Sarah Waiswa is a documentary and portrait photographer born in
Uganda and based in
Nairobi, Kenya. She won the 2016
Rencontres d'Arles Discovery Award for a series that explored
albino persecution in sub-Saharan Africa. She was also recognized by the 2015 Uganda Press Photo Awards.
Early life and career
Sarah Waiswa was born in
Uganda and is based in
Nairobi, Kenya. She studied sociology and psychology, and is a self-taught photographer.
Her portraiture project, "Stranger in a Familiar Land", explores the persecution of
albinos in sub-Saharan Africa, in which they are hunted for the perceived magical powers of their body parts. The series sets an albino woman against a background of the Nairobian slums of
Kibera
Kibera (Kinubi: ''Forest'' or ''Jungle'') is a division of Nairobi Area, Kenya, and neighbourhood of the city of Nairobi, from the city centre. Kibera is the largest slum in Nairobi, and the largest urban slum in Africa.http://www.dominionpa ...
, which represent the stormy outside world. The model's dreamlike pose in societal isolation reflects both the model's alienation and the photographer's hesitance towards her society. Waiswa developed the project to raise awareness after reading a newspaper article about treatment of albinos in
Tanzania. Part of their shoot consisted of responding to the jeering throng.
Aida Muluneh
''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1 ...
, the photographer who presented the award, described Waiswa's photography as reflecting her surroundings' complexities. While Sarah Moroz of ''
i-D
''i-D'' is a British bimonthly magazine published by Vice Media, dedicated to fashion, music, art and youth culture. ''i-D'' was founded by designer and former ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' art director Terry Jones (i-D), Terry Jones in 1980. The ...
'' praised the clarity with which Waiswa presented the isolation of albino identity, as the model's lighthearted accessories defied an insurmountable air of rejection,
Sean O'Hagan of ''
The Guardian'' considered the otherwise "brave" effort "oddly overstaged".
Waiswa's work explores what she calls a "New African Identity": how younger generations of Africans feel more expressive and less restrained by tradition than their predecessors. She also sought to counteract stereotypical depictions of Africa, often the result of foreign rather than native photographers. Additionally, many of her subjects are women.
In 2016, Waiswa was working with photographer Joel Lukhovi on "African Cityzens", which records daily life in multiple African cities. They participated in a 2017 book that shows the
Maasai people
The Maasai (; sw, Wamasai) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best-known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of t ...
in truthful, quotidian context, rather than as stereotypical warriors. For Waiswa, the project consummated a search for information on a poorly documented ancient female deity.
Awards
*2015: Uganda Press Photo Award's top creative prize and was a runner-up in its portrait and daily life categories
*2016:
Rencontres d'Arles Discovery Award
*2017: ''
OkayAfrica
OkayAfrica (stylized as okayafrica) is a digital media platform dedicated to African culture, music and politics. Founded in 2011 by Vanessa Wruble and Ginny Suss as a sister site to The Roots frontman Questlove's Okayplayer, the site has become ...
'' named her among Uganda's best emerging artists
*2021: Afro X Digital Awards Winner Photographer Of The Year
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waiswa, Sarah
Living people
1980s births
Ugandan photographers
Ugandan women photographers
21st-century photographers
21st-century women photographers