Portraiture Shortlist

These young boys and girls had just graduated from senior secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria. They spent the day by the pool to celebrate their achievements with their classmates; and love was in the air. Some of them are secretly in love. This was a day of singing and dancing, some were sad because they would never see their friends again. Many of the students would soon move to another part of the country to continue their education, or get married and build a home. The photographer comments, ‘when I was growing up in 1990, things were very different. We were not allowed to be close to each other this way. Boys and girls did not show their emotions this way to one another. This is Lagos and, this is not allowed in the other part of Nigeria either. But it is coming!'

I am from Nigeria but I live in Sweden. I am a freelance​ photographer and a poet. I studied photography as a visual communication at ​Jönköping University in Sweden. I have attended a master​class in Amsterdam. 2019. And Nikon Noors master class. 2020. August 2017 I won the Alfred Fried International photo competition on the theme of Peace... My work was exhibited in the Austrian parliament for one year... CV 2019 Nominee: Felix-Schoeller-photo award. /German peace price for photography. 2019 2017 Finalist Lens culture portrait award. Finalist Landskrona Sweden photo festival. Österrängens konsthall 2022 exhibition 2021 Independent & Freelance Photojournalist Awards Top 5 nomination Status Exhibitions Photo Israel 2021 Helsinkifotofestival 2021and many and many more