The Unsung S/heroes Photography Exhibit Opening

The Stephen Lewis Foundation is delighted to invite you to attend the opening night of The Unsung S/heroes, a feature photography exhibit within the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival.

The Unsung S/heroes Photography Exhibit

Opening Night – May 2nd

6 pm – Exhibit Opening (2nd floor Hallway Galleries)
7:30 pm – Discussion & Performance (Ada Slaight Hall)

Exhibit is open to public! Seats for the Discussion & Special Performance are free of charge but limited – advance RSVP necessary.

The evening will include a discussion on the representation of African grandmothers and the power, role and responsibility of photography. Invited guests will include Mama Darlina Tyawana(South African grandmother & AIDS activist) and Kenneth Mugayehwenkyi (Founder and Executive Director of a leading national grandmothers’ organization in Uganda, Reach One Touch One.)

Hosted by spoken-word artist extraordinaire Britta B, the evening will also include special performances by prolific and renowned artists Britta B, D’bi Young Anitafrika, Jackie Richardson, and Mustafa the Poet. These award-winning and internationally celebrated artists join us, committed to shining a spotlight on the pivotal role of African grandmothers in restoring hope to their families and communities in the context of the AIDS pandemic.

The Unsung S/heroes Exhibit will be running from May 2-31, 2017 as apart of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival, the largest photography event in the world.

Presented by: The Daniels Corporation
Exhibit Design by: Moss & Lam
Photography by: Alexis MacDonald/SLF
Hosted by: Artscape – Daniels Spectrum

More about The Unsung S/heroes

Through stunning large-scale portraits and installations, this exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of African grandmothers on the frontlines of the global AIDS crisis.

Constructed from photographic library of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, the exhibition includes images that show the dignity, grief, and tenacity of the Unsung S/heroes of the AIDS epidemic in Africa who have become the centrepiece of survival for their families and communities.

The photos and quotes in this exhibit are a result of a five-year conversation with grassroots organizations and the grandmothers appearing in this exhibit – a conversation about how the African grandmothers have moved from agony to mobilizing to claim their human rights. How, out of the despair of AIDS, a powerful social movement has emerged led by older women. It was a conversation that included how community organizations and grandmothers want their stories to be told and what kind of representation best reflects the dignity and resilience of the grandmothers themselves.