African Photo Magazine Issue #4

Walk through History 

Celebrating Africa’s Wins 

+ 

Photography Tips 

Resources & Info 

MAY 2016 

ISSUE #4 

Local Perspectives. African Insights. 

Celebrating 

the Greats: 

Our Hall of Framers 

AMIN 

OBERHOLZER 

SIDIBE 

In their 

footsteps 

The next generation 

Choumali | Godfrey | Mwangi | Esiebo 

Canon Corner

WATCH VIDEO ON LATEST PRODUCTS 

LEARN ABOUT UPCOMING CANON 

WORKSHOPS IN NAIROBI 

CANON 

WORKSHOPS + GEAR 

6

Photo Festivals 

Around the Continent 

Mark down the dates 

to submit your work 

4and participate! 

VIDEO 

TUTORIALS 

5 

Photographer’s 

HOW 

Amin 

Oberholzer 

Sidibe 

S S E 

CA 

Choumali 

Godfrey 

Mwangi 

Esiebo 

32 Pages 

10 

Celebrating the greats 

from the past and the 

new crop of talent 

5 

OF DRONES 

& CURRENT 

LEGISLATION 

UPDATE OF 2 ND 

KENYA CIVIL AVIATION 

AUTHORITY (KCAA) 

STAKEHOLDERS 

FORUM MEETING 

8 

Africa’s 

photography 

history 

FINAL 

INSTALLMENT

Letter 

from the 

Editor 

It was with a sense of sadness that I approached 

this 4th issue as I realized that this issue would 

be the one to house the last segment of Our walk 

through Africa’s Photography history. 

As we say goodbye to the missionary and 

colonial period that birthed the particular 

genre of African photography we witnessed 

at the turn of the 20th century and indeed up 

to current times, we say a big ‘hello!’ to the pre 

and post independent period that birthed our 

African photographers. Far too many young 

photographers today, indeed many young 

practitioners in various fields, have a poor grasp 

of the rich history behind their chosen fields 

and the blood, sweat and tears their fore-fathers 

shed to allow them to craft the present. These 

African greats stood up at the dawning of a new 

Africa; as independence movements gathered 

steam in the 1950s and 1960s, a new breed of 

photographer was about to take the stage. 

This publication has the very great honor of 

featuring some of our greats in this edition, 

such as Malick Sidibe of Mali, Mohamed Amin of 

Kenya (now deceased) and Obie Oberholzer of 

South Africa. We have created a “Hall of Framers” 

to showcase the amazing work and talent of 

these greats and will endeavor to feature at least 

one great in every issue we publish ~ they must 

not be forgotten! 

As we look back, we look forward too, to the new greats 

crafting a place for themselves in history, taking the 

baton from the greats of old and rising above commercial 

indulgence, fame and fortune, to be an agent of social 

change one image at a time. We have the immense pleasure 

of featuring Joana Choumali of Côte d’Ivoire, Boniface 

Mwangi of Kenya, Andrew Esiebo of Nigeria and Ilan Godfrey 

of South Africa. We wish them well, and we will be watching 

them! 

Additionally, in this issue, we feature Canon sponsored 

workshops called Project Miraisha. Since December 2014, 

Canon has facilitated three workshops in Kenya, led by world 

renowned photojournalist and Canon Master Gary Knight. 

With the support of local partners, Canon is using its core 

imaging skills to help local people develop livelihoods in 

professional photography or print. The next workshops are 

slated for Saturday 14th - Friday 20th May, 2016 and will be 

co-hosted with House of Fotography, a local outfit based in 

Nairobi, Kenya. 

Lastly, we tip off our hats to our African photographers that 

came out tops in the recently concluded SONY and Hamdan 

bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International 

Photography Award (HIPA) competitions. These are the 

largest photography competitions in the world and Africa 

took its place amongst the very best. Kudos to our winners! 

It is an absolute pleasure to bring this magazine to you and I 

trust you will enjoy it as much as I do! 

The Editor, 

AFRICANPHOTOMAGAZINE 2

53 

COMPETITIONS 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

SUBMISSION DEADLINES 

Win $3000 and international recognition in the 

prestigious Monochrome Awards 

Participate in a contest hosted by 

ViewBug and have your work judged by 

world-renowned photographers 

Vie for the chance to claim a two-week solo 

exhibition on both floors of Blank Wall 

Gallery 

Submit work for possible inclusion in the 

“Nollywood” themed exhibition presented by 

LagosPhoto 

The Sony World Photography 

Awards will open for entries on 1st June 

AWARD 

WINNERS 

45 

Publishers: 

House of Fotography 

Editor: 

Sharon Mitchener 

Layout Designer: 

Christina N. Mugambi | nkirotemugambi.com 

Editorial Offices: 

House of Fotography 

P.O. Box 25190-00603 Nairobi, Kenya 

Tel: (+254) 702.680.797 | 714.745.924 

hello@fotohouse.co.ke 

A SPECIAL THANKS 

TO THE FOLLOWING: 

To all the photographers and/or their 

representatives who contributed towards this 

4th issue; the kindness and graciousness in their 

taking part makes this a very unique edition 

To Boniface Mwangi of PAWA 254 

for always being such a strong supporter of this 

publication’s efforts and for his role in fostering 

the growth of the photography industry 

To our video partners, Jemedari Media 

for their invaluable contribution to the 

production of educational videos 

To Katie Simmonds (Canon Europe) 

for believing in us 

And 

Ultimately, to our Almighty God 

to Him be the Glory! 

The views expressed in this magazine should only 

be ascribed to the authors concerned and do not 

necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. 

The printing of an advertisement in this 

magazine does not necessarily mean that the 

publishers endorse the companies or 

organizations, product or service. 

All rights reserved. No part of this magazine 

may be reproduced by any means without 

permission in writing from the publishers. 

Local Perspectives. African Insights. 

© 2016

Marrakech Biennale Festival 

February 24 - May 8, 2016 

Marrakech, Morroco 

In 2004 with the rise of global tensions, Vanessa Branson and Abel Damoussi envisioned a 

cultural festival that would address social issues through the arts, using them as a vehicle 

for debate and discussion and to build bridges between diverse ideologies. The Marrakech 

festival held its first edition in 2005. In 2009 in order to realize its full potential in the eyes of the 

International art world Branson raised the festivals ambition and embraced the term biennale. It 

has become a celebration of creativity in a city that has for centuries been the focus of artistic 

exploration but historically had only limited emphasis on contemporary art. Beginning as a 

gathering of arts enthusiasts who organised literary events and exhibitions, the Biennale has 

grown to become an internationally recognised event with a thriving visual art and literature 

programme. The Biennale enjoys widespread coverage by the national and international press 

and is now ranked among the top 20 biennales in the world. 

www.marrakechbiennale.org 

Lagos Photo Festival 

October - November, 2016 

Lagos, Nigeria 

INHERENT RISK: RITUALS AND PERFORMANCE, Now Open for Submissions 

LagosPhoto 2016 explores the role of acts of repetition that shape gender, image, identity, 

social agency, power and social constructs in contemporary society. The repetitive acts 

imbued with belief become coercive and normative. It shapes our general idea of what is true 

in determining an African image, gender, religion, beauty, social class and so forth. Michel 

Foucault’s (1980) conception on the transmissions and representations of power not just in 

its ability to contain and control but in its ability to enable individuals to function within cultural 

roles and allows for alternative self-definitions and self-presentations. Contemporary visual 

representations directly affect the cultural meanings associated with image construction and 

interpretation. 

www.lagosphotofestival.com/news/article/lagosphoto-2016-inherent-risk-rituals-andperformance-now-open-for-submissions 

Addis Foto Fest 

December, 2016 

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 

Established in 2010, the Addis Foto Fest bi-annual is a photography festival that is directed 

by award winning photographer Aida Muluneh. Produced by Desta for Africa (DFA), the 

week-long international festival is held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and features exhibitions, 

portfolio review, conferences, projections and film screenings. Through the participation of 

the continental and as well the international photography community the main objective is to 

support the development, dissemination and promotion of images from Africa. The deadline for 

submissions for consideration was December 29, 2015, however all are invited to the festival. 

www.addisfotofest.com 


UPDATE no. 2 

On 2 July 2015, The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) held a consultative stakeholders 

meeting to frame a policy regarding the operations of drones and the necessary licensing 

requirements. Below is an update of what transpired following a second stakeholders forum 

held in February 2016. 

