"Ricardo Rangel: Devoted to Passions" celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth (1924-2009) of one of Mozambique's most acclaimed photographers and master of the first generation of photography professionals and photojournalism in the country after independence. The exhibition will be open from February 15th at the Kulungwana Gallery, located in the Central Railway Station of Mozambique, in Maputo.
The exhibition brings together photographs spanning from the colonial period to post-independence, including images of Rangel alongside his contemporaries and Beatrice Rangel, his life companion. Additionally, testimonials from photographers, writers, and researchers emphasize the crucial role played by the photojournalist as a key figure in Mozambican socio-cultural life.
According to the curator's note signed by Jorge Dias (curator) and Isa Bandeira (collaborator), the exhibition provides a unique opportunity to reflect on Rangel's significant contribution to photography and photojournalism in Mozambique. "Each image present in the exhibition bears witness to the numerous passions that drove Ricardo Rangel: the passion for freedom, justice, love, and humanity. He was undoubtedly a skilled storyteller, recording not only the narratives of Lourenço Marques but also of Maputo, ensuring that we do not forget who we are," explains the curatorship.
Jorge Dias and Isa Bandeira highlight the social and cultural inequalities in Rangel's photography and "represent a fundamental part of the history of Mozambican photojournalism," as they analyze, "the exhibition celebrates not only the legacy left by Ricardo Rangel but also the influence he exerted over a generation of photographers who worked with him and who now continue his work with passion and dedication."
Ricardo Rangel began his career as a photographer in the early 1940s, working on image development at a private studio, which sparked his interest in photography.
In 1970, Rangel joined four other Mozambican journalists to found the magazine Tempo and worked as chief photographer, often documenting poverty or colonial politics. After independence, he played an active role in training new photojournalists. He worked for the newspaper Notícias, was the first director of the weekly Domingo in 1981, founded the Centro de Formação, a photography school, in Maputo in 1983, and continued to be its director until his death in 2009.
