A Liberian Sojourn by Charles Miller III, exhibited by the QCC Art Gallery, City University of New York (CUNY), is the first exhibition of the photographs of Charles Miller III.
The root of Charles Miller III’s enduring fascination with African culture lay in his first trip there in 1968 when he visited Dahomey (now Benin), Togo, and Ghana to undertake zoological research for several museums and universities.
While investigating the West African Fat-tailed Gecko on the outskirts of a small village in Benin, he heard the sounds of drums in the distance, intriguingly punctuated from time to time with rifts of songs. The magnetic thundering of the music coupled with the choral accompaniment of the audience was compelling, though he was wary of approaching, as he was a stranger after all (as well as laden down with photographic equipment!). A group of elders beckoned him to join this would be his most vivid life experience, the participation in a female secret society initiation rite of the Fon people. Not only was his curiosity matched by the villager’s hospitality but he was unexpectedly encouraged to take photographs.
Charles Miller III
