I am a Nigerian photographer – we need more images in the media to be by locals for locals

Local female photographers in Nigeria are now telling their own stories, openly and freely, showcasing women and girls in their communities

Protesters call out management and staff of the public complaint commission during the #EndSARS protest in Abuja (Etinosa Yvonne)

When the #EndSARS protests took off last October, I was straight down there, ready to capture as much as possible of this moment in history. As a self-taught documentary photographer and visual artist born and brought up in Nigeria, one of the main themes I seek to explore and express is social injustice.

During the protests, I was inspired by all the women at the forefront of the campaign – organising and coordinating to ensure that the women participating were safe.

For the first time in a long time, Nigerians were able to publicly acknowledge the fact that women can and should be made to take up leadership roles in society. The #EndSARS movement birthed a new generation of revolutionary women in Nigeria.

I was proud to be a part of this. I haven’t covered or been part of many protests since I began freelancing. However, of the few I have covered, this one hit differently. You could see the determination, frustration, resilience, joy, love, unity and hope in the eyes of each protestor. I made sure that the images I created showed all of these emotions.

I had just finished working with ActionAid on another shoot nearby for their Women by Women campaign, which challenges the stereotypes and generalised stock photography by working exclusively with local female photographers to tell the inspirational stories of women and girls in their local communities.

This was my second shoot for the international NGO, which works with some of the most disadvantaged women and girls in the world, and I was impressed by their commitment to being authentic and anti-racist.

For the first shoot, I documented ActionAid’s humanitarian Covid-19 response work in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, where households had been left with no means to support their families due to their status as informal workers. The work was being led by local women and the pictures I took were of them distributing raw food and other essentials.

I met with ActionAid communications manager Lola Ayanda and together we decided how best to portray women whose livelihood had been impacted by the pandemic to members of the public in the UK. In order to do this – as with every image I take – I kept asking myself, “Would I like to be seen in that way? Would I like to show my mother like that?”

The second time round in September, I had even more artistic licence to choose which stories to tell. I chose to focus on two women in different settings – one urban and one rural – to document their way of life. The photos will be exhibited in the summer to mark the third phase of ActionAid’s Women by Women campaign, which is focusing even more closely on anti-racist storytelling and calling for others to join them on this journey. It’s really inspiring.

The world still too often sees repetitive and stereotypical images churned out and made the norm within mainstream institutions like governments, the media and international NGOs. These images reinforce power structures while others must fight to be heard.

If we are ever to make progress in being diverse, it is vital that we are intentional and always encourage sincere unbiased representation by locals for locals. It is vital we stop telling single and stereotypical stories about people and that we shift the power of storytelling more openly to local photographers. You can always tell the difference.

Etinosa Yvonne is one of the six talents selected for the 2020 cycle of the World Press 6x6 Africa Talent programme. She has received grants from Women Photograph, National Geographic in partnership with Lagos Photo, and Art X, as well as an award from the Royal Photographic Society for her project ‘It’s All in My Head’. Etinosa’s photos have been exhibited internationally, her works have also been published in several international publications. Etinosa currently resides in Abuja, Nigeria. Her photos for ActionAid’s Women by Women exhibition will be published this summer.

ActionAid is an international charity working with the poorest women and girls in the world, changing lives for good