OF DRONES 

& CURRENT LEGISLATION 

A draft policy has now been framed, The Civil Aviation 

Regulations, 2016 (Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems RPAS) 

and this publication would like to highlight the following key 

provisions: 

1. An operator or owner of a RPAS shall register with 

the Authority 

2. The RPAS operator shall obtain an RPAS Operating 

Certificate issued by the Authority 

3. An Authorization request, which shall include the following: 

(a) name and contact information of the operator; 

(b) RPAS characteristics (type of aircraft, maximum 

certificated take-off mass, number of engines, 

wing span); 

(c) copy of certificate of registration; 

(d) aircraft identification to be used in radiotelephony, 

if applicable; 

(e) copy of the certificate of airworthiness; 

(f) copy of the RPAS operator certificate; 

(g) copy of the remote pilot(s) licence; 

(h) copy of the aircraft radio station licence, if applicable; 

(i) description of the intended operation (to include type 

of operation or purpose); 

(j) take-off and landing requirements; 

(k) RPAS performance characteristics; 

(l) communications, navigation and surveillance capabilities; 

(m) detect and avoid capabilities; 

(n) emergency procedures; 

4. RPAS operators shall be authorised in 

accordance with the category of use 

(a) RPAS used for Recreation and Sports, 

authorisation shall be through registered clubs 

(b) RPAS for Commercial Use, authorisation 

shall be granted to the operator directly by 

the Authority 

(c) RPAS for Private Use, authorisation shall be 

granted to the operator directly by the Authority 

5. A person shall not operate a RPAS under Private 

and Recreational or Sports category above 400 

feet Above Ground Level 

6. The operator of RPAS shall be responsible 

for the safety and security of RPAS operations 

including associated facilities, personnel 

and equipment 

7. A person shall not operate a RPAS in Kenya 

without authorisation from the Authority. 

8. Any RPAS operated prior to February, 2016 

must be registered no later than May 31, 2016. 

9. An RPAS operator who fails to comply with 

any of the obligations provided for by these 

Regulations shall be liable upon conviction, to 

a fine not exceeding five hundred thousand or 

imprisonment or both. 

For more information, see http://www.kcaa.or.ke/ 

VIDEO 

Tutorials 

THESE ARE TUTORIALS WE OCCASIONALLY 

PRODUCE TO EDUCATE & ENGAGE WITH 

OUR AUDIENCE. 

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY IN STUDIO 

Local Perspectives. African Insights.

Workshops 

Gear 

Miraisha Programme 

Next Workshop 

Saturday 14 th May - Friday 20 th May 2016 

House of Fotography Studios, Nairobi 

In Emerging Markets, Canon is helping local people to 

establish careers in photography, video and print. Since 

December 2014, Canon has facilitated four workshops in 

Kenya, led by world renowned photojournalist and Canon 

Master Gary Knight. 

Each free week-long workshop was attended by ten 

photographers from across East Africa. Through classroom 

learning, one-to-one training by Gary, hands-on application 

and evening lectures by established Kenya-based 

photographers, the workshops inspired and developed the 

students’ ability to tell powerful stories that matter to 

them through their cameras. 

With the support of local partners, Canon is using its core 

imaging skills to help local people develop livelihoods in 

professional photography, video or print. Already some 

of the workshop students have had their work published 

locally and abroad. 

What does Miraisha mean? Miraisha is the combination of 

the Japanese word ‘mirai’ meaning ‘future’ and the Swahili 

word ‘maisha’ meaning ‘livelihood or life’. 

Speakers: 

Canon Master Gary Knight 

Gary is a photojournalist and teacher at TUFFS 

University, USA and he will be leading the 

workshop and giving insight into storytelling and 

the business from which he has over 30 years of 

experience in. 

Teddy Mitchener 

Teddy is a Commercial Photographer with House 

of Fotography & the co-Founder of African Photo 

Magazine. Teddy will be sharing aspects of 

starting a commercial photography enterprise 

from the ground-up, the hidden pitfalls and 

what makes one a successful professional 

photographer in Kenya. 

Salim Rollins 

Salim is a Director/Producer of cinematography 

and Creative Director of NairobiStyle. Salim 

has produced numerous TV shows and 

documentaries, including a short film called 

Besouro Preto which received the Best 

Documentary award at the San Francisco Film 

Festival in 2003. Salim will be sharing about his 

transition from the US to Kenya and about the 

industry similarities & differences between the 

two countries, the business acumen required, 

and share any knowledge/ experiences he has 

encountered along the way. 


Canon has 

launched the 

EOS-1D X Mark II 

The new flagship pro DSLR 

and successor to the 

hugely successful 

EOS-1D X 

CHECK IT 

OUT HERE! 

video clip courtesy of 

our partners at Canon 

Full Frame 

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With AF / AE Tracking 

Movie Capture 

14 fps 

4K 60p 

20.2 MP 

Setting a new performance standard with an incredible 14fps 

continuous drive and increasing to 16fps in Live View mode, the 

EOS-1D X Mark II features a brand new high latitude Canon 20.2MP 

CMOS sensor with Dual Pixel CMOS AF plus faster autofocus and 

precise tracking along with an expanded AF point coverage area. 

Furthermore, the EOS-1D X Mark II now has 61 individually selectable 

AF points with 21 cross-type at f/8 offering stunning focus accuracy 

even when using long lenses and extenders. 

With a host of new features such as DCI 4K Movies up to 60p 

frame rate, Full HD up to 120p for creative slow motion effects, 

built-in GPS that can tag your images around the world as well as 

automatically update the camera’s clock, a crop and send function 

from a high definition LCD as well as faster WiFi connectivity with the 

new optional WFT-E8 transmitter, the EOS-1D X Mark II brings new 

standards of performance before, during and after capture allowing 

professionals to seamlessly deliver the moment the image its taken. 

Resolution, 

sensitivity and 

latitude 

At the heart of EOS-1D X Mark II is 

a Canon developed CMOS sensor 

that marks the next generation of 

professional image quality in the 

EOS line-up. With enhanced light 

collecting performance and the 

ability to convert this light into 

digital signal, this sensor delivers 

a high-sensitivity performance 

reducing noise in both high and low 

ISO speeds, along with high latitude 

to pull details in dark areas. 


Our walk 

through 

Africa’s 

photography 

history 

Part 4 

Continuation from Issue #3 

and last installment. 

Top: Ivory Caravan 

Left: Photographer Herzekiah; 

Depicted persons Gerald Izëdro 

Marie Samuel (1858 - 1913) 

Right: “Type Photograph”: 

An African in a typical rigid 

frontal pose 

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth 

centuries, missionary photography was a 

powerful tool in creating images of Africa in 

Europe. At the time, they were often accepted 

as literal representations of reality, rather than 

a particular interpretation of a specific context. 

Increasingly, as we come to value missionary 

photography in Africa as an important 

historical source, we need also to become 

aware of the fact that it tells us as much about 

the ideas of the photographer as it does about 

the subjects being photographed [sic]. 

From today’s vantage point, these popular 

images celebrating what was perceived as 

“colonial achievement” reveal subtexts and 

meanings other than those intended by 

photographers and publishers or seen by 

viewers at the time. At the turn of the 20th 

century, pictures of ivory caravans and rubber 

production symbolized economic success; 

they now imply exploitation and harsh labor 

practices. An image of chained prisoners, then 

a metaphor for colonial control over defiant 

populations, now shows African resistance to 

often abusive practices and heavy punishment 

for minor infractions. Similarly, photographs of 

road and railroad construction have become 

testimony to forced labor rather than visual 

examples of what was seen as “progress.” 

Photography, the same medium that 

constructed a modern and alluring portrayal 

of Africa under colonial domination, actually 

played a pivotal role in bringing down colonial 

rule, a prime example being King Léopold’s 

regime in the Congo Free State. In 1885, 

Léopold II, King of the Belgians, claimed 

extensive territories in central Africa as his 

private holdings and established the Congo 

Free State. In 1908, after worldwide protests 

castigating labor abuses and atrocities 

committed against the African population, 

the Belgian government annexed the King’s 

private holdings, which then became the 

Belgian Congo. To the north of the Congo Free 

State, France established French Equatorial 

Africa (A.E.F.). To the East, Germany took over 

the kingdoms of Rwanda and Burundi, but lost 

them to Belgium as a result of the First World 

War. In the South, Portugal occupied Angola. 


In the late 19th century, photography, considered to be 

a truthful witness, had developed into a means of social 

documentation. Various humanitarian campaigns for social 

improvement recognized the visual image’s potential to 

influence public opinion; photography became a tool used 

by activists to harness public support and improve working 

conditions. As the international protests against abuses in 

the Congo Free State grew, opponents successfully advanced 

their cause by distributing photographs of prisoners, harsh 

labor practices and mutilations that were punishment for 

African resistance to colonial rule. 

In most parts of Africa, the colonial period lasted from 1885 

to 1960. Throughout this period photography was used to 

describe and classify peoples under colonial domination 

and to record information about African architecture and 

art, dress and adornment, body decoration, ceremonies and 

rituals. Today, many of these photographs--even considering 

the circumstances under which they were taken--have 

become valuable historical documents of African ways of life. 

However, they are equally important as primary evidence of 

commonly held Western beliefs about Africans. 

Photographers tended to focus on themes that often 

reinforced erroneous notions of an “exotic” or “savage” Africa, 

visually evoking stereotypes about Africans. Some of these 

stereotypes--which could be traced to the earliest Western 

encounters with Africans along the coast in the 16th century- 

-were celebratory; others were derogatory, racist and deeply 

painful. Seen from our contemporary perspective, many of 

the perceptions conveyed by the imagery were viciously 

wrong and permanently damaging. 

Besides documenting Africans and African life, much of the 

photographic activity in Africa served to popularize the 

colonial venture. The building of the colonial infrastructure 

and successful economic exploitation of ivory, rubber and 

later minerals were common themes. Africans, whom the 

colonials saw as culturally inferior, were to be Christianized 

and educated in what has become known as the “civilizing 

mission.” Missionary activities and educational efforts 

are portrayed in the imagery, which celebrated colonial 

achievement. 

Many late 19th- and early 20th-century images depicted 

Africans in rigid frontal and profile poses. These were called 

“type” photographs and were used as scientific evidence for 

the race theories of the time period. Scholars linked physical- 

-in particular facial--features and the shape of the skull to a 

person’s intellect and personality. According to influential 

British scientist Charles Darwin (1809-1882), human physical 

characteristics and cultural forms were the end 

products of a long chain of evolution. In this 

scheme, which has since been proven spurious, 

many Africans occupied a lower level on the 

evolutionary ladder, while Caucasians were 

placed at the top. 

When photography spread along the African 

coasts in the second half of the 19th century, 

enthusiasm for being photographed grew in elite 

African circles, especially among residents of 

larger cities. They frequented the photographic 

studios operated by photographers from Africa, 

Europe and elsewhere to record their modern 

ways of life. They assumed distinct poses; most 

often they looked directly at the camera. Some 

of their portraits appeared as postcards, then 

a medium that--much like newspapers today-- 

documented many aspects of everyday life. 

Africans also took up photography themselves, 

acquired equipment and established studios-- 

first in the coastal regions and decades later in 

inland towns. Nigerian-born Herzekiah Andrew 

Shanu (1858-1905) was among the pioneers. He 

came to the Congo Free State’s capital Boma as 

a clerk and translator in 1884 and later became 

a successful businessman. His photographs-- 

depictions of Africans in and around Boma-- 

were published in a Belgian colonial magazine. 

Other early African photographers still remain 

anonymous, but future research may reveal more 

information about their lives and work. 

As we wrap up documenting Africa’s 

photography history, African Photo Magazine 

will transition to establishing a “Hall of Framers” 

for the greats that started to take over behind 

the lens; the African photographers that started 

to tell our stories through our own eyes. Each 

issue will feature one of the greats of the colonial 

and pre-independence era, believing that the 

link from yesteryear that bore the photographers 

of today must remain unbroken – they, and our 

rich history, must not be forgotten! 

References 

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art 

Dr. T. Jack Thompson Images of Africa: Photography 

in the Nineteenth Century 


Photographer’s 

SHOW 

CA S E 

Hall of Framers 

+ 

Making Their Mark 


HALL OF FRAMERS 

The roll call for our African Photographer “Hall of Framers” is long… Santu Mofokeng, 

Peter Magubane, Alf Kumalo, Bob Gosani, Ernest Cole, Joseph Makula, Seydou Keïta, 

Salla Casset, Meissa Gay, Cornelius Yao Azaglo Augustt, Malick Sidibe, Mohamed Amin, 

J. D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Philip Kwame Apagya… We could fill this page with them. 

These African greats stood up at the dawning of a new Africa…as independence 

movements gathered steam in the 1950s and 1960s, a new breed of photographer 

was about to take the stage. Photography of Africa and the African was previously the 

preserve of the Christian missionary and soon after, the colonialists, westerners. 

The new African photographer offered a space where people were afforded agency over 

their image, rather than being subject to a western lens that projected an exoticism or 

poverty upon them. The resulting pictures were “Africans for Africans.” 

This publication will endeavor to feature The Hall of Framers, believing that it is 

our sacred honor and duty to remember and revere those that went before us, 

blazing a trail that allows us today to stand tall and proud, and own our image! 

Mohamed 

AMIN 

Obie 

OBERHOLZER 

Malick 

SIDIBE 


AMIN 

Mohamed 

amputation of his left arm, yet almost always he got his 

film out. Mo and his company, CameraPix, immediately 

gained recognition as Mo began covering some of the 

most important events and controversial issues in a 

politically changing Africa and his work began appearing 

in international newspapers such as the BBC, Reuters 

and Visnews, among others - eventually Mo became the 

most sought after cameraman on the African continent 

and ultimately the most decorated news cameraman of 

all time. 

In 1966, at the tender age of 23 years, Mo was the first 

person to take pictures of John Gideon Okello leading 

a bloody mutiny in Zanzibar (John Gideon Okello was 

the leader of the Zanzibar Revolution in 1964 which 

overthrew Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah and led to the 

proclamation of Zanzibar as a Republic). The very first 

images showing Russian troops training the rebels in 

Zanzibar were captured by Mo and the capture of this 

seditious footage resulted in him being kicked out of 

Tanzania after spending 28 days in prison. 

Born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1943, as the second son of 

eight children to a poor railway engineer of Punjabi 

descent, Mohamed Amin (Mo) was obsessed with 

photography right from the start. At the age of nine 

years, he began saving for a camera which he bought 

two years later for 40 shillings and at thirteen he was 

shooting for his school newspaper and The Tanganyika 

Standard, covering what became the East African Safari 

Rally (The family had been relocated to Tanzania, 

following a posting there by the East African Railways). 

During his teenage years, Mo’s uncanny talent for 

capturing the faces and spirit of the times led him to 

quit school and in 1962 set up shop as a professional 

photographer and establishing his company, Camerapix, 

in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania. 

In that same year, 1962, Mo received a tip that two 

prominent South Africans in the anti-Apartheid 

movement had escaped prison and had flown to Dares-Salaam, 

Tanganyika (Tanzania) where the new 

President Julius Nyerere offered them sanctuary. It 

was the first of many scoops. Mo’s luck was legendary. 

