Dom Smaz, Milena Machado Neves (eds.)

Helvécia
A Swiss Colonial History in Brazil

Helvécia, a Black village community in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Bahia, owes its name to the plantation from which it originated. It was founded in 1818 by Swiss and German settlers, and the coffee grown on its vast estates brought them great wealth. This would not have been possible without exploitation: in the mid-19th century, for every 200 white settlers, there were 2,000 slaves of African origin. With great sensitivity and in dialogue with the inhabitants, Swiss-Brasilian photographer Dom Smaz searched Helvécia for traces of the past. His compelling images capture the vibrant village and the life of its inhabitants while essays explain the historical circumstances. The resulting photobook encourages a postcolonial examination of the global interdependencies and power structures involved, which extend into the present and are ultimately a source of European prosperity.

Helvécia, a Black village community in the southern part of the Brazilian state of Bahia, owes its name to the plantation from which it originated. It was founded in 1818 by Swiss and German settlers, and the coffee grown on its vast estates brought them great wealth. This would not have been possible without exploitation: in the mid-19th century, for every 200 white settlers, there were 2,000 slaves of African origin. With great sensitivity and in dialogue with the inhabitants, Swiss-Brasilian photographer Dom Smaz searched Helvécia for traces of the past. His compelling images capture the vibrant village and the life of its inhabitants while essays explain the historical circumstances. The resulting photobook encourages a postcolonial examination of the global interdependencies and power structures involved, which extend into the present and are ultimately a source of European prosperity.

English edition – also available in German and French

Edited by Dom Smaz, Milena Machado Neves

With photographs by Dom Smaz

With essays by Izabel Barros, Christian Doninelli, Flávio dos Santos Gomes, Rohit Jain, Shalini Randeria

Design: Adrien Moreillon

21,6 × 29,2 cm, 8 ½ × 11 ½ in

216 pages, 109 illustrations

hardback

2022, 978-3-03778-701-4, English
CHF 50.00

Dom Smaz

Dom Smaz

Dom Smaz (*1983) is a Swiss-Brazilian photographer who is based in Lausanne and often works in Brazil. He is a five-time winner of the Swiss Press Award and regularly contributes to Swiss and international media. His photographs often deal with the themes of colonial heritage, social differences and marginalization. In 2018, he took part in the show Mobile Worlds, mounted by the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (MK&G), Hamburg, in partnership with the Johann Jacobs Museum, Zurich. In 2019, part of his Helvécia project was featured at the Festival Internacional de Fotografia of Bogotá, Colombia. Smaz graduated from Vevey’s School of Photography and is a member of the French photography agency Hans Lucas.

Milena Machado Neves

Milena Machado Neves

Milena Machado Neves (*1983) is a journalist and freelance curator who has developed many cultural projects in Brazil. She has worked closely with the photographer Dom Smaz in documenting their joint project on Helvécia, drawing on her professional experience and deep knowledge of this region in Northeastern Brazil where she hails from. She lives and works in Lausanne, where she is a regular contributor to Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS).