Italian coffee maker Lavazza produces an annual photography calendar; for 2024, its focus is on Africa, featuring the work of three African photographers. Pictured: “The Explorer,” by South African Aart Verrips, shows a figure “immersed in a forest of giant flowers, a symbol of creativity and imagination.” <strong>Scroll through the gallery to see more.</strong>
Italian coffee maker Lavazza showcases its annual photography calendar for 2024, this year focusing on the rich cultures of Africa through the lens of three talented African photographers. The calendar presents stunning visuals that tell compelling stories of creativity, sustainability, and the unique connection to the land.
Each image tells the story of a project led by the Giuseppe e Pericle Lavazza Foundation, a non-profit that supports international sustainability projects. Shot by Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, this image is based on a collaboration between the foundation and charity Save the Children, for a project aiming to teach young people to become professional baristas. Muriu pairs all her works with an African proverb; this image, titled “Our Powerful Truth,” draws on the proverb, “Knowledge is like a garden. If it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested.”This image by Nigerian photographer and stylist Daniel Obasi, titled “The Wonder,” is based on a partnership between the Lavazza Foundation and NGO Sawa World to provide young people in Uganda with local resources needed to keep their family coffee farms up and running.According to Verrips, the giant tie worn by the model in “The Vanguard” symbolizes masculinity, while the leggings symbolize femininity. Together, the image represents the fight for gender equality.In “A Strained Chorus,” Obasi captures the tug of war between man and nature. Its description reads, “Those who do not loosen their grip are the real winners: the messengers of a necessary call to action, but also of thanks to those who support our land every day.”Like the blossoming flowers in the photograph, Muriu says she intended “The Foundation of Our Future” to be a reminder that humankind can witness the world blossoming if it commits to being more sustainable. It is based on the African proverb: “We have not inherited this land from our ancestors; rather we have borrowed it from our children.”Shot by Obasi, “The Ant Phenomenon” represents supply chain innovation, with coffee farmers entering the era of digital agriculture. Its description reads: “At the center of a green oasis, the heart of the world’s interest, live the pioneers of the future.”“Heartsong,” by Muriu, features Somali model, writer and activist for women’s rights Waris Dirie, embodying her as a desert flower, which is the name of her foundation fighting against female genital mutilation. It draws on the proverb: “Birds sing not because they have answers but because they have songs.”For “I saw you there,” Obasi was so moved by the story of one of the Lavazza Foundation’s partners, the Panzi Foundation, which supports survivors of sexual violence, that he wanted to create an image that radiates hope. “The flowers are symbolic of care, love, hope and kindness, femininity,” he said. “Whilst the butterflies mean a renewal and rebirth.”