Good fortune, tip-offs, planning and taking calculated 

risks all meant he was where the action was, sometimes 

under gunfire, sometimes enduring weeks of torture, 

automatic arms fire, explosives and, ultimately, the 

Making Kenya his new base allowed Mo to do more 

than just capture pictures of Nairobi’s life. The world had 

started seeing Nairobi as the entry-point into East Africa 

so Mo easily landed jobs with international media. Over 

time Mo became obsessed with the story - “We are in 

the most powerful profession in the industry; our work 

reaches millions; we can change the world and it can 

change Africa, which desperately needs it.” - This was his 

mantra. His work constantly put him in risky situations 

as he successfully captured ethnic tensions, political 

upheavals, and regime changes and the dawning of a new 

Africa. There was a deep, yet humorous quote by Mo on 

whether any war story was worth his life, “I’m not afraid 

of the bullet with my name on it, but I don’t want the 

bullet that says ‘To whom it may concern.’” 

Mo however, is best remembered for helping bring 

attention to the famine in Ethiopia in 1984 with BBC 

TV reporter Michael Buerk, a long-time colleague. 

Filming starved refugees, Mo presented the horrors of 

the situation yet preserved the dignity of the very proud 

people. The seven minute clip was shown on BBC’s Six 

o’clock news on 24 October 1984. The pictures were stark 

and shocking but the reaction was unprecedented and 

the project “We Are the World” was born. This project 

lead to the Live Aid concert in 13 July 1985, which was 

broadcast worldwide using large-scale satellite link-ups 

- an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion across 150 

nations watched the live broadcast resulting in the largest 

funds drive the world has ever held, to date! 


During a lifetime of chasing big stories up and 

down Africa, in the end, the story came to Mo on 

23 November 1996. Mo was aboard an Ethiopian 

Airways flight #961 which was hijacked soon after 

leaving Addis Ababa for Nairobi. When the captain 

warned frightened passengers that he was running 

out of fuel, Mo stood up and tried to talk sense into 

the hijackers. He was still on his feet 15 minutes 

later when the plane crashed into the sea just off the 

Comoro Islands in the Indian Ocean, killing Mo 

and his longtime friend and colleague, Brian Tetley 

and 125 of the 175 passengers and crew on board. 

Mo was the man who helped shape our world, 

one image at a time. We remember him fondly, 

with the 20th anniversary of his passing on being 

commemorated later this year. His legacy lives on in 

his son, Salim Amin. 

References 

Interview with Salim Mohamed, Camerapix/A24 Media 

The Baron 

Africa On The Blog 

Polis, Journalism and Society at the LSE 

World Press Photo 

Self-declared Emperor Bokassa on his solid gold throne, 

Central African Republic (left) 

Revolutionaries, Idi Amin of Uganda and Muammar Ghaddafi 

of Libya (right) 

Robert Mugabe (Patriotic Front) leading the war in Rhodesia, 

at OAU 1977 (above) 

Images: Courtesy of Camerapix and A24 Media 



(Opposite Page) 

Jomo Kenyatta being sworn-in, looking on are 

Mama Ngina & James Gichuru (top) 

President Mobutu Sese Seko in war-torn 

Shaba province, Zaire, 1977 (left) 

Presidents Sadat (Egypt), Ghaddafi (Libya) & 

Nimeiry (Sudan) (right) 

--------------------------------- 

(This Page) 

President Samora Machel (Mozambique) & 

President Julius Nyerere (Tanzania) (top left) 

Tom Mboya assasinated, 5 July 1969 (top right) 

Biafran Leader, Lieut. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu 

in Addis Ababa, 1968 (above) 

Presidents Idi Amin (Uganda) & Mobutu SeseSeko 

(Zaire) riding in Kampala (left) 





White settlers pledging allegiance to President Idi Amin 

of Uganda, 1971 (top) 

Biafran forces of Odumegwu Ojuku killing Federal 

troops, 1960s (middle left) 

Robert Mugabe (Patriotic Front), George Silundika 

ANC & Joshua Nkomo ZAPU (middle right) 

Kisumu massacre (1969) by Security personnel of 

President Kenyatta (bottom left) 

Presidents Idi Amin (Uganda), Julius Nyerere 

(Tanzania), Jomo Kenyatta (Kenya) (bottom right) 

--------------------------------- 

(This Page) 

Dr Robert Ouko (Kenya) President Kenneth Kaunda 

(Zambia) at Commonwealth meeting (top left) 

Mubarak (Eqypt), V.P. Kibaki (Kenya) & Agriculture 

Minister Odongo Omamo, 1978 (top right) 

Kenya coastal strip conference, London, 1962. Mboya, 

Kenyatta & Mwanyuba (middle left) 

Emperors Jean-Bedel Bokassa (Central Africa Republic) 

& Haile Selassie (Ethiopia) at OAU (above) 

Mo and Buerk in Korem relief camp, Ethiopia, 

covering the famine (left) 



Obie 

OBER 

HOL 

ZER 

IN HIS OWN WORDS: 

Born on a farm in South Africa, on the 26th of August 

1947 to be exact, I spent most of my first eight years 

running around barefoot like a wild little madman. Later, 

I went to an English High School and started wearing 

shoes and managed to scrape through final exams but 

really excelled at sports and girls. I was drafted into the 

South African Air Force, but did a lot more athletics than 

aerial combat and later attended Stellenbosch University, 

again excelling in recklessness and exuberance. My 

majors were graphic design, drinking, dancing, rugby 

and athletics. While at Stellenbosch, I was made aware 

that cameras can produce images, I fell in love with 

photography and Lynn. Soon after, I bought a Hasselblad 

and got married to Lynn. 

In 1970, I looked around and became aware of the bad 

political situation in South Africa, said goodbye to all the 

friends and parents and went off to study photography in 

München, Germany. Quickly, I learnt that fun and hard 

work didn’t mix in Germany, so I learnt to excel in image 

taking and received top marks in the final exams. 

In 1973 working as camera assistant at a German Film 

Company, I started to long for the wide-open plains 

of Africa and returned to South Africa to find that 

Apartheid was really at its worst. I found work in Pretoria 

and fell around from job to job and from bar to bar. 

In 1975, I started lecturing at The Natal Technikon in 

Durban and approached teaching with enthusiasm. 

In 1979, I took a sabbatical and returned to 

München to complete a Masters Diploma at the 

Bavarian State Institute of Photography and in 1980 

I was promoted to Senior lecturer at the Institute 

but caused some kind of shit and was demoted the 

next day. In 1984, I returned to South Africa and 

applied for Head of the Photography Section at 

Rhodes University in Grahamstown. In 1991, I was 

promoted to Associate Professor, didn’t cause any 

shit so remained in that position till my retirement 

from academia in 2002. 

Moving to Nature’s Valley on the cape coast of 

South Africa, I started a freelance photographic 

business and I have never lost my enthusiasm for 

photography. 

From 1975 to the present day, I have produced 

10 coffee table books. (‘Momento Mori’ was a 

collaboration with historians). During this time, I 

have had 34 solo exhibitions in South Africa and 

10 International one-man exhibitions in Europe 

and continue to photograph for many international 

publications around the world. 

My wife of 40 years, Lynn, who retired from teaching 

when we moved to Nature’s Valley, is now assisting 

me, and my wild and wonderful sons, Nikki and 

Jesse, are at present living in Qatar and Australia. 


IN THE WORDS OF OTHERS: 

“Obie Oberholzer, a renegade photographer, 

seasoned berserker, lifelong moustachewearer 

and a total asshole.” 

– Sunday Times 

“Few SA artists can productively be 

called raconteurs, as in a skillful teller of 

anecdotes. Most are simply too glum – 

solemn, too – when spinning yarns 

around their work. If only more artists, 

in particular photographers, could be 

like Obie Oberholzer.” 

