Neema Ngelime
She’s a Tanzania-born documentary photographer and filmmaker who captures the beauty of everyday life from a feminist and experimental perspective. She is interested in African women’s lives, with a focus on their inner experiences and roles in the 21st century. As an Erasmus+ scholarship recipient, she completed the DocNomads MA in Documentary Directing in 2021. She has presented her films at prestigious international film festivals, including Oberhausen, IDFA, and Beldocs, among others.
The Labor of Our Hands
The Labor of Our Hands is an experimental compilation featuring photographs and audio files that document a day in the life of women’s work. The piece is presented as a triptych. The first part shows two farmers—a mother and her daughter—engaged in preparing the land for cultivation. Another part portrays the mother and the daughter navigating their daily routines at home, diligently doing the chores, and looking after their children. The final segment shifts the focus onto a singer as she prepares for an evening event.
This experimental piece serves as a tribute to both paid and unpaid work carried out by women. Through symbolic imagery, the women pass the torch to one another, revealing the various facets of their daily lives. The compressed audio and rapid succession of still images highlight the value of every second these women dedicate to their work.