Ajtay and I created this preview edition as a way to describe the 1st generation project (before I knew there would be a second generation!). I took copies of the book to Ethiopia when I returned in October, 2021 and left a signed book with each of my collaborators there (about 35 copies in all). I haven’t decided on next steps with the book (and it’s not generally available), but Barmugur and Barhallo were pleased to find themselves on the cover!
Click on the linktr.ee in my bio to access more about:
Nov 9 webinar registration, w/ full short film
2nd gen Eloquent Suri project preview, w/ full 2022 short film
translation, literacy, alphabet, w/ 2013 Suri Literacy Project video;
overall project background
1st gen cultural portraits
1st gen limited edition prints
1st gen exhibit
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #eloquentsuri
#travelingphotographyexhibit
#artbythesuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
It has been a privilege to photograph and film the beautiful face and body painting traditions of the Suri. In 2021, Suri elders told us that a few of the wonderfully adorned portrait collaborators I’d photographed in 2019 were not as traditional in those adornments as they could be. Those collaborators readily agreed to make new portraits with me; this clip shows some of the results. You can learn more about these adornment traditions at a free webinar sponsored by the Anglo-Ethiopian Society on Nov 9 at 7pm UK time (that’s 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern in the US, 10pm in East Africa). Please use the linktr.ee in my bio to register for the webinar and the necessary Zoom link; the registration page also has our full 9-minute film.
You may remember Ngakɔshi from an earlier post in this series; her son Barcorona (!) was born during the pandemic. The last river scene in this clip shows Ngakɔshi preparing for her face painting session, with Barcorona playing beside her. A dramatic comparison between her 2019 and 2021 adornments is here, as well.
Click on the linktr.ee in my bio to access more about:
Nov 9 webinar registration, w/ full short film
2nd gen Eloquent Suri project preview, w/ full 2022 short film
translation, literacy, alphabet, w/ 2013 Suri Literacy Project video;
overall project background
1st gen cultural portraits
1st gen limited edition prints
1st gen exhibit
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #eloquentsuri
#travelingphotographyexhibit
#artbythesuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
Until the early 2000s, there was no written form of the Suri language; now there is. This clip shows scenes inside an actual government school classroom. Though pandemic school closures were still in effect, we gathered some students and teachers for exercises. You can learn more at my free webinar hosted by the UK-based @AngloEthiopianSociety on Nov 9 at 7pm UK time (that’s 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern in the US, 10pm East Africa). Please use the linktr.ee in my bio to register for webinar and the necessary Zoom link; the registration page also has our full 9-minute film.
The Suri Literacy Project, which ran for 20 years, created teaching materials, trained teachers and taught Suri children and adults in their own language rather than Amharic. Amharic is widely used in Ethiopia, but largely foreign to the remote Suri people.
The project closed in 2021, due to a lack of funding. Local government schools have now started teaching lower grade classes in Suri, which helps to offset that closure, but there’s lots to be done to strengthen the effectiveness of mother tongue education in Suri communities. I’m working with large language development NGO @SILinternational and their Ethiopian branch @SILethiopia to help launch a new Suri literacy initiative to tackle those needed improvements. Please join me for the Nov 9 webinar to hear the latest on this initiative and how you can help!
Click on the linktr.ee in my bio to access more about:
Nov 9 webinar registration, w/ full short film
2nd gen Eloquent Suri project preview, w/ full 2022 short film
translation, literacy, alphabet, w/ 2013 Suri Literacy Project video;
overall project background
1st gen cultural portraits
1st gen limited edition prints
1st gen exhibit
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #eloquentsuri
#travelingphotographyexhibit
#artbythesuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
This clip has additional intriguing Suri name stories, including for Barhallo. Want to learn more about the Eloquent Suri? I’ll be presenting a free Zoom-hosted webinar on Nov 9 at 7pm UK time (11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern in the US, 10pm in East Africa), hosted by the UK-based @AngloEthiopianSociety (AES). Please use the linktr.ee in my bio to sign up for the webinar and the necessary Zoom link; the registration page also has our full 9-minute film.
