Photo © Daniel Seiffert
Portrait - NOMINEE: Daniel Seiffert
Guardas da Miramar - Guards of Miramar
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Between April and May 2018, I spent a month in Luanda.
The capital of Angola is valid according to different studies and statistics as the most expensive city in the world,
at least what the cost of living for foreigners, so-called expats are concerned.
In contrast stands the fact that the big one majority of the local population earn less
than a dollar a day and have to make a living. Reasons for this are the enormous oil and diamond
wealth of the country. The resources unfortunately, far less blessing than curse for the huge
country in the south of Africa. By 2002, a bloody civil war raged, beginning with the independence
from the Portuguese colonial power in 1974/75 and as a prime example of so-called proxy wars
between the two ideological world powers in the 20th century applies.
The area where I was accommodated is called Miramar.
It is an old one Portuguese quarter with a colonial past all international embassies can be found
and therefore foreigners as well as the Angolan elite lives here.
Behind high walls with barbed wire and broken glass on top. Protected by a whole armada of
guards, who often sit and wait in front of the buildings 24 hours a day to keep watch.
The guards unites their past as soldiers on different sides during the civil war.
They served either the ruling party MPLA and fought against the rebels of UNITA supported by the West as well as the Congo
funded FNLA or the other way around. Depending on the pay and order situation sometimes for the
one and then again for the other war party.
Because of their military experience, they are providing
on behalf of watch companies today on the side for the safety of an extremely wealthy elite and
especially by the Oil business in the city residing expats. Still as hired mercenaries for a miserable
reward. With my portrait series of the "Guardas de Miramar" in combination with the seating
furniture as objects of waiting and witness I want to tell about all this.
About author:
Daniel Seiffert was born in 1980. Before studying photography at the Ostkreuz School for
Photography in Berlin, he earned a Master ’s degree in Political Science, Media Studies, and African
Studies from universities in Berlin, Potsdam and Lisbon.
Among others, Seiffert received the prestigous C/O Talents Award, Canon Award for Young Professional Photographers
and has been nominated for international FOAM Paul Huf Award.
His work was widely exhibited internationally like C/O Berlin, ParisPHOTO, PhotoEspana.
His self-published book "Kraftwerk Jugend“ was shortlisted for the Dummy Award of 5th International Photobook Award Kassel
and has been part of book shows at Le Bal Paris and at the Brighton Photo Biennial.
Since 2017 he is part of the artist collective Apparat.co
As a happy father of two daughters he currently lives and works as a freelance photographer and picture editor
in his hometown Berlin on commissioned and personal projects.
The capital of Angola is valid according to different studies and statistics as the most expensive city in the world,
at least what the cost of living for foreigners, so-called expats are concerned.
In contrast stands the fact that the big one majority of the local population earn less
than a dollar a day and have to make a living. Reasons for this are the enormous oil and diamond
wealth of the country. The resources unfortunately, far less blessing than curse for the huge
country in the south of Africa. By 2002, a bloody civil war raged, beginning with the independence
from the Portuguese colonial power in 1974/75 and as a prime example of so-called proxy wars
between the two ideological world powers in the 20th century applies.
The area where I was accommodated is called Miramar.
It is an old one Portuguese quarter with a colonial past all international embassies can be found
and therefore foreigners as well as the Angolan elite lives here.
Behind high walls with barbed wire and broken glass on top. Protected by a whole armada of
guards, who often sit and wait in front of the buildings 24 hours a day to keep watch.
The guards unites their past as soldiers on different sides during the civil war.
They served either the ruling party MPLA and fought against the rebels of UNITA supported by the West as well as the Congo
funded FNLA or the other way around. Depending on the pay and order situation sometimes for the
one and then again for the other war party.
Because of their military experience, they are providing
on behalf of watch companies today on the side for the safety of an extremely wealthy elite and
especially by the Oil business in the city residing expats. Still as hired mercenaries for a miserable
reward. With my portrait series of the "Guardas de Miramar" in combination with the seating
furniture as objects of waiting and witness I want to tell about all this.
About author:
Daniel Seiffert was born in 1980. Before studying photography at the Ostkreuz School for
Photography in Berlin, he earned a Master ’s degree in Political Science, Media Studies, and African
Studies from universities in Berlin, Potsdam and Lisbon.
Among others, Seiffert received the prestigous C/O Talents Award, Canon Award for Young Professional Photographers
and has been nominated for international FOAM Paul Huf Award.
His work was widely exhibited internationally like C/O Berlin, ParisPHOTO, PhotoEspana.
His self-published book "Kraftwerk Jugend“ was shortlisted for the Dummy Award of 5th International Photobook Award Kassel
and has been part of book shows at Le Bal Paris and at the Brighton Photo Biennial.
Since 2017 he is part of the artist collective Apparat.co
As a happy father of two daughters he currently lives and works as a freelance photographer and picture editor
in his hometown Berlin on commissioned and personal projects.