Guy Tillim

Kamajoor-Milizen, 2001/2004

Since the 1980s, Guy Tillim has been depicting conflicts throughout postcolonial Africa in series of black-and-white photographs. One of the most brutal wars began in 1991 in Sierra Leona where the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) fought against government troops. To prevent being annihilated between the opposing parties, the civilians in their villages trained children for defense, thereby forming the so-called Kamajoor militia. Tillim’s portraits are photographed within just a few minutes as the boys were constantly moving between the fronts. Sewn into their jackets, they carry small objects with them which are ritually ‘hallowed’ by the villages’ medicine men to protect the boys against the enemy’s bullets. Tillim’s travel through the countries in Africa are not dictated by predefined destinations, but follow an attention to living conditions people have created for themselves while at the same time being confronted with these conditions.