Global Citizenship in 10 pictures

Each photo tells its own story of global citizenship—about solidarity, struggle, freedom, or (in)justice. Through which lens do you see the world?

A living tribute to resilience, pride, and hope

Photographer and researcher Nicola Lo Calzo explores in his series Ayiti (2013) how the memory of the Haitian Revolution continues to resonate in contemporary Haiti. In 1791, enslaved people in the French colony of Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti) rose up against their oppressors. Inspired by the ideals of the French Revolution, they demanded freedom and equality. The uprising culminated in 1804 with the founding of the world’s first Black republic — a milestone that remains little known in Europe, yet stands as a profound source of pride for Haiti and the African diaspora.

This photograph captures a performance by the Mouvement pour la Réussite de l'Image des Héros de l'Indépendance d'Haïti, a popular initiative dedicated to bringing the heroes of the revolution back to life. Featured in the image are Destiné Jean Marcellus, portraying revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and Adrien, in the role of Colonel Marcadieu. Since 2006, they have traveled across Haiti with a group of young people, using performances and speeches to inspire underprivileged youth with the enduring legacy of the revolution. Most of their activities are currently suspended due to the security crisis in Haiti.

Now on display in Our Colonial Inherintance.

Daughter of Cacique Inacayal

Artist Yazminne Pérez combines photography and embroidery in a powerful way. Since 2019, she has been remaking historical portraits of indigenous Mapuche representatives from present-day Argentina. She chose these images because of the loaded history they carry. During colonization, some of these representatives were arrested and forced to be exhibited at the Museo de La Plata in Buenos Aires.

With her embroidery patterns and Spanish text, Pérez reflects on the colonial legacy that left deep scars on indigenous peoples. At the same time, she transforms the photographs into acts of cultural resistance. The red stitches, inspired by Mapuche textiles—both painful and healing—restore humanity to these portraits.

A Visual Diary of a Refugee in Europe

This is a self-portrait by Togolese photographer Hélène Akouavi Amouzou. The image is part of a series she created during a period when she was living as an undocumented refugee in Belgium, awaiting a residence permit. Like a visual diary, the photograph reflects Amouzou’s feelings of uncertainty and displacement.

Through the use of movement and double exposure, she never appears sharply or fully visible, giving the impression of a shadow or ghost of herself. The image evokes the sense of someone who is not meant to be seen, or who does not fully have the right to exist in that space. The torn wallpaper in the background amplifies this sense of vulnerability, while the empty suitcase symbolizes the absence of a home. With this photograph, Amouzou tells an intimate and deeply personal story, while at the same time creating a powerful and poignant image that speaks to the broader experiences of refugees across Europe.

Read more about Hélène Akouavi Amouzou and her series here.

A tribute to ancestral culture

This photograph is part of First American Girls, a series by Cara Romero, a Native American photographer from the Chemehuevi tribe in California. In this body of work, Romero creates portraits of friends and family members who seek to honor the beauty and significance of their grandparents’ culture.

In this portrait of her relative Julia Romero, Julia is surrounded by objects with deep emotional resonance that connect to her Pueblo heritage — from her grandmother’s baskets and blue corn to the drum and pottery crafted by her uncles. By portraying Julia as an action figure, Romero fuses pop culture with tradition, creating a striking and empowering image of Indigenous women.

Cara Romero: “With the First American Girls series, I wanted to create dolls and/or action figures that reflect our culture, beauty and diversity as Native American women. One that pays attention to all the details, historical accuracies and accessories. ... It is definitely is a goal of mine to create thoughtful content that makes people think of preconceived notions of Native America, that challenges perceptions, that creates multiple narratives, that all comes from a place of empowerment and celebration – a celebration of resistance."

Photographer Augusta Curiel from Paramaribo, Suriname, is estimated to have created thousands of photographs between 1904 and 1937, assisted by her sister Anna. Her images offer a rare visual record of a period in Suriname’s history for which little other photographic material exists. She was the most prominent and successful photographer in Suriname of her time. It is particularly remarkable that a Surinamese woman held such a significant and enduring position during the era of colonial rule.

The Curiel sisters documented both celebratory and official occasions, such as the annual festivities at Gouvernementsplein or the reception of dignitaries. They also captured everyday life: the fairgrounds, the bustling market at the Waterkant, work on plantations, in factories and gold mines, the arrival of Javanese contract workers, cotton harvesting, and the activities of missionaries and church organizations.

See more photography by the sisters Curiel (Dutch). 