– Sean O’Toole, Financial Mail 

“Capturing scenes of travel that are 

distinctive and unique as he is, Obie 

Oberholzer’s images resonate with a 

dynamic energy that brings the scene to life 

and, when we look at them, it’s as if we are 

transported to the spot. One of Oberholzer’s 

gifts is that he knows how to represent in 

two dimensions what the human eye so 

easily takes in. His way of seeing things 

comes from years of travel photography 

that have taught him how to look at the 

world in a certain way – seeing angles 

and light where the rest of us just see 

“really awesome mountains.” 

- Duncan Fleming and Mahreen Chenia 

Sand dunes, Naukluft National Park, Namibia (top) 

Cape Columbine, near Parernoster west coast, South Africa (bottom) 

Images: This is my donation to your project. Good Luck. Obie Oberholzer. 


Rooiberge red mountians along Orange River, South Africa (top left) 

Road to Kunene River near Otjinhungwa, northern 

Kaokoland, Namibia (above) 

Rock pool, Aniston, South Africa (middle) 

Coastal route, Capetown (bottom) 


Stranded jellyfish, Luderitz Bay, Namibia (top left) 

Scrub, Klein Aus Camp, Namibia (top right) 

Aba Haub River campsite, Damaraland Namibia (above) 

Ponta Dom Carlos island of Bazaruto, Mozambique (left) 



Capetown, South Africa (top left) 

Tree boulder near Groot Marico, 

South Africa (top right) 

Weavers nest, Klein Aus Camp, 

Namibia (right) 

7 hour exposure of the southern 

cross in Richtersveld, South Africa 

(bottom left) 

Guedit Stelae Field, Axum, Eqypt 

(bottom right) 


Moon over beach at low tide, 

Tanzania (top left) 

Peaceful in South Africa (top right) 

The Cape (left) 

Desert road, terrace bay skeleton 

coast, Namibia (bottom left) 

Tankwa Karoo in South Africa (below) 



SIDIBE 

Malick 

Mr. Sidibé, born in 1936 in Bamako Mali, earned a diploma in 

jewelry making and then worked in a photography studio of a 

French colonial. In 1956, he bought his first camera, a Brownie 

Flash, and in 1957 became a full-time photographer under 

apprentice with leading society photographer Gérard Guillat , 

learning his trade at colonial balls and banquets, finally opening 

Studio Malick in 1962. In a video interview, Mr. Sidibé, who 

still lives in Bamako, Mali, describes how people came to his 

studio partly because it had electricity, which was a luxury there 

at that time. What Mr. Sidibé is really known for, however, is 

his candid photographs of young people taken at parties from 

the 1960s to the early 1970s. Mali gained independence from 

France in 1960, and there was a flowering of music and culture. 

(Bamako has remained an international music center, although 

recent conflicts have upset that somewhat.) Taking advantage 

of the lighter 35-millimeter camera, Mr. Sidibé photographed 

people, attending surprise parties, celebrations for new babies or 

graduation parties at social clubs called “grins.” 

What Sidibé offered, and his peers at the time, such as Seydou 

Keita also of Mali, Mama Casset of Senegal and Joseph 

Moise Agbodjelou of Benin, was a space where people were 

afforded agency over their image, rather than being subject 

to a western lens that projected an exoticism or poverty upon 

them. The resulting pictures were “Africans for Africans.” 

These photographs are ripostes to the anthropological images 

of ‘‘natives’’ made by Europeans in the late 19th and early 20th 

centuries. Those photographs, in which the subjects had no say 

in how they were seen, did much to shape the Western world’s 

idea of Africans. Something changed when Africans began to 

take photographs of one another: You can see it in the way they 

look at the camera, in the poses, the attitude. The difference 

between the images taken by colonialists or 

white adventurers and those made for the 

sitter’s personal use is especially striking in 

photographs of women. In the former, women 

are being looked at against their will, captive 

to a controlling gaze. In the latter, they look at 

themselves as in a mirror, an activity that always 

involves seriousness, levity and an element of 

wonder. 

Malick’s photographs offered a glimpse into the 

dynamic youth culture that emerged in Bamako 

during Mali’s post-Independence era. Though 

trained as a studio photographer, Malick was 

lured into the city’s streets and dance clubs, 

where his clients wanted to be seen participating 

in Bamako’s thriving nightlife. There, Malian 

youths forged a uniquely diasporic aesthetic, 

finding inspiration in American Black Power 

icons and musicians, including James Brown 

and Angela Davis. “I was lucky enough at that 

time to be the intellectual young photographer 

with a small camera who could move around. 

The early photographers like Seydou Keïta 

worked with plate cameras and were not able 

to get out and use a flash. So I was much in 

demand by the local youth. Everywhere… in 

town, everywhere! Whenever there was a dance, 

I was invited… At night, from midnight to four 

A.M. or six A.M., I went from one party to 

another.” 

From the work of Malick reportage photographs 

were first known, taken in surprise parties 

organized by young people fond of music 

and freedom as the country prepared for 

independence. These series begin around 1957 

and will continue until early 1970. Thereafter, 

it was studio portraiture which constituted the 

bulk of Malick’s work. From 1994, the work 

of Malick Sidibé’s started getting noticed and 

promptly, major exhibitions were held - the first 

took place at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, and 

thereafter in galleries and museums in Europe, 

the USA and Japan. In 2003 Malick won the 

Hasselblad Photography Award becoming the 

first indigenous African promoted to the rank of 

“the greatest photographers of our time.” 

His photos have been prized on the 

international art market for years and adorn 

the walls of leading photo galleries across the 

world, but 76-year-old Malick Sidibe still resides 

in a one-room home in Mali, attended to by 

his wives and children. A national hero, his 

contribution to his country’s historical record 

has, for many, crafted the image of Mali, and 

Africa at large. 


References 

Olivia Singer, Another Magazine 

Martha Schwendener, Ny Times Magazine 

Teju Cole, Ny Times Magazine 

Horloger dans son Atelier (Watchmaker in his shop) (top) 

Ma Femme Manlio regardant à sa fenêtre 

(My Wife Manlio looking at her window) (above) 

Les Faux Agents (Fake Agents) (left) 

Allison Young, Artforum 

Jehad Nga, Time Lightbox 

Dan Piepenbring, The Paris Review 

Images: Courtesy of the Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. 




Les deux amis au cours d’une soirée populaire 

(Two friends during a popular evening) (top left) 

Le Faux Musicien Derriere sa Voiture 

(Fake musician behind his car) (top right) 

Le Motocyclistes (the Motorcyclist) (middle) 

Les apprentis mécanitiens du garage de Dramané (Mechanic 

apprentices at Dramane garage) (bottom) 

--------------------------------- 

(This Page) 

Un Petit Bain de Soleil a la Plage 

(A small bath at Soleil beach) (top left) 

Mr. Cissé le pharmacien (the pharmacist) (top right) 

Soirée familiale (Family Night) (middle left) 

Au Studio Sani Mopti (StudioSani Mopti) (above) 

Portrait au Studio (Studio Portrait) (left) 





Vues de dos (Back Views) questioning established 

conventions of portraiture, leaving the viewer wondering 

about the sitter’s identity (top left) 

Avec mon nouveau sac, ma bague et mon bracelet 

(With my new bag, my ring and my bracelet) (top right) 

Amoureux des Disques (Lovers of records) (bottom left) 

Couple de danseurs de Beatles - Club Bagadadji 

(Couple of dancers Beatles - Club Bagadadji) (bottom right) 

--------------------------------- 

(This Page) 

Des chaussures pour aller danser 

(Shoes to go dancing) (top left) 

Zoro tire le premier (Zoro fire first) (top right) 

Tresse Kassonké (Kassonke Braids) (above) 

Taximan Avec Voiture (Taximan with his car) (left) 



MAKING THEIR MARK 

How does one make their mark on the world? A famously humble man once said, 

“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But 

it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure 

along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won’t. 

It’s whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from 

it; whether you choose to persevere.” – Barack Obama 

The photographers we are featuring in this showcase are doing just that – Making 

Their Mark. They have individually decided that they will use their photography 

to cause us, as we view their work, to pause and ask ourselves “Am I doing the very 

best I can, with what I have today? Am I being my brother’s keeper? Am I being the 

change I want to see? Do I just follow the crowd or am I making my own mark? 

