Essamba (b. Cameroon, 1962) photographs African women in their bond with the earth. This is represented by rubbing them with mud, or placing them against a background of tree bark, straw or other natural material. Sometimes Essamba has the natural material and the women flow over into one another.

Nature is not the only important theme, but also objects from African culture such as the mask, which as a sacred object plays a role in ceremonies. Person and mask are pictured next to one another, sometimes projected over one another. The models are nude, or draped in white cloth. Essamba supplements her work with poetry. For her, photographs and poems are means to communicate with her audience.

At the age of 10 Essamba moved to Paris. She studied philosophy and dance. Later she moved to The Netherlands, where she studied photography at the professional photography school at Apeldoorn. She has exhibited frequently outside The Netherlands.