Cameroon: Clarisse Mekongo Shares 10 Photo Stories Your Heart Will Connect With

June 7, 2018
DUNIA Mag
Posted in Art & Photography

ARTIST PROFILE
Name: Clarisse Mekongo a.k.a “Kirii’ah”
Occupation: Artist (Photographer-Singer-Jewelry Maker-Entrepreneur-Activist)
Country: Cameroon
Language proficiency: English: Good; French: Fluent

Clarisse “Kirii’ah” Mekongo is a multi-talented Cameroonian artist who expresses herself through music, photography and jewelry making. Musically, she has a smooth voice that swims between alto and soprano. Her music genre is a mix of jazz, afro beat, soul and reggae influences that’s qualified as World music.

In photography, she expresses her sensitivity for social and humanitarian causes, African culture and her relationship with nature. A relevant eye and an authentic touch with minimal digital manipulations, her vision of arts is to transform hearts, touch minds and engage society toward changes that impact people’s daily lives by putting humanity first. As an engaged artist, she is advocating for the promotion of human rights in general and for the rights of vulnerable groups, in particular (children, disabled, women…). She is an activist against any form of discrimination related to any circumstance.

She founded an organization in Cameroon in June 2012 named “Voices of Hope Initiatives” – arts for peace and promotion of human rights. She is also the creator of the young African jewelry brand “Kora Jewels” a line of handmade jewelry and fashion accessories.

Clarisse Kirii’ah Mekongo has participated in numerous international festivals and events. She was part of:

Photography which drives changes workshop at the International Center of Photography in New York, November 2015 (Alexia Foundation)
International Feminist Arts Festival “Chouftouhonna”, music performance, Tunis Carthage, May 2016 (AWID)
Afropolitan Nomad Festival, music Performance, Cotonou-Benin, August 2016

Some public photography exhibitions featuring her works include:

“NATURAL MYSTICS” Portraits, black and white, Hotel Mont Febe, Yaoundé; from August 14 to September 14, 2015. Mask Bar Lounge from December 5, 2015 to February 28, 2016 in Cameroon.
“Celebrating Women Artist and Photographers” exhibition, organized by Arts East New York Inc, at Time Warner Center NYC on March 23rd 2017.

Her first album Le Meilleur Reste A Venir (14 tracks) was released in December 2015. Clarisse Kirii’ah Mekongo is a graduate of the University of Nantes – France, her degree is in the human rights field.

CLARISSE KIRII’AH MEKONGO PHOTOGRAPHY

When I started photography three years ago, it was mainly because of an essential need to embrace my true self and to inspire those who were thinking they were not worthy enough. As an independent artist who lives with a physical disability, I use photography as healing therapy and to address issues that touch my soul…

1- Harmony (Yaoundé-Cameroon, November 2015)

Harmony

When I captured this beautiful soul, I discovered a strong African lady proud and authentically grounded in her culture. You can tell she is aligned with her divine energy and flows in perfect harmony. She was a perfect model match for my first public exhibition “Natural Mystics”, as she lets her aura resonate all over the place…

2- Strength (Yaoundé-Cameroon, July 2015)

Strength

This was another master piece of my first public exhibition “Natural Mystics”. My goal was to capture people who presented something special in their natural ways. I had realized this guy was the Sambo World Champion at the time and nobody was talking about him in my country, so I gave him a platform to express himself through images…

3- Feminine Essence (Yaoundé-Cameroon, June 2015)

Feminine Essence

This was a picture from “Natural Mystics” series, but I decided to create a different kind of artwork just showcasing a part of the body, the feminine essence that was overflowing from the original picture. It was also for me an opportunity to highlight some pieces of my first jewelry collection.

4- Disability is not my identity (Cotonou-Benin, August 2016)

Disability is not my identity

I met this beautiful lady in Benin when I was invited to the Afropolitan Festival for a musical performance. I was also working on some photo-shoots related to a project that I started shooting in Cameroon called “Beautiful Imperfection”. Faouziatou told me about her incredible story, how she became disabled after a tragic car accident and how she had thought her career as a basketball player was over. Guess what, she recovered and learnt to live with her disability and didn’t give up on her dreams; she joined the disabled basketball team in her country. She was such an inspiration, a strong woman with a beautiful soul, just perfect for my project. And as a person living with a disability myself, I was so happy to see another woman continuing to realize her dreams not being deterred by her circumstances.

5- The little seller (Yaoundé-Cameroon, November 2014)

The little seller

During a Business fair in my town Yaoundé in Cameroon, while I was sitting at my booth promoting my artwork, I started noticing children’s activities around. Some accompanied by their parents were playing around with other children. Some other children were walking around carrying products to sell on their heads. This young girl captured my attention as she hoisted down the pack on her head, took off her shoes and sat on the ground to rest…And what touched me the most was that she was looking at the other children playing… I was far from her, but I took out my 75-300 lens and I captured her from a distance…Really no child should be forced to sell products for his family, but it’s the sad reality in some places.

6- Cutty pie (Douala-Cameroon, October 2014)

cutty pie

When you are learning photography, your first audience is your family. I went to visit my aunt in Douala in Cameroon, and I met my niece for the first time. She was so comfortable in front of the camera that I got this shot in my heart. Children are amazing and can be so inspiring. I saw hope and ambition in her eyes…

7- Divine Feminine (New York-USA, January 2018)

Divine Feminine

This was the first picture I took for an ongoing project called “Divine Feminine” encouraging women to embrace their femininity and their bodies. Women are going through so much in the society…

8- Overflow… (New York-USA, May 2018)

Overflow

A woman’s essence is so generous. I love the curves and all the aura that a face, a personality can expose. We are every woman, celebrating all kinds of beauty in and out, embracing our true selves and uniqueness…

9- “I love my culture” (New York-USA, February 2018)

I love my culture

I describe myself more as a visual artist than just a photographer and more importantly as an artist who just listens to her soul. I don’t have barriers to my art and I’m open to new things and knowledge. I really love drawing and painting but still not yet had the courage to experience it myself so I found a trick through digital art…while waiting to practice it by hands. Maybe one day…

10- Pineapple (Yaoundé-Cameroon, July 2015)

Pineapple

When you follow my work, you can easily categorize me as a portraitist, as my favorite subject is the human being. But I also love nature and I choose to mix them instead of just shooting them separately. This is an ongoing project, shooting fruits and vegetables from a different perspective…

CONNECT WITH CLARISSE
Website: https://kiriiahmekongo.wixsite.com/soulartpicturestudio
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/clarissekiriiahmekongo/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/KiriiahMekongo
Instagram: www.instagram.com/kiriiah_mekongo
Facebook: www.facebook.com/clarisse.mekongokiriiah