MEERI KOUTANIEMI

Namibia: Re-customized, De-colonized (2012)

Hereros are an ethnic tribe inhabiting mainly Namibia. At the turn of the 20th century, German colonizers took them to concentration camps where it is estimated that 80 percent of the population perished. This episode has not only been etched into the memory of the later generations, but has also found its way into the clothes of the tribe: influences from both Victorian attire era and the uniforms of German soldiers can be discerned in their costume today.

Ironically, by re-interpreting the style once associated with their conquerors, the Hereros have managed a de-colonization of sorts, which results in a photographic series of a rare aesthetic quality.