African photography is on the rise. From street to art photography, conceptual and documentary to fashion photography, homegrown photographers (not only in the Francophone-African countries) are increasingly stepping up to show their world what they see when they look through the lens, following decades of photographic misrepresentation, or reduction, by observers from outside the continent.

Not only is Emeka Okereke (1980) one of the Nigeria’s most high profile contemporary photographers, he is also the founder of Invisible Borders, an artist-led initiative that brings several upcoming African artists together for an annual road-trip in order to question the photographic representation of their continent. ’A photograph is a window and not the view. Don’t photograph what you see, photograph what you feel’, he tells the participants. That’s what he does himself and it’s an approach that allows him to explore questions of co-existence, otherness and self-discovery. Okereke’s work often includes subtle references to socio-political issues, which he also addresses by non-photographic means: poetry, video and collaborative projects.

‘There is a sense of responsibility in my work, together with consciousness. I want to show the public the changing situation of Africa, but first we need to sensitise them to actually be able to see this.’ By deciphering hidden lines and using his travels and experiences – Okereke lives and works between Africa and Europe – he tries to understand the world he’s living in from an African point of view. ’Only after that can I try to make the rest of the world change their perception of our continent. By putting emphasis on the way we live our lives I try to steer away from the negative (stereotypical) image that people have of Africa. We have our own kind of organisation, that comes from improvisation’, he explains. He points out though, that this is a very tricky subject. The pitfall of romanticisation or commodification beckons, and with those you miss your goal. ’Emphasising either extreme just works in an averted way.’

For Okereke, Africans don’t have to justify themselves to anyone. Nowadays, African artists and photographers are forced to take a stance and make a big deal out of what they do, he says. ’Where we actually should take the freedom to show or tell what we want, be creative and try to find the right balance. It’s almost a cliché, but somehow Africans don’t see that they can investigate their own position and that way be active without getting boxed in to a issue. Because if they divert, they won’t get noticed anymore. We’re not free to do what we want yet.’

Part of the reason why Okereke has such an outspoken opinion about the status of photography in Africa is because he’s been part of the Depth of Field collective (DoF) for over ten years. Just two years after he came in contact with photography in 2001 and not even five years after he first touched a camera to capture his siblings going to church, he became the assistant of another Nigerian photographer, Uche James-Iroha. Uche was one of the founders of the group of six professionals in DoF and being around him every day eased Emeka’s way into the collective as the youngest member. ’It was like the school I never had. Not just a project, but a way of life. DoF is a group of friends actually, who when they get together talk solely about the photographic portrayal of Africa, aesthetics and their subjects.’ Together with colleagues like Kelechi Amadi-Obi and Akinbode Akinbiyi, Uche created a sort of a radical environment for Okereke. It quickly resulted in honour and praise, with Uche winning the Best Young Photographer award at the Bamako Photo Festival in 2003.

‘Photography is a powerful tool and I do feel that I have a task to fulfill as a photographer. Sometimes situations that cannot be explained, can be shown. My pictures are not merely images, something static. They’re windows to possibilities, can be read and interpreted differently, lending themself to the flexibility of shifting contexts.’ Okereke, who has exhibited in biennales and art festivals in different cities around the world, is constantly looking for answers, not paying heed to received wisdom. He just wants to see Africa anew by experimenting within his own reality, with history as his guide. He is optimistic, and why wouldn’t he be? ’There is a lot of energy flowing through Nigeria when it comes to the future of photography. The audience is positive about our work. Young people are very interested in new directions to follow and internet gives them a stage to show their images to the world. And all over the continent female photographers are stepping up, watch that!’

According to Okereke, the rise of African photography goes hand in hand with the growth of an entire ecosystem. ’There have to be people writing about photography, galleries showing it, videographers willing to cooperate and bloggers spreading the work’, he explains. ’It’s a new generation of students and young professionals that is concerned with this, all to create a better understanding of the work of photographers. Education within these sectors is therefore a very important factor.’ This explains why he organises projects with artistic interventions, promoting exchanges that cut across indigenous and international platforms. He led the first ever photographic exchange projects between a school in France and one in Nigeria. ’I tell these students that they can photograph anything; there are no boundaries. If they diversify, the complete story will come out. You need to see the potential, be sensitive to talent and give people room to grow.’

Wherever he is, Okereke’s photography is African. He doesn’t feel that he has to explain why his work is African, because he is one himself. The moment he starts to fight that, he says, he’d box himself in again. ‘It’s just a different context. What is going to change the perspective of Africa is not what you do or how you do it, but what influences you and what you show the outside world. I allow myself to change and let myself become an embodiment of that change. My photography will reflect that and hopefully affect others and their perceptive.’

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