Catarina Laranjeiro and Inês Vieira Gomes are the curators of the exhibition ‘Imaginários da Guiné-Bissau. O espólio de Álvaro de Barros Geraldo (1955-1975)’ [Imaginaries of Guinea-Bissau. The estate of Álvaro de Barros Geraldo (1955-1975)], which will open at the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon on 8 May at 6pm.

Using part of a collection from the Overseas Historical Archive of around 82,000 negatives (as well as a set of slides and contact proofs) from Guinea-Bissau and Lisbon, the curators investigated the role of photography in constructing the argument of ‘peacekeeping’ in a territory at war. This unpublished estate, never before studied, exhibited or properly catalogued, belonged to Álvaro de Barros Geraldo (1922-1993), a photographer with an enigmatic career, whose fragmented biography required a critical reading of his legacy. Through photographs of ambushes, protocol ceremonies, and military and social initiatives, Catarina and Inês sought to critically analyse how this discourse legitimised and perpetuated post-colonial tensions throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

In the year that marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of the former Portuguese colonies, this exhibition questions the legacies of this narrative and its implications for the present and the future. To this end, it was supported by the Art for Democracy programme, an initiative of the Commission for the Commemoration of 50 Years of 25 April, in partnership with the Directorate-General for the Arts. It will be on show until 15 July 2025.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a programme of parallel events, which we’ll report on here.