CHOUMALI 

GODFREY 

MWANGI 

ESIEBO 


JOANACHOUMALI 

Born in 1974, Joana is a fine art photographer based in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. 

Joana studied Graphic Arts in Casablanca (Morocco) and worked as an Art 

Director in an advertising agency before embarking on her photography career. 

Joana works primarily on conceptual portraiture, mixed media and documentary 

and uses her photography to explore her own identity. Much of Joana’s work focuses 

on Africa, and what she, as an African, is learning about the myriad cultures 

around her. Joana’s work allows her to explore assumptions she has and nourishes 

her as she expands her conceptions of the world. 

joana-choumali.squarespace.com 

instagram.com/joana_choumali 

AWOULABA 

DE L’OMBRE A LA LUMIERE (top) 

THESE INVISIBLES (bottom) 

AWOULABA 

The latest project explores the complex, contradictory 

notion of femininity, beauty and body image in 

contemporary Africa and, by extension, possibly, 

in every contemporary feminine world. There is a 

sudden world-wide obsession with enhanced bottoms, 

and previously breasts. I have been documenting 

local manufacturers in Cote d’Ivoire who are 

producing mannequins customized for the idealized 

pulchritudinous African taste and shapes. A recent 

phenomenon, local manufacturers modify or create 

mannequins, with exaggerated body dimensionsn: 

wide hips, well-filled breasts, full arms. This type of 

mannequin is called “Awoulaba”, which stands for 

“beauty queen” in Baule language from Côte d’ Ivoire. 

In Ivorian popular culture, Awoulabas are beautiful 

women with impressive measurements: a significant 

face, large breasts, a remarkable drop in the kidneys 

and, above all, hypertrophy of the buttocks. 

DE L’OMBRE A LA LUMIERE 

This project is the result of work done for 2 years. All from a modest social 

background, newly blind young people are subject to discrimination, rejection 

of their surroundings, often forced to stop their studies when they become 

blind. They find themselves socially isolated and without financial support 

from their families. The work was a great lesson in life. I have witnessed 

moments of emotion, sharing, support, joys and sorrows, disappointments 

and progress, but one thing is constant: the desire to fight against prejudices 

and learn to get by. Moving from darkness to light they change their fate. 

THESE INVISIBLES 

This project is a series of inhabitants of shantytowns and slums of Abidjan. 

They are housekeepers, drivers, cooks, gardeners but live in hidden slums 

between Abidjan’s sumptuous villas. Most of them are immigrants from West 

African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali or Guinea. The project was 

shot in 2009, just before the destruction of many slums of Abidjan and the 

displacement of thousands. Many families were forcefully returned back to 

their countries, and others became homeless. I am a witness to the family life 

of these men, women and their children and their hope for a better life. 


EMOTIONS A NU 

“Being naked - this is nothing to hide. There are no words needed because the body speaks for itself.” - Victor Lévy. 

Beaulieu “Emotions à nu” is a series of female portraits without a face. A “naked truth,” human, beautiful, 

unadorned, without makeup. Women are plural, fragile and strong. This work is an intimate journey, one 

emotional state to another, a quiet quest towards physical self-acceptance and serenity.

HÂÂBRÉ 

This is the same word for “writing / scarification” in Kô language from Burkina faso. Scarification is the practice of 

performing a superficial incision in the human skin. This practice is disappearing due to the pressure of religious 

and state authorities, urban practices and the introduction of clothing in tribes. This fact leads us to question the 

link between past and present, and self-image depending on a given environment. Opinions (sometimes conflicting) 

of our witnesses illustrate the complexity of African identity today in a contemporary Africa torn between its past 

and its future. This “last generation” of people bearing the imprint of the past on their faces, went from being the 

norm and having a high social value to being somewhat “excluded.” They are slowly becoming the last generation of 

scarified African people, living in Abidjan. They are the last witnesses of an Africa of a bygone era.

ILANGODFREY 

Born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1980, Ilan Godfrey moved to England at age 

nineteen to pursue his photographic profession. During this time he gained a BA 

(Hons) degree in Photography from the University of Westminster in London and 

was awarded the David Faddy Scholarship to continue his studies, receiving an MA 

degree in Photojournalism. Ilan spent eleven years working between Johannesburg 

and London before returning to settle permanently in South Africa in 2011 to focus 

on several long-term projects, one of which would evolve over two and a half years 

into the Legacy of the Mine. This resulted in Ilan receiving the prestigious Ernest 

Cole Award in 2012 to support the completion of this in-depth body of work. 

Legacy of the Mine was published as his first book in 2013 and was launched in 

conjunction with solo exhibitions across South Africa. 

Ilan Godfrey’s current and ongoing personal photographic practice focuses 

on extensive issues that reflect South Africa’s constantly changing landscape, 

documenting the country with an in-depth, intimate and personal conscience. 

By conveying through long-term projects a process of exploratory narration with 

photography, he reveals varied aspects of societal change across the country. 

ilangodfrey.com 

instagram.com/ilangodfrey 

SANCTUARY OF EXILE 

Desperate people fleeing war-ravaged countries, violence 

and economic hardship across Africa has resulted in 

people finding refuge in South Africa. Estimates put the 

number of illegal immigrants in the country between 

two and eight million. The Central Methodist Church in 

Johannesburg has become a sanctuary for Zimbabwean 

Refugees. The Church has opened its doors allowing 

hundreds to settle in its halls, corridors and stairwells 

and the body of work reflects the ongoing struggle of a 

people standing together to create their own community 

of survival and strength despite the circumstances. 

LIVING WITH CRIME 

This series reflects on the 1980s, one of the most violent 

decades in South African history. This period was 

characterized by the extensive use of force by the South 

African state and those opposing it. By the 1990s, the term 

‘culture of violence’ was frequently used to describe the 

conflict engulfing South African society. The nature of this 

violence bled into all aspects of public life, undermining 

the ethical and social fabric of society. 


LEGACY OF THE MINE 

A visual narrative of untold stories, exploring the consequences of mining on South Africa’s land and people. The objective was to reveal 

through the lens the forgotten communities that the mining industry has left behind. Godfrey’s subjects become symbols of the struggle 

for environmental and social justice in the country. Through a series of hauntingly beautiful photographs, Godfrey gives voice to his 

silent subjects, telling their story. 


PANARAMA PLACE 

It was once called the New York of Africa. Under the 

apartheid regime Johannesburg’s Hillbrow was a ‘bustling, 

cosmopolitan neighbourhood of artists and intellectuals 

where cafes and bookshops stayed open late and where, 

even under the tight rule of apartheid, interracial mixing 

was common. But with the end of the regime in the 

1990’s, that all changed. Today Hillbrow has become one 

of the most dangerous parts of the city of Johannesburg 

where crimes, mainly driven by xenophobia, are on the 

rise. However, strangely, people living within Hillbrow 

see it as a respectable place to live, a place of opportunity, 

a place of hope. The series explores the historical and 

current facets of Hillbrow. 

LOUIS BOTHA AVENUE 

Louis Botha Avenue connects Alexandra Township to 

Hillbrow leading into the Johannesburg CBD. Through its 

10 kilometers, it winds through some of Johannesburgs 

oldest suburbs, from Berea to Orange Grove. The history 

of this road is an avenue into Johannesburg’s history. The 

series explores the urban decay engulfing on Louis Botha 

Avenue and showcases Johannesburg as a city of extremes. 

