The aesthetics of the mirage

Publish date 13-01-2025

by Redazione Sermig

January 11, 2012
In the small rural village not far from the chaotic capital of Benin, Porto-Novo, at lunchtime, just like anywhere else in the world, the streets are empty and quieter than usual.
The heat is mitigated by the sea breeze that, in addition to moving the sand that replaces the asphalt road, also seems to be responsible for bringing with it the sounds of provisions and the cries of stray dogs.

A strong yellow ochre dominant is interrupted by the entrance on the scene of a figure that I would never have expected to see: a child of about five, completely different from the poorer, scruffy-looking peers who usually hang around and camp out in every tropical “where”.
The Jacaranda flowers in the background are the same color as his checked shirt. His sandals and the rest of his clothing seem new, they are certainly clean, and it is a sign that he is lucky compared to most of his friends: you can see that there will be someone who takes care of him and educates him. The dignity of his step, the fact that his small outstretched arms try to hold a heavy ceramic plate without effort, keeping it balanced on his head despite it being empty, make you smile: a small miniature Mexican who has lost his way!

However, I notice that the plate is empty.
I reflect on the hypothesis that he is going to fill it with fruit or vegetables – as one would expect and, moreover, as his mother would do or the many women you meet in the villages – but then once filled, I think, it will surely become heavier and he will unfortunately have to give it up.
Or, I continue to think about a hypothetical further interpretation, not having found anything better at hand to protect himself from the sun, who can say that this child did not get the idea - just by observing the shape of this enormous serving dish - to use it as a headdress?

Or a flying saucer? A walking saucer? Maybe a game?
A mirage?
In any case, for me this photograph of my production remains the most truthful and real image of an Africa that should also be read in an ironic way, both to be understood but, above all, to combat the stereotypes that distort and distance the reality of a continent that moves at the speed of light, even without continental drift.


Luca Periotto
NP November 2024

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