About the photographer of Postcards from Zambia

Peter Langmead is an independent thinker who sees the world differently. He is a polymath who studied photography at the start of his career before working in Nigeria making photographs, film and video for agricultural development projects. He moved on to maritime adventures in South East Asia, and later to studying, this time completing a PhD in finance.

His hankering for Africa remained, however, and by 1993 he had a farm in Zambia, to where he returned as a business development consultant. More recently he pursued his original passion of photography and produced this book.

The photographs are a reflection of this broad experience, and share a small part of his observation and exploration of the culture of Zambia between 2008 and 2012. They bring together almost 40 years of experience of working with rural communities across Africa from the perspective of someone who is resident in rural Zambia and who has travelled extensively, yet remains an observer.

The book seeks to report, in John Berger’s sense, on Zambia’s people, for those who may be less familiar with the country. It also aims to record the vibrancy of life, chronicle the aspirations of ordinary people and portray a long-overdue positive image of African life.

Ultimately, however, the interpretation of an image is subject to the experience and knowledge of the reader, and the photographer can only provide guidance.

By Gillian Langmead