Reframing Neglect is a new photography series creatively directed by contemporary artist and activist Ada Muluneh that highlights the need to eradicate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) worldwide. The project is made possible by Reaching the Last Mile. From August 3 to September 5, in collaboration with The Africa Center in Harlem, the collection will be on display before moving on to Cromwell Place in London from September 26 to October 8, 2023.
The full series consists of 38 photos taken by photographers from seven different African nations. Through fine art and documentary photography, the photographers highlight the impact that NTDs have on both individuals and communities. They do this by using art as a vehicle for universal human emotion and raising awareness of neglected diseases.
By expanding and involving a community of activist-philanthropists, managing high-impact strategic investments, and collaborating with governmental, non-governmental organization, pharmaceutical, and academic partners, The END Fund mobilizes resources for NTDs and focuses on providing therapies to those in need. The END Fund hired Muluneh to collaborate with photographers from six NTD-affected African nations—Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, and Sudan—to create a body of work to commemorate the organization's 10 years of impact. Photographers Messeret Argaw (born in Ethiopia in 1989), Mustafa Saeed (born in Somalia in 1986), Sarah Wasiwa (born in Uganda in 1980), John Kalapo (born in Mali in 1983), Omoregie Osakpolor (born in Nigeria in 1990), and Ala Kheir (born in Sudan in 1985) are featured in Reframing Neglect.
Muluneh incorporates many narrative layers into each image to produce a potent interpretation of how NTDs affect gender equity, mental health, mobility, and resource access. Muluneh's work deconstructs perceptions of a desolate and destitute Africa by using vibrant colors and reverence for tradition as her means of expression. The Crimson Echo (2021), Muluneh's most recent collection, features both insect ('The Barriers Within') and animal elements.
abstracted bodily parts (in "I Sail on the Memories of My Dreams") that draw attention to the disease carriers and out-of-the-way physical symptoms of NTDs.
In his series, Sudanese photographer Ala Kheir mixes images of people and locations. Kheir draws attention to the Stables Industrial Area, a community outside of Khartoum where displaced families from unstable areas have erected temporary abodes. His artwork brings to light the plight of those who must seek safety in locations unfit for habitation. Most people who live with NTDs live in these new areas, which have sprung up on the outskirts of the city.
Photographer Sarah Waiswa, who was born in Uganda and now resides in Kenya, has been documenting the life of Eunice Atieno, a 48-year-old single mother who has battled lymphatic filariasis (LF), the most common parasitic worm illness to result in permanent disability globally, for 11 years. In its severe stages, the illness can affect other regions of the body, such as the scrotum, and causes consequences including enlarged legs with rough, thicker skin. Following a major drug administration exercise in her area in 2019, Eunice was identified as having LF.
Mustafa Saeed, a Somali documentary photographer and visual artist, focuses on examining the psychological effects that intestinal worms have on those who are affected. Mustafa portrays the abandonment and sense of confinement caused by a sickness with bright ropes and clothing can easily be treated.
John Kalapo, a Mali photographer, takes pictures of people who have NTDs in the country's Kita region. He preserves the dignity of the subjects he pictures while capturing the physical effects of the illness through formal photos. In the communities of Sagabary, Boukarybaye-Bohan, and Kita Town, he concentrates on identifying cases of river blindness and LF.
Meseret Argaw, an Ethiopian photographer, investigates the social, economic, and mental health effects NTDs have on Ethiopian women who live in rural areas. She demonstrates how NTDs trap women in cycles of poverty through conceptual pieces.
In Lagos, Nigeria, Omoregie Osakpolor is a budding documentary photographer. He chronicles in this series the NTD-related operations of END Fund partner, the Amen Foundation, in Gombe, Nigeria. With approximately 166 million individuals at risk, Nigeria has one of the highest incidences of NTDs in the entire globe. The series demonstrates the physical effects of NTDs on patients and how local health professionals are addressing the group of diseases.
Reframing Neglect is a testament to powerful storytelling and highlights the urgency with which we must act collectively to address the burden of these neglected diseases and the impact they have. As the END Fund seeks partnerships that elevate the voices of the communities in which they impact on them.
Muluneh remarks 1.7 billion individuals, a disproportionately large proportion of whom are women and girls, are unnecessarily hindered by a set of treatable, avoidable diseases known as NTDs. Art has the power to change minds and supports more conventional forms of persuasion. It is my goal that this collection will inform and motivate readers to
action for NTD eradication while also presenting an African viewpoint through my own and the other photographers' works included in the collection.
We're happy to be able to present this vital work in New York and London, where the culture of art and imagery is so rich, says Sam Mayer, vice president of public affairs at the END Fund. One of the most effective ways to educate, unite, and inspire action is via storytelling. Reframing Neglect is a beautiful illustration of this from a new collection of storytelling collaborations that enables the END Fund and its partners to raise awareness of NTDs and the harmful effects they have on millions of people in Africa and beyond. By honoring our shared commitment to fundamental human dignity and emphasizing the effect of our programs with deeper and more real views, our collaboration with Muluneh highlights our goal to elevate the narratives of storytellers who are representative of the communities we work with.
The CEO of The Africa Center, Uzodinma Iweala, stated: "We are thrilled to work with renowned photographers from all over the African continent and our beloved partner, the END Fund, on this meaningful exhibit at The Africa Center. Their cameras not only record photographs, but also the very core of the fight against NTDs, a preventable problem that has affected countless lives. We want to encourage collective action toward a better, healthier future for all by amplifying voices, sharing new viewpoints, and, most importantly, doing so through this exhibit.