Maasai Women Feeling Photography. Objects and practices between affects, commercialization and colonialism

Abstract

The stereotyped image of the Maasai is a significant aspect of Tanzania’s tourist industry, with photography playing a key role as a form of commercialization as well as a source of income. For some Maasai women themselves, however, selling their image is a complex endeavor implying cultural, economic, and affective challenges. Unlike tourists seeking an authentic experience, Maasai women question where their images go, for what purpose, and to what end. Departing from a collection of colonial photographs brought to the field, this article explores the intricate relationship Maasai women have with their own image, contrasting their perspectives with broader themes of tourism and photography. Photographs are highly affective objects that facilitate relationships of looking and being looked at; at the same time, they can carry memories and are, in the case of tourist photography, highly mobile objects, that circulate globally. While their photographs become a commodity, Maasai individuals are often excluded from the consumption and control of their own images. However, within Maasai households, women often function as the safekeepers of the family’s photography; the images in these contexts become carefully guarded objects that the women cherish and care for. The article explores the women’s complex relationships with the medium of photography, facilitating a more nuanced understanding of photography and photographic practices in the Maasai context.