PANARAMA PLACE (top) 

LOUIS BOTHA AVENUE (bottom) 


BONIFACEMWANGI 

Boniface Mwangi is an award winning Kenyan photographer. For four years he 

held a staff photographer position at The Standard, the second largest Kenyan 

newspaper, taking on various assignments of increasing responsibility in a number 

of countries. Boniface became the eye of Kenyans during the 2007 post-election 

violence and in 2009, the then Secretary of State of the United States, Hillary 

Clinton, wrote a letter commending him for his work. His images have appeared 

in many of the world’s most important newspapers along with other international 

publications. Boniface Mwangi studied human rights and documentary 

photography at New York University, USA, and has been recognized as a Magnum 

Photography Fellow and twice as the CNN Multichoice Africa Photojournalist of 

the Year. 

Boniface began organising political resistance under the banner Kenya ni Kwetu 

(Kenya is our Home) in the face of what he saw as “irresponsible leadership and 

a culture of impunity.” He also runs PAWA254, a collaborative hub for creatives 

in Kenya where journalists, artists and activists meet to find innovative ways of 

achieving social change. Additionally, Boniface is also the founder of Picha Mtaani, 

a youth-led peace initiative that primarily seeks to create space for young people to 

reconcile and become agents of reconciliation in their respective communities. 

instagram.com/bonifacemwangi 

facebook.com/BonifaceMwangiBM 

BALLOT REVOLUTION – A Protest 

A macabre procession through central Nairobi was staged, with wailing and singing as 221 coffins made of plywood and tarred in black 

paint, representing Kenyan lawmakers, were hoisted through the streets and burnt at the gates of parliament buildings. The protest was 

a symbolic burial, signifying the hoped-for death of corruption, lawlessness and utter disregard for the citizenry by the ruling elite. 


2007-2008 POST ELECTION VIOLENCE 

2007-2008 KENYAN POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE – 

EYE OF KENYA 

Boniface Mwangi, the activist is born! A photographer with the 

Standard newspaper in Nairobi, Mwangi rose to international fame 

during the 2007-2008 Kenyan post-election violence (PEV) for his upclose 

and personal photos of the crisis. His images were noteworthy 

for their graphic portrayals of bloodshed and politically-motivated 

ethnic violence. Numerous exhibitions have been held showcasing his 

body of work. A free e-book on his PEV coverage, The Price of Tribal 

Politics, is available online. 

MPIGS – A Protest 

Many Kenyans see MPs as lazy and greedy in a country where 

hundreds of thousands live in slums. Boniface organized a protest, 

releasing a pig and about a dozen piglets drenched in blood (obtained 

from a local abattoir) outside parliament to show anger at newly 

elected MPs demanding higher salaries. The protest was intended to 

portray the MPs as greedy and bleeding the nation dry. 

MAVULTURE – A Project 

A campaign to stir the pot of political apathy in Kenya. 

By working with local graffiti artists, Boniface created 

street murals decrying violent tribalism and governmental 

negligence. Working under the cover of darkness, the murals 

would satirize Kenyan politicians and prominently feature 

words like greedy, selfish, ineffective and power-hungry. 

DIAPER MENTALITY - A Protest 

The artists had spent weeks on the babies. There were fifty of 

them, carved from blocks of polystyrene and papier mâché 

for skin. These babies were carried down towards “Freedom 

Corner,” at Nairobi’s Uhuru Park. Railing against corruption, 

impunity, and poor governance, Mwangi feels that Kenyans 

need to grow up; he dubbed the demonstration “Diaper 

Mentality.” The babies were a symbol of Kenyans’ immaturity, 

treated as children by the ruling class, whom they failed to 

stand up to. 


MPIGS (top right) 

MAVULTURE (middle) 

DIAPER MENTALITY (bottom) 


ANDREWESIEBO 

A native of Nigeria, Andrew Esiebo started out in photography by chronicling 

the rapid development of urban Nigeria as well as the country’s rich culture and 

heritage. As his work began to gain international recognition, Andrew started 

to explore new creative territories, integrating multimedia practice with the 

investigation of themes such as sexuality, gender politics, football, popular culture, 

migration, religion and spirituality. 

His attention to social issues has seen him working for several local and 

international institutions including The Kings College London, University of 

Padova, Italy, The Photographers Gallery, London, ActionAid, WHO, UNICEF, 

Women for Women, MSH Nigeria and several others. 

andrewesiebo.com 

instagram.com/andrewesiebo 

GOD IS ALIVE 

NIGERIA ON MY MIND 

GOD IS ALIVE 

God is at the heart of life in Nigeria. Religious spaces 

are found in every nook and cranny in the country. 

The current wave is the Pentecostal and Charismatic 

movements that arose in 1970s from Nigeria’s tertiary 

colleges and universities. The movements were lead 

by mobile and educated youths and kept expanding 

to other places. God is Alive is a visual exploration of 

the movements’ dynamism, secular codes, emotions, 

and the excessiveness being used to express faith at 

various Pentecostal gatherings. 

NIGERIA ON MY MIND 

Comprised of photographs on my travels around 

Nigeria. Over several years, working on both personal 

projects and commissioned work for travel guides 

and NGOs, I have photographed the rich cultural 

heritage, ethnic diversity and geographic beauty of 

Nigeria extensively. 

GAME OF HOPE 

An aging Nigerian man who has never left his village recounts, in 

startling detail, his knowledge of the English Premiership League. A 

blind man smiles as he holds a crackling transistor radio to his ear, 

the commentary of a live football game blaring into the room. A local 

driver, a retired construction worker, a desperate breadwinner – these 

are just some of the characters that can be found in the Oje Pool 

House in Ibadan. Football betting pools, a cultural import from 1920s 

Britain, are popular in Nigeria among the elderly, retired workers 

and the unemployed. Gamblers risk their money on their (in)ability 

to forecast the results of 49 league matches played across all divisions 

of the English Football League. Pool is a business of luck and most 

betting men walk away empty handed and console themselves in the 

company of friends who gather at the pool houses to play card games, 

draughts and Ayo (a Yoruba board game). 

MUTATION 

Is an on-going project exploring architecture and urban elements in 

reflecting the transformation and history of the Lagos City.

GAME OF HOPE (top) 

MUTATION (bottom)

LOVE OF IT 

Love of it is a part of my soccer worlds project investigating 

the various manifestations of soccer in our daily life.In 

Nigeria, the beautiful game isn’t confined to the stadium: 

from farmland to city roads, from beaches to markets, 

soccer belongs everywhere. “For the Love of It” is an 

on-going series looking at the appropriation of soccer 

in unconventional environments. This series also has 

underlying questions of urban spaces planning in Africa. 

Why are our cities fast becoming a concrete “jungle”? 


DOWNLOAD 

3 PREVIOUS ISSUES OF 

AFRICAN PHOTO MAGAZIINE 

TODAY

2015 

Award 

Winners 

The World Photography Organisation is a home where 

photography is celebrated and the art of the photographer is 

recognised. Working with professional, enthusiast and student 

photographers alike, the World Photography Organisation 

provides a global platform across the photographic industry to 

not only raise the level of conversation around the subject, but to 

increase awareness and appreciation of this art-form. The World 

Photography Organisation hosts a year-round portfolio of industry 

and public events including: the Sony World Photography Awards, 

the world’s largest photography competition and accompanying 

global exhibition. 

Photographers of all abilities are invited to submit work to any 

of the awards’ five categories: National Awards, Open, Youth, 

Professional and Student Focus and winners of the National 

Awards were announced in March 2016. 

Since launching in 2012, the National Awards programme has 

grown from eight participating countries to sixty, making it unique 

in its scope and reach, and results for 2015-2016 had two 

participating African countries, Kenya and Eqypt. 

Kenya: Otieno Nyadimo (overall winner), Allan Gichigi (2nd place) 

and Abdallah Hassan Agil (3rd place). 

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al 

Maktoum International Photography Award 

(HIPA) is an independent award established 

in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in order 

to encourage and spread the culture of 

photography across the world. 

HIPA is now in its fifth year and the 2015- 

2016 competition’s grand prize was $120,000! 

Five prizes are awarded in each competition 

category, and this year’s Competition total prize 

fund was worth $400,000! The Competition 

is open to all individuals over the age of 18, 

worldwide and this year’s competition saw 

entries from 173 nationalities, with 32,712 

participants and 80,420 photos entered. 

