Zanele Muholi's *Zodwa II, Amsterdam* is part of their acclaimed series *Somnyama Ngonyama* (Hail the Dark Lioness), in which Muholi serves as both photographer and subject, using stark self-portraiture to explore Black identity, beauty, and resistance. The image employs high-contrast tones that deepen and celebrate the darkness of Muholi's skin, a deliberate act of visual activism against Eurocentric standards of representation. Through carefully constructed poses and symbolic props or adornments, Muholi asserts a powerful and unapologetic presence that honors South African Black queer identity on a global stage.