This show is a culmination of over 200 rolls of film shot by 11 children in Ghana, West Africa, over a two-month period. On display is the work of Abu, age 6, Ahmed, age 7, Minah, age 8, Firdaus, age 9, Yaw, age 12, Sandra, age 8, Stephen, age 14, Olivia, age 8, Francois, age 10, Vasty, age 12, Hajara, age 7 and myself, Jamie Lloyd. The children live in Nima, the worst slum in Ghana’s capital city, Accra, and the Muslim section of the city. The children not only live in poverty, but some also have to deal with the stigma of being Muslim in a Christian dominated city. The Muslim/Christian divide, which seems to be growing further apart, is not only affecting people in America, but all over the world.

I not only taught the children a new skill but also gave them an opportunity to visually represent their country, culture and religion through photography. Ghanaian children need an outlet to show the world what is happening in their country. The Western world needs to see Africa through the eyes of the people who live there and not through the negative sensationalism of western media

The children were eager, attentive and their progress was impressive. They went from not knowing anything about photography and asking questions like “should I wash my camera” to taking professional caliber pictures. I met with them three times a week and gave them assignments including: animals, family, sports, self-portraits, market day and festivals. I took them to the internet café to view photography online and on a field trip to the Daily Graphic Newspaper, the largest newspaper in Ghana. At the end of the two-month class the children were invited to participate in a photo contest held by the Junior Art Club, a local non-profit youth arts organization, and four of my students were awarded top honors. They were also invited to exhibit their photographs at the only all youth art gallery in Accra.

I would like to thank: SF Camerawork, First Exposures, Rayko Photo Center, Looking Glass Photo, In Color II, Oscar’s Photo Lab, The Junior Art Club, Erik Auerbach, Babs Salami, Janet Reynolds, Frank Lloyd, all the individual donors and all my friends in Nima. This program would not have been possible without you. Your support means a lot to me and even more to the children in Nima.

Jamie Lloyd received a BA in Photojournalism from UC Santa Cruz. She currently teaches photography with SF Camerawork’s First Exposures youth photography program and is the coordinator of the Ghana Youth Photo Project. For more information about the Ghana Youth Photo Project and to view more work by Jamie Lloyd please visit www.afiaphotos.com

JAMIE LLOYD HELPS SHOWCASE AFRICAN CHILDRENS’ LIVES

The Ghana Youth Photo Project Aims to Help Children

Show Their World Through Photography

In October 2005 I went to West Africa to bring a photography program to 10 kids in Ghana’s capital city of Accra. These kids live in Nima, the worst slum in Accra and the Muslim section of the city. The kids not only live in poverty, but also have to deal with the stigma of being Muslim in a Christian dominated city. The Muslim/Christian divide, which seems to be growing further apart, is not only affecting people in America, but all over the world.

I not only taught the kids a new skill but also gave them an opportunity to visually represent their country, culture and religion through photography. Ghanaian children need an outlet to show the world what is happening in their country. The Western world needs to see Africa through the eyes of the people who live there and not through the negative sensationalism of western media

I choose to run my program in Ghana because In 2004 I worked as a photographer at the Daily Graphic Newspaper in Accra. Upon my return to the United States I started volunteering with San Francisco camerawork’s First Exposures (FX) Youth Photo Program. In this program professional photographers teach photography and act as a mentor to at-risk youth. After being a part of this team and witnessing the success of the program I approached SF Camerawork about using the program as a model to run my own program in Ghana. The organization was receptive to the idea and excited about FX expanding to West Africa.

With the support and backing of SF Camerawork (SFCW), a San Francisco based non-profit organization, I was able to raise money and gather enough film and cameras to cover the two-month class. With new supplies, the teaching experience with FX and my contacts in Ghana my idea was materializing into a real program.

The first person I called was Babs Salami. A friend in Ghana who helped me extend my access and insight into Ghanaian life by taking me to Nima to meet his friends and see another side of Accra. I asked if he thought any kids in Nima would be interested in learning photography. He got back to me immediately to let me know that several kids were interested. I told him to pick 10 kids and they ended up being Abu age 6, Ahmed age 7, Minah age 8, Firdaus age 9, Yaw age 12, Sandra age 8, Stephen age 14, Olivia age 8, Francois age 10 and Hajara age 7. The kids were eager, attentive and their progress was impressive. They went from not knowing how to use their camera or load film to taking professional caliber pictures.

I met with the kids three times a week and gave them assignments including: animals, family, sports, self-portrait, market day and festivals. I took them to the internet café to view photography online and on a field trip to the Daily Graphic Newspaper, the largest newspaper in Ghana.

Whenever I got the kids pictures back from the photo lab I learned more and more about them, their lives and what happens when I was not around. I was seeing Ghana through their eyes, from their perspective. I felt like I was getting to know them twice as fast through my special insight. They all had distinctive personalities that came out over time. They were shy at first and kept their distance from me but barriers were eventually broken and I got to know the person behind the camera.

Ahmed was strong willed, independent, never spoke to me in English and asked if he should wash his camera. Abu was shy and unsure of himself but he always surprised me with very striking images. He took one of my favorite pictures of three girls at his Arabic school. Two of the girls are staring into the camera and one is peering out a window with light pouring in on her face making her look angelic. Fridaus always seemed confused and could never remember what I told her such as “don’t open your camera when there is film inside” but she produced my favorite body of work.

I always found Olivia’s pictures interesting because she only took photos inside her house and she almost never took pictures of people. I soon found out that her parents did not let her leave the house and she never got to play with other children. Due to this restraint she had to be extra creative with her photographs as her subject matter was very limited. I felt like she was the first one of my students to develop a photographic style.

Not only did my program get Olivia out of the house and interacting with kids her age but it also gave her a creative voice in her seemingly silent world. It was times like these when my program went beyond photography and stepped into the mentoring side where I felt I was making a difference in someone’s life.

At the end of the two-month class the kids were invited to participate in a photo contest held by the Junior Art Club, a local non-profit youth arts organization, and four of the kids were awarded top honors. They were also invited to exhibit their photographs at the only all youth art gallery in Accra.

In the future I plan on returning to Ghana to continue my program and potentially expand to include more kids in Nima. I have also mentioned to SFCW that I would like to bring some of the students from FX with me to Ghana to help me tech photography.

I am currently editing the 200 rolls of film taken by the kids and having their pictures professionally printed and framed for an upcoming show in San Francisco. The exhibit will run May 2 – July 30 with a reception on May 6th at 5pm at Rayko Photo Center (www.raykophoto.com): 428 Third Street, San Francisco, CA.

To help with the printing and framing of the kid’s work and the continuation of the Ghana Youth Photo Project you can make a Tax-deductible contribution through SF Camerawork (http://www.sfcamerawork.org/). Checks can be made to “SF Camerawork” with “Jamie Lloyd” in the memo line and mailed to:

Ghana Youth Photo Project
2342 Shattuck Ave. #808
Berkeley, CA 94704

Donations of 35mm cameras (preferably point and shoot), and film (both B&W, and color) are also encouraged.

The In-Sight Photography Project
45 Flat Street, Brattleboro, Vermont 05301
(802) 251-9960 | info@insight-photography.org