Congolese artist Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga investigates the influence of globalization on African identities and the anxieties of contemporary African urbanism in Kinshasa through a series of paintings. The series, drawing inspiration from Congolese aesthetics and the compounded nature of identity, reflects on the traditional culture of his hometown in Mangbetu. Referencing diverse forms of advertising and photography, the compelling works from the “Mangbetu” series “pay homage to the warrior culture of the Mangbetu people of Sudanese origin who live in the eastern province of the Democratic Republic of Congo”. According to the artist, “despite defying colonization, the Mangbetu people are suffering from a phenomenon of acculturation caused by the postcolonial will to modernize. The last survivors of the Mangbetu culture are today struggling to save their heritage from extinction”.
Here are some of Kamuanga’s works from the “Mangbetu” series in pictures.
