Les années Ovahimba
Pendant sept ans, Rina Sherman a vécu auprès de et filmé et photographié des communautés de langue Otjiherero en Namibie et en Angola, une expérience qui lui a permis de constituer une collection d’archives multidisciplinaires, « Les années Ovahimba ». Conservée à la Bibliothèque nationale de France, cette collection s’inscrit dans le Fonds Rina Sherman, l’ensemble des collections d’archives de l’artiste-chercheuse. Les documents multimédias que réunit ce fonds constituent la source principale pour la réalisation des films, livres et photographies de Rina Sherman.
La Collection « Les années Ovahimba » contient l’ensemble de la collecte de données recueillies depuis de nombreuses années par Rina Sherman sur les communautés dites de langue otjiherero, principalement les Ovahimba et les communautés apparentées de la Région Kunene, du Nord-ouest de la Namibie et des provinces de Cunene et de Namib, dans le Sud-ouest de l’Angola.
Elle réunit images (film et vidéo), enregistrements sonores, dessins et photographies, mais aussi d’une bibliographie (copies d’articles), de textes et notes inédits, d’une correspondance, enfin, de fichiers administratifs et de production, d’inventaires et de dossiers de présentation, l’ensemble couvrant la période de 1996 à nos jours.
Une grande partie de ces éléments concerne la vie rituelle et quotidienne, ainsi que l’histoire de la famille élargie de feu le roi d’Etanga, héritier du trône royal détenu par la famille Tjambiru depuis de nombreuses générations.
Les autres éléments réunissent des informations sur la vie de parents, amis et membres de la communauté environnante, ainsi que d’autres communautés Ovahimba et populations apparentées (Ovakuvale, Ovadhimba, Ovahakaona, Ovatwa, Ovacaroca, etc.) de Namibie et d’Angola. La documentation met en relief la place importante occupée par les rituels de danses et les cérémonies d’appel d’esprits (transe).
Plusieurs documents sont relatifs à des procès en droit coutumier et à des réunions communautaires importantes.
L’inventaire de l’ensemble de la collection est en cours, fournissant des indications de contenu, médium, médias connexes (photographies, textes, dessins), date et lieu, langue, matériels publiés et ainsi de suite. L’inventaire informe le préconfiguration du catalogue raisonné, également en cours.
The fonds The Ovahimba Years contains the multimedia documentation and data collected over seven years by Rina Sherman on the Ovahimba and other Otjiherero speaking communities in the Kunene Region, in north-western Namibia and the provinces of Cunene and Namibe in south-western Angola.
The archival collection contains images (film and video), sound recordings, drawings and photographs as well as a bibliography, texts and notes, correspondence, as well as administrative and production papers, inventories and portfolios, covering the period from 1996 to the present.
Much of these elements covers daily and ritual life, and the history of the extended family of the late Chief of Etanga, heir to the throne held by the family for many generations.
Other elements are composed of information on the lives of family, friends and members of the surrounding community and other Ovahimbacommunities and related populations (Ovakuvale, Ovadhimba, Ovahakaona, Ovatwa, Ovacaroca, etc.) of Namibia and Angola.
The documentation highlights the important role played by ritual dance and spirit calling ceremonies (trance).
Several documents cover trials in customary law and important community meetings.
The entire collection of video recordings and is listed in a style sheet with cross references, providing indications of content, medium, related media (photos, text, drawings), date and place, language, and published materials, etc.
The other elements are partially listed, others are being classified.
Film & Video
The filmed elements, about 350 hours of video (Hi8, DV SD – Mini DV duplicated in SD and some in SD) and film (about 10 hours in 16mm – not transferred to video) cover Rina Sherman’s sojourn of seven years and include topics on daily and ritual life: building houses, burial ceremonies, dressing codes of men and women, customary law, community meetings, spirits calling ceremonies (trance), numerous dance ceremonies, consultations of traditional healers, interviews on various topics, haruspications, etc.
Photography
A collection of photographs (color negative, B / W negative, original reversible color) was realized during the seven year sojourn of Rina Sherman in Namibia and Angola.
About 200 films in 135mm, mostly in color negatives contain images of everyday and ritual life, especially dance and other rites of passage, like the ceremony of the name, healing and circumcision.
Some of the sets include presentations of dress codes and decorations, individual portraits of elders, children and members of several different communities. Each set is based on the same subjects as those of the film and video images: house building, the development of children and people photographed over a period of seven years.
All the originals have been scanned, in high resolution. The addition of meta-data remains to be done.
There is a set of silver prints framed in black and white and color of various sizes, presented as part of a multimedia exhibition, Ovahimba Years: Work in Progress held at the Franco-Namibian Cultural Center in Windhoek in 2002.
A set of photographs from the collection was published in the 2009 first edition of the book Ma vie avec les Ovahimba, now out of print, a second revised edition was published in 2020.
A set of portraits Ovahimba Gaze: A Given Time was exhibited in the Sala Lippi in Perugia in November 2010.
A set of black and white silver prints was presented in 2015 at the French National Library at the exhibition Les années Ovahimba / Rina Sherman.
Various other selections of photographs are online: Ovahimba Portraits, Houses – Namibia, Angola and Musical Instruments.