Ammal - Documenting the undocumented artist

Our Documenting the undocumented exhibition is a collaboration of Tanzanian artists to represent the Hadzabe and Datoga tribes. We want to shed light on the indigenous tribes, something that has not been done by Tanzanian creatives. This is an opportunity for creatives to promote their crafts, stories, and entrepreneurial spirit. We want to be the contributors to their narratives.

 During this project, we collaborated with 4 creatives ( Ammal, Beatrice, Jennifer and Shija),  who exhibited their work in an online exhibition in partnership with Emergent Art Space.

Trailer videos by  Take2Studios: Photography by Bill Marwa; Videography by Anna Kishimbo

Ammal's reflection

“I went into the project expecting to be inspired by the people themselves and their relationship with their environment; I was not disappointed. As soon as we set our sights on the group of Hadzabe men and their hunting dogs under the baobab tree home they made and the huts and beaded adornments of the Datoga tribe, I was inspired by the harmonious way in which the Hadza tribe lived with the sprawling bushlands bordering lake Eyasi and the resourceful talents the Datoga employed to recycle scrap metal to create their adornments and tradable metalworks. I took time to frame images that featured the people and the practices that are uniquely Hadza and Datoga, having been honed over 5000 years to have a feather-light impact on the environment and in turn enabling them to persist in this challenging environment. 

At the beginning of the team’s expedition into the villages, I found myself taking photos of things I found new and foreign to my modern lifestyle but quickly after settling into the trip and interacting with the tribesmen and women I began capturing images of items and interactions that the community members wanted to be documented as per their showing interest in showcasing certain tools and living quarters, hunting techniques, crafts and adornment as well as lighthearted domestic life such as music and dance.

I believe that it is those types of images combined with a simple fly-on-the-wall approach that satisfied my need to represent the Hadza tribe in a way that was authentic and true to who they believe themselves to be.”

Ammal's Bio

Ammal Aboud is a photographer born and raised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Ammal uses candid imagery and portraiture to tell the stories unique to the groups and individuals that feature in her images.

From an early age, Ammal was always encouraged to paint and draw. Eventually she discovered that photography was her preferred craft, because it provided an instant and immersive self- expression tool.

As a result, Ammal is inspired to document life in objective and authentic representations of those featured in her images, as more than nameless objects to be observed from afar but rather as sentient individuals and groups who are indeed unique and as equally complex as the viewer and worth a closer look.

Like many young individuals just getting their bearings in the world, Ammal has many aspirations. In brief, she aspires to hone and expand her skill set and build a larger body of work that will benefit this generation and the next.

Exhibition History

NaNe+Nane / The harvest exhibition

NaNe+NaNe was a photography group exhibition held in Dar-es-salaam. It showcased the work of 8 local photographers’ interpretations of the theme “the harvest” in relation to the name NaneNane ( the Swahili language word for 0808 which is the date 8th of  August celebrating the significant contributions of farmers to the Tanzanian economy.

Stark Contrast Exhibition

The stark contrast was a show of art in all its forms ranging from digital art to spoken word poetry to giving artists the platform to express whatever themes important to them using the artistic medium they know best.

Email Ammal : aboudammal@gmail.com 

Follow her on instagram:@mali_abd