Written by Dr. Andrew M. Mulenga and originally published in News Diggers.
Zamstock, a non-profit organisation of Zambian photographers, aims to visually promote Zambia, raise awareness of photography, and bring alertness to photographers copyright liberties with its current exhibition, XTREME, at the Lechwe Trust Gallery in Lusaka.The exhibition features over 100 photographs by 20 photographers, which include Maggie Banda, Namukolo Siyumbwa, Maingaila Muvundika, David Brown, Richard Alton, Janet Mwanza, Chongo Sampa, Hassan Yasini, Dana Patel, Victor Makashi, Roy Philip, Linda Rorbye, Josephine Puku, Sana Ginwalla, Edina Banda, Enoch Kavindele Jr., Alice Mulo, Alfred Shamaila, Ian Murphy, and Sebastain Tembo.
In an interview this week, the exhibition’s curator, Ronnie T. Mushipe, explained that the show aimed to unite photographers and showcase Zamstock’s work, challenging the perception that photography, often viewed as digital, is less valuable than sculpture or painting. “We can try to recognise talent through photography, because when you walk into the exhibition, you find that there are different stories behind each art piece, which is as good as any other painting,” she explained “In fact, two people I met during the opening were telling me that this kind of art that is being displayed through photography is exemplary. It’s good that the public is able now to recognise photography.”
Mushipe explained that Lechwe Gallery was the venue of choice for her since it was well-known, easily accessible, and convenient for schools and passersby. It was difficult, she added, to choose images from established and up-and-coming photographers, explaining that certain photographers are only focused on shooting weddings as their business, and they do not consider photography to be their career.
In the same interview, Ian Murphy, the founder of Zamstock and a seasoned British-born Zambian photographer, raised a number of copyright issues and provided some important insights into how multinational web firms exploit photographers. “I think what we need to do is enliven our society with the knowledge that photographs have value for society as a whole. Zambia has always been outside the rest of the world in terms of the development of the photographic industry,” he said.
“And to a large extent, the reason for this is because of the big American companies. What we are seeing are things like Facebook and Meta companies like Instagram. And these companies have built their platforms on good photographs. But do they pay the photographers? They don’t. Why not? Every person who has a computer usually has a connection with a bank account.”
Murphy questioned the large corporations’ refusal to provide payment, pointing out that they are aware of when images are downloaded or watched. He went on to say that, whether we consent or not, the CEO of Google and his business take data from all computers that use its platform. “That one man gets paid $200 million a year. Now, how is it possible for that to happen? It’s possible because we, the people, are contributing to allowing them to get access to our information, and they sell advertising to us. And it is completely wrong that they do not respect copyright,” argued Murphy “So every time a photographer takes a photograph, that photograph is his or her copyright. If that picture is used anywhere else, then that photographer has a right to remuneration. And what Google and Meta have done is say, “If you put a picture on our platform, you cannot use the word copyright”.”
So what these companies are doing is removing the metadata from the picture as it’s loaded onto their website. Photographers and anybody creative, must be aware of that. The American companies are aware of it. Murphy stated that Getty, the world’s leading visual communications company, was outraged when Google trolled their website, allowing users to download and use Getty images. They threatened to sue Google, but Google refused, revealing the names and addresses of every downloader.Getty set up law companies worldwide to send cease-and-desist letters to those who downloaded Getty images, netting $3.4 billion, but not giving any back to the photographers. This incident highlights the power of Google and the need for fair compensation for copyright infringement.
“So these companies are preying on the creatives and not rewarding the creatives. The creative community around the world is being seriously damaged by these American multinationals. And we’ve got to fight back,” persisted Murphy “So by developing Zamstock, photographers can put their photographs on Zamstock, which is a charity. 30% of any sale goes for administration, and 70% goes to the photographer.” Zamstock, he said, aims to showcase the best photographs of Zambia on its website (zamstockphotos.com), aiming to compete with Getty Images and ensure photographers receive fair compensation. By showcasing these photographs, Zamstock aims to attract worldwide buyers, ensuring that photographers receive fair compensation, unlike Getty’s 85% fee. In Zambia, there are few newspapers and magazines, leaving photographers to rely on social media to promote their work. However, their work is often taken down and used on other platforms, leaving them unable to take action due to copyright infringement.
“Cameras are expensive. How does a young photographer in Zambia pay 5,000 US dollars for a decent camera? We have to develop an understanding within the community that good photography has value. There is nothing in this world that is bought or sold without a good photograph at any volume,” he added. “Well, Agriflora was run by a character called Neil Slade. And he was going to Germany for a marketing event. And he asked me to produce a brochure for him, which I did to a very high standard. And he took that brochure over to Germany, and he came back with a six million dollar contract to supply fresh vegetables to Germany, to the supermarket chains.”
Murphy proclaimed that as a non-profit organisation, Zamstock intends to salvage high quality cameras in the west that people have just packed in their drawers because they are using smartphones. These cameras can be used by emerging Zambian photographers when they receive commissioned jobs with the help of the charity. In finishing the conversation, Murphy stated that enthusiasm was crucial for aspiring photographers and that if a person had the desire to shoot pictures, they should just pursue their passion without giving it any thought. “Many people get jobs and forget their passion, and they have a really unhappy boss, having to go to work. If you are creative and have passion, you can create your own work. You may be rich one week and desperately poor the next, so what? Your passion will take you through that. Be strong, be passionate,” said Murphy.
Soon after the interview, Murphy was addressing students from the Open Window University for the Creative Arts (OWU) in Lusaka who came to see the exhibition in the company of Janus Boshoff, Head of Photography at OWU. Boshoff also shared his thoughts on why he believed it was crucial for his students to visit the exhibition.
“The photography department at Open Window University was thrilled to visit the Xtreme exhibition. This exhibition is, in many respects, an important event for the development and recognition of photography as an art form in the Southern Africa region,” he explained. “Our Second and Third Year Students engaged with one of the exhibiting photographers, Alice Mulo, as well as with Ian Murphy from Zamstock and Mary Zulu from the Lechwe Trust, during which many interesting topics were discussed and insightful feedback was provided.”
He added that the students found the exhibition inspirational and applauded all the photographers and the organisers, stating that it was a very special and important exhibition.