Mangoboom te Leopoldstad in de droge tijd 1896

This photograph, "Mangoboom te Leopoldstad in de droge tijd" (Mango Tree in Leopoldstad in the Dry Season), captures a mango tree in Leopoldstad, now Kinshasa, during the dry season; it was taken by Franz Thonner. Thonner was an Austrian botanist who explored Africa at a time when the continent was seen as ripe for colonial exploitation. This image is more than a simple depiction of a tree; it's a lens through which to view the complex relationship between colonial powers and the natural resources they sought to control. The photograph aestheticizes a landscape that was both a source of scientific interest and economic value to Europeans. It presents an image of a cultivated, almost tamed, nature, aligning with the colonial project of transforming and controlling foreign lands. Consider the emotional and personal dimensions embedded in this image. For the local population, this mango tree might have represented sustenance, community, and continuity. Thonner's photograph, however, reduces it to a specimen, a mere object of study. This tension highlights the profound disconnect between the colonizer's gaze and the lived experiences of the colonized.