Results for the 2015-2016 competition were 

announced in March 2016 and Africa had two 

winning entries in the Overall Prize Category, 

Brent Stirton from South Africa (2nd prize 

winner) and Manar Gad Timounna from Egypt 

(5th prize winner) 

Egypt: Hady Genady (overall winner), Nader Saadallah 

(2nd place) and Nader el Assy (3rd place) 

The Sony World Photography Awards is free to enter for all. 

The 2017 edition - the 10th anniversary of the competition - 

will open on 1st June 2017. 


National Awards (Kenya) Overall Winner: 

Smile at the Heavens 

Otieno Nyadimo 

“Photography is a passion. I do it because I love it; getting paid for it is 

simply a bonus. I’m often asked what kind of photography I dedicate 

myself to, but I find it difficult to confine myself to a label such as a 

portraits photographer, product photographer, etc. My philosophy mirrors 

that of the famed fashion photographer Dani Diamond, “that an artist is 

always growing and there is no reason to put limits on the artist’s skills.” 

The piece is a heart-warming image of a man smiling at the sky taken at 

a photography workshop in Hells Gate National Park, Naivasha Kenya. 

otienonyadimo.com 

behance.net/otienonyadimo 


National Awards (Kenya) 2nd place Winner: 

Heart of Chalbi 

Allan Gichigi 

A guy with a camera, with a curious eye for storytelling about everyday 

human interaction, and capturing the beauty of humanity and nature 

around us. An independent filmmaker and photographer based in 

Nairobi, Kenya, Allan holds a masters degree in Film production, from the 

University of Canterbury Christ Church, UK. 

The Heart of Chalbi was special to Allan because it spoke volumes that 

despite our hardships we can take a moment to breathe and enjoy life. 

(Chalbi is a desert in Northern Kenya) 

allangichigi.com 

instagram.com/gichigi/ 


National Awards (Kenya) 3rd place Winner: 

Lost Soul 

Abdallah Hassan Agil 

A 23 year old from Mombasa Kenya, Abdallah has learned to appreciate all the 

small things that make up the beautiful world we live in through photography. 

Through his lens he endeavors to capture special moments steeped in true 

emotion and translate them into art… moments to be treasured forever. 

Depression is real and it affects the young more deeply than older people 

because the young always don’t think before they act, leading to higher rates of 

suicide. Lost Souls is about people who go through depression alone and how it 

affects them. The picture depicts the lonely terrifying darkness of depression. 

instagram.com/elphotographia 

elphotographia69.wordpress.com 


National Awards (Eqypt) Overall Winner: 

Breakthrough 

Hady Genady 

A 19 year old photographer, who currently studies Business Administration, 

Hady started photography at 12 years of age. To deepen his photography 

knowledge, he interns under the tutelage of commercial photographers and 

fine art artisans in Egypt. 

Through this specific picture, Hady wanted to make viewers feel the depth, 

hope and ambiguity presented by the desert, its geometric shapes and warm 

colours. The picture has a deeper meaning for Hady, signifying the struggle in 

his photographic journey thus far and the depth and hope that lies ahead. 

behance.net/hadygeneidi 

facebook.com/HadyGenady 


National Awards (Eqypt) 2nd place Winner: 

Traditions of the Naxi, Yi and Bai people in Lijiang China 

Nadar Saadallah 

A native of Alexandria, Egypt and a graduate of Theatre Arts from the Alexandria 

University, Nader is currently working as a professional commercial photographer. 

An active member of the International Federation of Photographic Art “FIAP” 

Nader has won international recognition, having amassed 57 worldwide awards 

for his work. 

The shot is the impression of the Lijiang show, a cultural show that describes 

the lifestyle and several interesting traditions of the Naxi, Yi and Bai people in a 

colorful and flamboyant outdoor production in Lijiang, China 

behance.net/nadersaadaff37 

facebook.com/nader.saadallah 


National Awards (Egypt) 3rd place Winner: 

Beauty in Ibn Tulun 

Nader El Assy 

Holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and works in the oilfield industry. Nader is 

however also a passionate landscape and architectural photographer and for him 

photography is about finding beauty within and around us. Says Nader, I always believe 

in what the legendary photographer Trey Ratcliff said “A life worth living, is a life worth 

recording.” Also, photography is his escape from life’s maddening complexities. 

The winning photo was taken of Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque, a 1100 year old edifice in 

Old Cairo. The mosque boasts an ancient architectural art form and the sunlight travels 

all day long through wooden windows of the Mosque’s outer walls filling it with light, 

from the floor, through to the rafters and the heavens above. 

naderelassyphotography.com 

instagram.com/nader_elassy 


2nd prize winner, Overall Prize category: 

A late-afternoon family outing in Papua New Guinea 

sees boys jumping from trees into Lake Murray. 

Time for one more turn before the sun sets. 

Brent Stirton 

Born in 1969, Durban, South Africa, Brent is a senior photographer for 

Getty Images, based in New York. His award-winning work has been 

widely recognized for its powerful depiction of issues related to conflict, 

health and environmental issues. Brent currently spends most of his 

time working on long-term investigative projects for National Geographic 

Magazine and Global NGO’s. He remains committed to issues relating to 

Global health, diminishing cultures, sustainability and the environment. 

brentstirton.com 

reportagebygettyimages.com/brent-stirton 


5th prize winner, Overall Prize category: 

On the Dahab Island near Cairo, a scene of simple happiness 

for Sarah and Rania, who play together on a sunny day. 

Manar Gad Timounna 

Freelance photographer based in Cairo, Egypt and 

specializes in wedding and event photography. 

instagram.com/manargadtimounna/ 

behance.net/manar_gad_ca42 


2016 

Competition 

Information 

Win $3000 and international recognition in the prestigious 

Monochrome Awards honouring Black & White Photography. 

Monochrome Photography Awards conducts an annual 

competition for Professional and Amateur photographers. 

Our mission is to celebrate monochrome visions and discover 

the most amazing photographers from around the world. 

http://monoawards.com 

Blank Wall Gallery organizes an annual international 

portfolio contest in order to discover and promote one 

photographer. The award of the best photographer will be 

a two-week solo exhibition on both floors of Blank Wall 

Gallery. The gallery will produce and finance the prints 

for the exhibition, and the artist will gain international 

recognition and promotion from our web page (A prize 

worth over €2,000). 

http://www.blankwallgallery.com/best-portfolio 

LagosPhoto will be curating an exhibition in the 

2016 Annual Les Recontres De La Photographie 

International Photo Exhibition. 

The goal of this year’s exhibition is to showcase 

archival, documentaries, conceptual and photojournals 

photography. The program will produce an 

exhibition showing photographs that will be exhibited 

at the LagosPhoto in Arles, France in July 2016. 

Theme: “NOLLYWOOD” 

Photographers are invited to submit work for possible 

inclusion in the exhibition. All subject matter, artist 

interpretation and photographic processes around the 

chosen theme are welcome. 

http://www.lagosphotofestival.com/news/article/ 

lagosphoto-in-arles-2016 

The Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s biggest 

photography competition and its aim is simple: to recognise 

and reward the best contemporary photography in the 

world. Photographers of all abilities are invited to submit 

work to any of the awards’ five Competitions: Professional; 

Open;Youth; National Awards and Student Focus. 

The 2017 Sony World Photography Awards will open for 

entries on 1st June. 

http://www.worldphoto.org/about-the-sony-worldphotography-awards 

Host to the world’s best photo contests, judged by 

world-renowned photographers, and powered by 

great brands. ViewBug is a place to be creative, 

be inspired, and receive recognition. Share your 

best photo showing creative use of angles and 

composition and Win a Canon 5D Mark III . 

http://www.viewbug.com/contests/clever-anglesphoto-contest 


Scaling new heights in photography 

Aerial Photography 

Commercial & Industrial 

Portraiture 

Weddings 

fotohouse.co.ke

African Photo Magazine Issue #4

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