In collaboration with Archivio Storico Luce, Archivio Memorie Coloniali-MOXA, Maaza Mengiste
L’occhio coloniale
There is a significant absence in Italy’s collective memory: the colonial past that accompanied the nation’s birth, growth, and development. It is estimated that the Italian occupation in Africa caused over 500,000 deaths. Drawing on three archives, the exhibition explores the role of photography in this context: a silent but powerful weapon of the regime and a mirror of the colonists’ mentality.
The Archivio Storico Luce, part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World register, houses thousands of images depicting the conquest of Ethiopia, capturing both its propaganda messaging and the harsh realities of everyday life. The Archivio Memorie Coloniali-MOXA, containing more than 16,000 images, recounts private testimonies of the Italian colonial experience, which have been removed from the official narrative. Finally, Ethiopian-American writer Maaza Mengiste, through a rediscovered photo album, investigates Ethiopia’s past by giving voice to women excluded from history.
Under the patronage and with the contribution of
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With the contribution of
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