A new image: Africa and its diaspora in the 1960s

In the 1960s, Ghanaian photographer James Barnor photographed models such as Erlin Ibreck and Marie Hallowi in the midst of a London that was rapidly changing. With his freelance work for the leading DRUM magazine - Africa's first black lifestyle magazine - he was able to aptly capture the emergence of a global black identity.

DRUM was founded in Johannesburg in 1951 under the name African Drum, with a focus on so-called “tribal” African culture. This perspective did not resonate with black readers, after which the magazine took a new course: an urban and cosmopolitan approach to modern Africa. With this renewed approach, DRUM grew into a pan-African magazine in the 1950s, with editions in Ghana, Nigeria, East and Central Africa. The magazine also found readers in England and the US. Photography played a crucial role in this success. The glamorous cover girls and striking images by Barnor and other photographers helped create a new image of modern Africa and the African diaspora. Even during the apartheid regime and before the independence of many African countries, the magazine radiated optimism, pride and hope.

Read more about the ambiance of (color) photography from the 1960s onwards (Dutch).

Malick Sidibé was one of Mali's most celebrated photographers and an icon in the history of photography. The 1960s were a time of change everywhere—including in Bamako, Mali's capital, which had only recently gained independence from French colonial rule. With his predominantly black-and-white photographs, Sidibé impressively captured the energy and zest for life of the youth in the Malian capital. His most famous images show dancing couples and groups of friends completely absorbed in the twist, a popular American dance that became a symbol of hope, freedom, and togetherness.

This miniature pays homage to the photo studios of the early 20th century, where people had important moments in their lives (such as weddings) captured on film. Carefully crafted by creator Mora Pérez, the studio features furniture and decorative objects such as mirrors, pedestals, statues, cushions, and flowers. The walls are adorned with photographs, such as magazine prints or business cards, featuring well-known Mexican figures from culture and politics.

Photography as an instrument of control and surveillance

Every day, Muslims from all over the world turn toward Mecca in prayer. And every year, around 2.5 million pilgrims undertake the hajj, the pilgrimage to this holy city. Mecca is a spiritual ideal: the place you must visit once in your lifetime, if you are healthy and can afford it. The hajj connects believers from all over the world. The Wereldmuseum conserves 25,000 travel documents belonging to Indonesian pilgrims who traveled to Mecca between 1937 and 1939. In the first half of the twentieth century, every pilgrim had to show their travel pass at the Dutch consulate upon arrival in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). In this way, the Dutch colonial government kept track of who was on pilgrimage andwas able to assist pilgrims in need.

Prior to that, from 1825 onwards, the Dutch colonial government used travel passports to hinder the hajj as much as possible. By making the annual pilgrimage more difficult, the Dutch sought to prevent greater opposition to their rule. The pilgrims enjoyed great religious prestige among the population, and therefore the colonial administration feared that they would spread radical Islamic ideas. Ideas that, according to the Dutch views at the time, they had undoubtedly acquired during the pilgrimage (Shatanawi 2009: 239 and 252).

Read more about the hajj (Dutch). 

Urban living: dreadful or delightful?

At first glance, Yang Yongliang's Phantom Landscape III - Triptych looks like traditional Chinese landscape paintings of ink on paper. Once closer, you can only see that the “painting” is a photo collage. He uses images of architecture as brushstrokes in this series, which when viewed from afar appear to create a painting of a mountain landscape.

The work is multifaceted: from a distance, you see the romantic beauty of nature with its mist and high mountain ranges. But as you get closer, you sense the relentless pace of urbanization in contemporary China. Environmental pollution and climate change are growing problems. But because Yang's works are visually ‘beautiful’, they are about much more than a critique of modern life. Instead, Yang has found a subtle way to ask whether life in the city can be both horrible and beautiful at the same time.

Read more about Yang Yongliang and his work Phantom Landscape III – Triptych here (Dutch).

Critical observation of the Dutch East Indies

Born on the Tjeukemeer as the son of a village teacher, Hendrik Freerk Tillema (1870-1952) passed his pharmacy exam in Groningen, the Netherlands, in 1894. Two years later, he left for Semarang, Java, where he started working at the Samarangsche-Apotheek.

In addition to his work as a pharmacist, Tillema became known for his sharp view of colonial society. He built up a large photo archive, in which he captured not only the idyllic images of the so-called tempo doeloe, but also the poor living conditions of the Indonesian population. His publications, richly illustrated with these photographs, provided a rare critical voice on Dutch colonial policy in the early 20th century.

See more of the photo archive by Tillema (Dutch).