Through the lens of - Photographers from the African Photojournalism Database
24 June 2021
to 08 January 2023 Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Special exhibition: Through the lens of
Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam
Offering reimagined visual narratives from across the African continent, this exhibition showcases the work of visual storytellers selected from the African Photojournalism Database (APJD). At the core of the APJD is the mission to share refreshing and diverse stories told by photographers often overlooked by the global media industry—stories that are not widely seen in the current media landscape.
Through the lenses of 16 photographers from 11 countries, nine men and seven women, this collection connects a range of views on identity, daily life, traditions and change. The APJD members share their reflections on identity, from explorations of gender in Maputo, Mozambique to reviving Amazigh heritage in rural Libya. Moments of everyday life are highlighted to provide more nuanced views and confront stereotypes, from contrasts in Casablanca, Morocco to youth and social landscapes in Algiers, Algeria. The visible impact of climate change in Madagascar and Zanzibar is underlined, and we’re also given insight into political and social change, including the 2019 protests in Khartoum, Sudan and the coping mechanisms of those who have survived terrorism in Nigeria. Stories of love and families feature strongly, from couples in Cape Town, South Africa, to the value of community in Gondar, Ethiopia.
This exhibition was created in partnership with the National Museum of World Cultures to celebrate a new generation of photographers who are redefining what should be seen, through the stories that matter to them.
Images credits: Left: Ayobami Ogungbude; Top right: Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, alias Yoriyas; Bottom right: Sydelle Willow Smith.
The African Photojournalism Database (APJD) is a directory of over 600 emerging and professional African visual journalists from over 37 different countries across the continent. A joint project of the World Press Photo Foundation and Everyday Africa, it was created to better connect visual journalists from Africa with the international media economy and to share the stories African visual storytellers consider important with a global audience to offer a more diverse representation of the continent.
Everyday Africa, founded in 2012, is a collective of photographers sharing daily-life images that rise above stereotypes depicting the continent as a place overrun by disease, poverty, and war. It led to the creation of The Everyday Projects, an international movement of photographers that use images to combat clichés, promote local norms, and celebrate global commonalities. As a nonprofit, we combat systemic misrepresentation through our educational programming and by providing structure, support, and exposure for this diverse range of photographers through professional development, community-building, and the promotion of new work.
