Wilderness and Photovogue Introduce
Africa Through Mikhailia Petersen’s Lens
The Cape Town photographer finds inspiration and connection on a once-in-a-lifetime safari with Wilderness
A safari is not just an expedition—it is an education. For the Cape Town-based photographer Mikhailia Petersen, the chance to visit Tanzania, Rwanda, and Botswana for PhotoVogue proved to be a lesson well beyond the contours of her known universe.
This chance to explore the continent was the first time Petersen had ever left her native South Africa, an opportunity made possible thanks to Wilderness, the world’s leading conservation and hospitality company. With over 60 camps across eight African countries, Wilderness brings visitors to some of the continent’s most iconic and wild places. Their commitment to both environmental and social sustainability ensures that these untamed landscapes will remain that way for generations to come. This sense of responsibility would prove invaluable for Petersen when applying her authentic, narrative-driven lens.
Leaving her studio and her comfort zone behind, she embarked on a rich, layered experience that brought new creative challenges and expanded her perspective.
“It truly felt like two weeks suspended in a dream,” Petersen recalls. “You can look online and do your research… But to be in a place like Rwanda at Wilderness Bisate Reserve and see the volcanoes from my bedroom window, those are the things of dreams.”
Known primarily for her portraiture, Petersen took her practice far beyond the controlled confines of her studio for this collaboration. The resulting series, “Re-Membering the Continent: A Visual Love Letter,” combines portraits with fashion and environmental storytelling, celebrating not only these wild destinations but also the often behind-the-scenes individuals who make safaris possible along the way.
To create these portraits, Petersen channeled the unique cultural heritage of each country she visited. At Wilderness Usawa—set amidst the sprawling plains of Tanzania’s Serengeti and home to the Great Migration—Petersen clothed her subjects in traditional kanga cloth to capture the country’s self-expression, joy, and vibrance. In the volcanic highlands of Rwanda, known as “the Land of a Thousand Hills,” she felt drawn to the legacy of the ancient kings and queens of the highland country. And while staying at Wilderness Vumbura Plains in Botswana, she captured the mysterious floodplains of the Okavango Delta.
To bring each subject to life, she collaborated with Cape Town-based designer ethical jewelry studio Pichulik, as well as Barry Mohammed and Brandon Reef, and sourced accessories from Barley Closet and Merchants on Long. Then, of course, there was the human element.
“I thought I would have to direct the people I was photographing, but they directed me, and they really stepped into character,” said Petersen. “It was so much freer.”
At home, Petersen gets to know her subjects over extended periods of time and schedules well in advance. For this series, working on the fly in the bush “was a little wilder.” One subject in particular stands out in her memory: Margaret Muhembe from Tanzania, the chef at Wilderness Usawa Serengeti.
“She had this queen-like energy that I immediately noticed…I knew she was the person I wanted to capture,” said Petersen. “And when she got in front of the camera, she was completely different from how I thought she was going to be: She was more outgoing, she took control, and she led me. You can feel it in the pictures.”
The photo series resonates with warmth, personality and gravity—a result of Petersen’s ability to build trust quickly, even with strangers, and the inspiration she found in the bush.
Wilderness is something beyond a luxury safari experience. It’s an unrivaled journey of culture, nature and wellness, and, for Petersen, it was one that brought her closer to herself. “This was a personal act of remembering and reclaiming,” said the photographer. “Since coming home, I haven’t stopped creating. I just have this energy. I’m really inspired and I have even more respect for nature. It was life-changing.”
