— Aisha Bada
How does the Black gaze relate to your photography practice?
I am a person of colour and I love to photograph black people too. I know who these people are and I let them be themselves.
What do you want to say or address with your photography?
I want people to just breathe after having a feeling of being heard.
What influences and inspires you? How is this reflected in your work?
I am inspired greatly by my grandfather who passed away in 2020. He inspired me to want to genuinely help others especially when they have medical/health problems because he had one that I couldn’t help him with before he left.
Who are your favourite Black photographers from the past? Why?
I don’t really know black photographers from the past but I have one black photographer of mine that I really admire. He’s my mentor. His name is Jide Alakija. Interestingly I call him my old man lol.
Please describe the highs and lows of your experience as a Black photographer?
The fear of photographing on the street is one thing. I haven’t been able to do that in a while. As a black photographer in Nigeria, other black people mostly don’t want to be photographed too which is also a huge challenge.
What work are you producing and what more would you like to do?
I am currently working on two projects, one would take months so I’d probably release it in 2021 while the other one is a long term project i started in 2020. I don’t know when I’ll release that one, I don’t have a date in mind.
About Aisha Bada
Aisha Bada is a medical doctor in training and photojournalist based in Lagos, Nigeria; her work is inspired by a passion to tell visual stories that would create awareness of various environmental, medical and health issues.
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Through The Black Gaze, we don’t just reflect the world, we reshape it. Your story matters. Share it. Honour it. Hold space for others. This is where truth lives and vision leads.
We invite Black photographers to contribute in two meaningful ways through story and image.
