The Hadzabe of Tanzania
The Hadzabe tribe in northern Tanzania are considered Africa’s last true hunter-gatherers. They are a tribe so old that National Geographic calls them “the closest living relatives of the humans who first left Africa”. In the dry season of 2018 photographer Guy Needham spent time with them, and this exhibition is a testament to their subsistence way of living.
The Hadzabe of Tanzania is the fifth in his tribal series, contributing to a wider body of work that provides a sharp contrast to Western society’s preoccupation with ‘insta’ and ‘more’. It is designed to self-question what we prioritize and value in our consumption-driven lives.
Biography
Guy Needham’s inquisitive worldview was shaped by growing up in rural New Zealand. Noted for his work with indigenous tribes, today he primarily draws on themes of identity within cultural narratives. His pared-down style belies its complexity and is designed to challenge the viewer – self-questioning Western society’s values and priorities in the age of more.
His images have been exhibited in New York, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo, Athens, Moscow, Los Angeles and Sydney, and been seen on the pages of National Geographic Traveler, Lonely Planet, Get Lost, AFAR, International Traveler and the Royal Photographic Society’s Journal.
A member of the Royal Photographic Society, he also belongs to the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, the Los Angeles Center of Photography, Griffin Museum of Photography and the Photographic Society of New Zealand.