feature: photographer paul shiakallis spotlights the queens of botswana’s metal scene

Take a look at some of South African photographer Paul Shiakallis‘ commanding portraits of the leather-clad women of Botswana’s metal scene (the “Marok” scene, translated in English as “rocker”). Shiakallis met the metal fans – who call themselves Queens – last year at a gig in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital, and they become the focus of his 2014 photography series. Hyperallergic writes: “This type of self-expression is rare for women in Botswana’s conservative patriarchal society. Since mainstream culture often perceives metal as “satanic,” many women of the Marok movement wear more traditional clothing by day and only reveal their brutal alter-egos in their Facebook photos, posing in full metal regalia, often in front of trees outside at night. “I believe facebook allows u to be who u are. only girls who believe in themselves and aint afraid to express themselves can be rockers,” one Queen, Phoenix Tonahs Slaughter, told Shiakallis. “They don’t tend to pose aggressively like the men do, so I liked that they showed a softer side to the Marok movement,” Shiakallis says.”. Check out the portraits below.

By Alexander Aplerku, AFROPUNK Contributor