I thank John Mellors of AES for inviting me to do this presentation and for his ongoing interest in the Suri and active support of my project. Thanks again, also, to Shem Compion of @c4photosafaris , co-producer and outstanding film photographer for our short film!!
As noted in this clip, Barhallo got his name because he was born just as cell phones were starting to become available in Suri territory. The Suri use “Hallo” as a greeting only on the phone; otherwise, they use “Saro.”
When we interviewed Barhallo in 2021, he (along with several of the other boys among our collaborators) had two requests regarding future portraits: 1) present them in color and 2) make them solo portraits. Done on both counts!
Click on the linktr.ee in my bio to access more about:
Nov 9 webinar registration, w/ full short film
2nd gen Eloquent Suri project preview, w/ full 2022 short film
translation, literacy, alphabet, w/ 2013 Suri Literacy Project video;
overall project background
1st gen cultural portraits
1st gen limited edition prints
1st gen exhibit
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #eloquentsuri
#travelingphotographyexhibit
#artbythesuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
As you’ll hear in this clip, I aim to create images of the (very photogenic) Suri people, but also to unearth the stories of those people and their culture, to combine all those ingredients into a compelling narrative. This is the third in a small series of posts previewing my 2nd generation Eloquent Suri project.
The closing scene in the clip and the accompanying newsletter cover show Ngaturɛ. The newsletter is the most recent issue of News File, which is distributed to hundreds of members of the UK-based Anglo-Ethiopian Society (AES). That issue announced my Eloquent Suri presentation to the November 9 online AES meeting (details in my next post).
The turɛ in Ngaturɛ’s name refers to a category of horns that includes the special type used by the Suri solely in the kilonga ceremony. A kilonga celebrates an anniversary of the passing of an elder in the community. Individual community members bring a favorite cow; the ceremony is a community-wide demonstration of respect and remembrance for that elder. By tradition, Suri people named Ngaturɛ or Barturɛ were born during a kilonga.
This next brief clip from our film shares Juan de Swardt’s masterful opening cascade of imagery. The full 9-minute film is here: https://www.markovergaard.art/2nd-generation-project.
The Suri have a long tradition of creative face and body painting, mainly for special occasions.
Barmugur & Barhallo’s portrait from my 2019 visit is the climax of Juan’s cascade. The “mugur” in Barmugur’s name means darkness; he was born at night. I’ll have more on Barhallo later.
I’m honored that juror Paul Kopeikin included this image in the Center for Photographic Art’s 2022 International Juried Exhibition, which opens November 19; it was also chosen by jurors Ann Jastrab and Jan Watten for last year’s Yellow! exhibit at the Gray Loft Gallery.
The Suri have a long tradition of creative face and body painting, mainly for special occasions.
“It’s good if you tell the entire world about the Suri culture.” That’s Ngasedhey (an elderly Suri woman) speaking, in this clip from our short film about my Eloquent Suri of Ethiopia project. See the linktr.ee in my bio to access the full 9-minute film and preview the 2nd generation of that project.
I’ve included Ngasedhey’s 2019 portrait here also. Her name means “young girls.” Her parents chose that name, she said in our 2021 interview, because there were lots of young girls in her village when she was born. Suri names for babies usually start with the prefix “Nga” for girls and “Bar” for boys, followed by a word or phrase recalling circumstances at their times of birth. She’s smoking her dholdu (Suri for pipe) in this portrait.
Just as Ngasedhey recommended, telling the world about the Suri culture is one of the main goals of my project. This post is the first in a series that aims to preview my 2nd generation project, including new imagery from my October 2021 return visit to the Suri.
The credits list in the short film recognizes numerous contributors, but I want to especially thank my Suri collaborators and: co-producer/film photographer Shem Compion of @c4photosafaris , film editor @juandeswardt and lead Ethiopian guide @henokabba .
Click on the linktr.ee in my bio to access more about:
2nd gen Eloquent Suri project preview, w/ full 2022 short film
translation, literacy, alphabet, w/ 2013 Suri Literacy Project video
overall project background
1st gen cultural portraits
1st gen limited edition prints
1st gen exhibit
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #eloquentsuri
#travelingphotographyexhibit
#artbythesuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
PORTRAIT, TRAVELING EXHIBIT: “Ngadhenggi” (“dhenggi” = peak, as in a mountain; in a name, this word can refer to the shape of a person’s head, when it has a pronounced peak at the top)
CULTURAL GLIMPSES: The patterns created in Suri body painting don’t have ritual or symbolic meaning, but the overall idea has some pragmatic roots. For instance, men and boys tending cattle in the hot sun often cover their sensitive skin with chalk or even cow dung to protect it.
SWIPE for a reminder: the CPA 8x10 Fundraising Auction ends on Oct 7: only 10 more days! This 62-page book about the Suri people is part of my auction lot, along with an 8x10 portrait of Barmugur and Barhallo, who also grace the cover and a separate portrait spread inside. My linktr.ee gets you to the overall auction and to the specific page for my lot; please check them out. CPA needs your support!
VISIT linktr.ee in my bio for more on:
portraits & culture;
limited edition prints;
translation, literacy, alphabet;
traveling exhibit, bringing it to your community.
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #travelingphotographyexhibit
#suriart #artbythesuri #eloquentsuri
#blackandwhiteportrait
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
LITERACY PANELS, TRAVELING EXHIBIT: “nyimo” = sunflower; “bhurra” = eggs
CULTURAL GLIMPSES: The first panel show a Suri woman tending sunflowers in her garden; the second one a very productive hen and her eggs.
VISIT linktr.ee in my bio for more on:
portraits & culture;
limited edition prints;
translation, literacy, alphabet;
traveling exhibit, bringing it to your community.
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #travelingphotographyexhibit
#suriart #artbythesuri #eloquentsuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
PORTRAIT, TRAVELING EXHIBIT: “Ngagu” (“gu” = farm)
CULTURAL GLIMPSES: Suri women maintain small gardens next to their family dwellings, where they grow vegetables for food and gourds for use as containers. Copper bracelets like Ngagu’s are popular with Suri women.
THANKS: @shmuelthaler and his co-producers of @openshowsc for including my presentation of the #eloquentsuriphotoproject (with this image) in its September, 2020 program.
VISIT linktr.ee in my bio for more on:
portraits & culture;
limited edition prints;
translation, literacy, alphabet;
traveling exhibit, bringing it to your community.
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #travelingphotographyexhibit
#suriart #artbythesuri #eloquentsuri
#blackandwhiteportrait
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
PORTRAIT, TRAVELING EXHIBIT: “Ngaguyɔ B” (“guyɔ” = rain)
CULTURAL GLIMPSES: Various traditional Suri activities typically happen after seasonal rains, when food is usually more plentiful. For instance, that’s often when discussions of potential marriage alliances begin. Earlobe discs are a strong Suri tradition, sometimes decorated and frequently worn on an everyday basis.
VISIT linktr.ee in my bio for more on:
portraits & culture;
limited edition prints;
translation, literacy, alphabet;
traveling exhibit, bringing it to your community.
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #travelingphotographyexhibit
#suriart #artbythesuri #eloquentsuri
#blackandwhiteportrait
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
LITERACY PANELS, TRAVELING EXHIBIT: “liwa” = sorghum
CULTURAL GLIMPSES: The panel tells how a Suri woman harvested her sorghum. Her child was sick, so she asked for help from other women and gratefully received it. Another panel, included in last week’s set of posts and used in teaching the letter ‘ɔ,’ showed how village boys use slingshots to protect sorghum crops from raiding weaver birds.
PLAY: In the final clip from the Suri literacy video, Suri teacher Olekibo Bhoribhori shares his passion for the Suri language: “We love our language. We want our language to live forever!”
THANKS: Numerous people and organizations contributors helped to make this Suri literacy video project a reality. See the credits in this final video clip for the full list.
VISIT linktr.ee in my bio for more on:
portraits & culture;
limited edition prints;
translation, literacy, alphabet;
traveling exhibit, bringing it to your community.
#markovergaardart #limitededitionphotography
#eloquentsuriphotoproject #eloquentsuritravelingexhibit #travelingphotographyexhibit
#suriart #artbythesuri #eloquentsuri
#suritribe #omovalleytribes
#literacychangeslives #mothertongueliteracy
#culturalsanctuaries #exploreandeducate
