Nicola Lo Calzo has dedicated himself to Cham, a long-term photographic project exploring the living memories of colonial slavery and anti-slavery struggles around the world. From this larger undertaking, Lo Calzo has just released Obia (Kehrer Verlag), a powerful study of the Maroon peoples of Suriname and French Guiana.
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Maroons (from the Latin American Spanish word cimarrón: “feral animal, fugitive, runaway”) were African refugees who escaped from slavery in the Americas and formed independent settlements on both continents. The Maroon people of Dutch Guiana (now Suriname) escaped plantations and settled in the forests, surviving against the odds. They defended themselves against armed troops sent by the government, defying colonial order and the system of slavery. Maroons who were captured suffered dire consequences, yet despite the repression, the Maroon communities retained their sovereignty and signed their first treat in 1760.
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The history of the Maroon peoples remains one hidden from public view, yet they flourished across the Americas with communities in Louisiana, Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, and Brazil. The word Obia is originally an Akan word, specifically attributed to the Fanti, and points to a belief system of the Maroon peoples since their arrival from West Africa. With Obia, Lo Calzo considers the relationship between the past and the present, exploring the magical-religious legacy of the culture and the new challenges that stem from modernity.
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Photo: Ndyuka Maroon girl shows off her Marilyn Monroe t-shirt. Maroon Day celebrations, October 10, 2014, Albina, Suriname. © Nicola Lo Calzo/L’agence à paris.