Herzekiah Andrew Shanu
Encyclopedia
Herzekiah Andrew Shanu was an African photographer. A Yoruba
man, originally from Lagos
in what is now Nigeria
, in 1884 he entered the colonial service of the Congo Free State
as a clerk, rising to the rank of district sub-commissioner. Establishing himself at Boma, then the capital, he opened a general store and photographic studio. In 1894 he travelled to Antwerp to attend the Exposition Internationale d'Anvers
. Some of his photographs were published in Le Congo illustré.
Shanu supplied Roger Casement
with information concerning the abuse of West African workers in the Congo, who in turn referred him to E. D. Morel
. Morel and Shanu corresponded for several years; Shanu forwarding, among other things, trial transcripts of trials against low-ranking Congo Free State
officials which proved to be very revealing. While trying to acquire information from the police chief of Boma, Shanu was found out and as a consequence beleaguered by state officials. After it was discovered that Shanu had provided the Congo Reform Association
with evidence of atrocities in the Congo, government employees were ordered to boycott his businesses. He suffered bankruptcy and took his own life in July 1905.
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
man, originally from Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
in what is now Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, in 1884 he entered the colonial service of the Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
as a clerk, rising to the rank of district sub-commissioner. Establishing himself at Boma, then the capital, he opened a general store and photographic studio. In 1894 he travelled to Antwerp to attend the Exposition Internationale d'Anvers
Exposition Internationale d'Anvers (1894)
Exposition Internationale d'Anvers was a World's Fair held in Antwerp, Belgium between 5 May and 5 November in 1894.It covered , attracted 3 million visits and made a profit-Participating Nations:There were several participating nations:Germany,Austria,...
. Some of his photographs were published in Le Congo illustré.
Shanu supplied Roger Casement
Roger Casement
Roger David Casement —Sir Roger Casement CMG between 1911 and shortly before his execution for treason, when he was stripped of his British honours—was an Irish patriot, poet, revolutionary, and nationalist....
with information concerning the abuse of West African workers in the Congo, who in turn referred him to E. D. Morel
E. D. Morel
Edmund Dene Morel, originally Georges Eduard Pierre Achille Morel de Ville was a British journalist, author and socialist politician. In collaboration with Roger Casement, the Congo Reform Association and others, Morel, in newspapers such as his West African Mail, led a campaign against slavery...
. Morel and Shanu corresponded for several years; Shanu forwarding, among other things, trial transcripts of trials against low-ranking Congo Free State
Congo Free State
The Congo Free State was a large area in Central Africa which was privately controlled by Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Its origins lay in Leopold's attracting scientific, and humanitarian backing for a non-governmental organization, the Association internationale africaine...
officials which proved to be very revealing. While trying to acquire information from the police chief of Boma, Shanu was found out and as a consequence beleaguered by state officials. After it was discovered that Shanu had provided the Congo Reform Association
Congo Reform Association
The Congo Reform Association exposed gross and rampant abuses of labor and by public servants in King Leopold II of Belgium's Congo Free State, leading to the annexation of Congo by Belgium in 1908. In March, 1904, Dr. Henry Grattan Guinness , Edmund Dene Morel, and Roger Casement founded the Congo...
with evidence of atrocities in the Congo, government employees were ordered to boycott his businesses. He suffered bankruptcy and took his own life in July 1905.
Sources
- Christraud M. Geary, In and out of Focus: Images from Central Africa, 1885–1960. London: Philip Wilson for Palgrave Macmillan, 2002. Pp. 104–106.
- Kinshasa Photographers, 1870 to 2000. Revue NoireRevue NoireRevue Noire is a specialist publisher of books and web material relating to African contemporary art and culture, based in France. From 1991 to 2001, Editions Revue Noire published the printed quarterly magazine Revue Noire...
, 2001. ISBN 290957153X.
External links
- The Nine Kings of Boma, a photograph by Shanu published in Le Congo illustré, 1, 19 (1892), p. 149.
- Information about Shanu from the National Museum of African ArtNational Museum of African ArtThe National Museum of African Art is a museum that is part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Located on the National Mall, the museum specializes in African art and culture...
.