Joseph Makula
Encyclopedia
Joseph Makula was a photographer from the Belgian Congo
.
After joining the Force Publique
, Makula served on the army newspaper, Sango ya biso, and in a military photographic laboratory. He left the army in 1956, and later joined the Congopresse agency, as their first African photographer.
He continued to work for Congopresse after independence, training a new generation of Zaire
an photographers. In 1968, Congopresse closed down and Makula set up his own business, Photo Mak, operating in Lemba
, Kinshasa
, until 1991.
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
.
After joining the Force Publique
Force Publique
The Force Publique , French for "Public Force", was both a gendarmerie and a military force in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1885, , through the period of direct Belgian colonial rule...
, Makula served on the army newspaper, Sango ya biso, and in a military photographic laboratory. He left the army in 1956, and later joined the Congopresse agency, as their first African photographer.
He continued to work for Congopresse after independence, training a new generation of Zaire
Zaire
The Republic of Zaire was the name of the present Democratic Republic of the Congo between 27 October 1971 and 17 May 1997. The name of Zaire derives from the , itself an adaptation of the Kongo word nzere or nzadi, or "the river that swallows all rivers".-Self-proclaimed Father of the Nation:In...
an photographers. In 1968, Congopresse closed down and Makula set up his own business, Photo Mak, operating in Lemba
Lemba, Kinshasa
Lemba is a municipality in the Mont Amba district of Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo....
, Kinshasa
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
, until 1991.
Sources
- Christraud M. Geary, In and Out of Focus: Images from Central Africa, 1885-1960. London: Philip Wilson for Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. pp. 54–55.
- Kinshasa Photographers, 1870 to 2000. Revue NoireRevue NoireRevue Noire is a specialist publisher of books and web material relating to African contemporary art and culture, based in France. From 1991 to 2001, Editions Revue Noire published the printed quarterly magazine Revue Noire...
, 2001. ISBN 290957153X.
External links
- A photograph by Makula from the National Museum of African ArtNational Museum of African ArtThe National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
.