“The Face Of African Dignity”

Kenya Wed 17-10-2007

“The Face Of African Dignity”
By a Correspondent

The photographic exhibition “The Face of African Dignity”, made up of 75 photos shot in Kenya , Burundi , Tanzania , Ethiopia and Somalia summarizes some of the concepts dearest to Giulio D’Ercole: the possibility of finding Beauty, Strength, Pride, Happiness and Dignity even in those places where a distracted eye could see only poverty and degradation.

This is the objective that he attempted to capture, in Maasailand, just like in the forest of Burundi, in a village of Tanzania or in the faces of young and adult Somalis and Ethiopians, the bright Soul of human beings whose eyes express, for those who want to read it, an inner wealth that is too often disregarded, forgotten or ignored. The Wealth of Life.

Some of the photos shown in this exhibition have been taken in Kibera, the biggest slum of Africa, second only to Soweto. Giulio D’Ercole was taken to Kibera by his friend John Kanyua, a young man born and raised in the slum. John, one of the brightest and most positive human beings that the photographer ever met showed him a different face of Kibera: the face of dignified, resilient, courageous People.

John was shot in Kibera on July 2007. He died of post surgery complications on July 10th 2007.

This exhibition is a tribute to his life and generosity.

Photographer’s Biography

Giulio D’Ercole was born in Rome on 17th February 1961.

After graduating in Literature and Philosophy at the “La Sapienza” University of Rome , he worked in theatre, radio and television. From 1988 to 1997 he was producer and author for TMC (now La7).

In 1997 he moved to New York , where he was employed by RAI Corporation as Senior Producer. Here he participated in the production of many historical documentaries, entertainment, news and current affairs programs with directors and journalists of national and international repute.

In New York he also participated in the production of numerous features on one of the events that changed the history of world policy: the World Trade Centre terror attack in September 2001. In 2002 and 2003 he was employed as Executive Producer by Globalvision and Rossellini & Associates for the production of the Award-winning documentary “The Hole in the Wall”.

In August 2003, after having worked with Rossellini & Associates on several documentaries with social themes in Italy and the USA , Giulio moved to Nairobi to found “Canvas Africa Productions”, a media house whose mission is the production of documentaries and photo reportages that expose, outside of the cultural stereotypes and negativisms, the richness of present realities on the African continent.

In this regard Canvas Africa Productions has already produced not less than 15 documentaries for international and African NGO’s (CARE, FAWE, WVI, PFP) and for several UN agencies (UNDP, UN-OCHA, ILO).

As a Media Consultant and Project Officer he has also worked successfully with the Italian Cooperation (2004) and with UNESCO (2004-2006) on projects regarding Civic Education, Female Genital Mutilation and HIV and AIDS in Somalia .

He was recently appointed chairman of the jury at the 'Kenya International Film Festival 2007' (KIFF).

More information on Giulio D’Ercole and his activities with Canvas Africa Productions on www.canvas-africa.com

Italian Institute of Culture
Grenadier Tower – 6th floor
Woodvale Grove - Westlands
(opposite Jacaranda Hotel)
Nairobi.

Tel. : 4451266 / 7
Fax : 4451268
E-mail : iicnairobi@esteri.it
Website: www.iicnairobi.esteri.it

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