MARCELA DEL CAMPO
Marcela del Campo loves taking portraits of the origin tribes of Africa, especially the interaction, trust and confidence developed by her subjects during portrait sessions. The beliefs of some tribes state that it would hurt their soul if they were portrayed, but Marcela was able to communicate through signs, despite no common language, and show through demonstration that the photograph would not hurt; her subjects had never seen themselves in a mirror or in a reflection.
"I understood or I learned, that there is another way to connect with others beyond words. From the corporal, through an exchange of energies that are face to face, something is given as if by magic; there is a moment of exchange, of interaction beyond words, gestures, and languages. Maybe we met in other lives, or simply and naturally there was an energy that connected us in another way; incredible and indescribable. It seemed that my African subjects carry a sense of community in their blood for generations - they know how precious are the relationships and the affections; that they can live centuries and centuries and foster a sense of community as the most valuable thing that human beings have. Maybe they are more advanced and have natural wisdom in relationship issues, and we have been losing it, due to mistrust, shyness, fears and questions of the modern world. Human beings know how to adapt to situations and things that do not always please us, make us uncomfortable, or are difficult to go through, but somehow we find a way to turn around and finally learn to bear it by transforming them into challenges."
