Tocaia - EXT #13

Míriam Ramalho - Brasil

by MAP

Interviewed by EXT photo magazine, her career and revealed that her greatest sources of pleasure and learning come from the photographic expeditions she undertakes. Her books Benin, Ethiopia, and Gabon were born out of these intense field experiences, in which direct contact with different peoples and cultures becomes the true creative engine. Her most recent work, Malawi, Dzaleka Refugee Camp, resulted from a fifteen-day immersion in the Ubuntu Nation Project, run by the organization Fraternidade Sem Fronteiras (Fraternity Without Borders), which operates in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Africa. The experience profoundly transformed her perception of the world and the social role of photography, leading her to understand the importance of giving visibility to little-known realities. For her, each book is a natural extension of these experiences, allowing her to share with the public stories and human contexts that deserve to be told.

Míriam believes that having a photography book is a form of permanence. According to her, the printed work is a record of what really matters to the photographer - what moves and defines them. “The book remains when you are gone,” she says, emphasizing its power of continuity and legacy.

During the 2020 pandemic, Míriam developed the series “Tocaia”, born out of her curiosity to record the daily life of Ipanema (Rio de Janeiro), the neighborhood where she lives, amid social isolation. When she went out on her bike to take pictures, she found deserted streets, closed stores, and an unsettling silence - an almost apocalyptic scene. However, amid this urban void, her attention was drawn to the orange backpacks of the delivery workers who continued to circulate. She then began to follow them with her camera, recording their gestures, glances, and movements. This approach gave rise to a reflection on the invisibility and importance of these workers, who, in her words, “saved our lives” by ensuring that the world continued to function while everyone stayed at home.

For the photographer, each project is a way of revealing humanity - whether in the quiet streets of Ipanema or in African refugee camps - and reaffirming the power of the image as a testimony and act of solidarity.

instagram.com/miriam__ramalho

EXT photo magazine #13

Link to online interview on YouTube.

Míriam Ramalho on EXT.