African Photography Magazine Launched

African photography has long been a thriving industry. Unfortunately, this industry has been largely driven by non-Africans. The images that have come out of Africa over the decades have been a testament to this outsider looking in view. The tide has been changing however, over the last decade or so, with the rise of new African photography talent. Kenya has seen the rise of lots of amazing Kenyan photographers including Mutua Matheka, Mwarv, Ben Kiruthi among others.

House of Fotography is a photography company run by Teddy and Sharon Mitchener. The company in collaboration with various African photographers launched the African Photography Magazine. The launch event was in collaboration with BAKE (Bloggers Association of Kenya) and took place yesterday (16th April) at the Nailab. The magazine is an ambitious answer to the lack of a cohesive African photography voice on the continent.

The keynote speaker was the CS of the Ministry of Planning and Devolution, Anne Waiguru. The CS spoke on the Kenya government’s pledge to support youth led projects in the creative sector and the opportunities that are available to the youth in creative entrepreneurship. She also spoke on the importance of Africans telling their own stories and driving the conversations around their issues.

A panel discussion that was moderated by the MC of the evening, Njeri Wangari, on youth and creativity that included CS Anne Waiguru, Teddy and Sharon Mitchener and BAKE Chairman Kennedy Kachwanya tackled various issues. Censorship, IP rights and the importance of craft were some of the issues discussed. The CS gave assurances that the government was not looking to censor creative expression but asked for those especially online to respect others even if they disagreed on their opinions. Kachwanya spoke on the trainings that BAKE have been holding for bloggers and shared that the plan was to hold them in all counties. Teddy and Sharon Mitchener shared on the importance of honing your craft and pushing yourself to constantly improve in your photography.

The issues that were brought up from the Q&A session included the harassment of photographers especially those who specialize in street photography, using drones for aerial photography, difficulty in getting funding or loans for creative entrepreneurs, opportunities for training and knowledge or skills exchange for creatives and the use of the online space to encourage diversity in telling Africa’s story. There was also a great comment from the audience on the importance of creating a dedicated African stock photos library.

The CS made it clear that drones are still a security issue and unfortunately, those who wish to use them must follow the rather strenuous process of application. There are plans however, to create accreditation for photographers and bloggers. She also shared on plans to set aside a percentage of the Youth Enterprise Fund for creative enterprises.

The African Photo Magazine is a digital magazine that highlights African photographers and their work, the history of African photography and shares photography tutorials as well as opportunities for funding and loans for creative enterprises. You can read the first issue here.