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• Adjovi, Laeila b 1982, Benin / France
• Aken, Jenevieve b 1989, Nigeria
• Alaoui, Leila 1982-2016, Morocco / France
• Cherono Ng'ok, Mimi b 1983, Kenya
• Chiurai, Kudzanai, b 1981, Zimbabwe
• Dingwall, Justin b 1983, South Africa
• Diop, Omar Victor b 1980, Senegal
• Erizku, Awol b 1988 Ethiopia / USA
• Essop, Hasan and Hassain b 1985, South Africa
• Guibinga, Yannis Davy b 1987, Gabon
• Jasse, Delio b 1980, Angola
• Kabiru, Cyrus b 1984, Kenya
• Karmali, Tahir Carl b 1987, Kenya/USA
• Leuba, Namsa b 1982, Guinea / Switzerland
• Macilau, Mario b 1984, Mozambique
• Mlangeni, Sabelo b 1980, South Africa
• Mntambo, Nandipha b 1982, South Africa
• Nxedlana Jamal b 1985 South Africa
• Nxumulao, N Musa b 1986, Soweto
• Ogunbanwo, Lakin b 1987, Nigeria
• Okereke, Emeka b 1980, Nigeria
• Rugi, Athi-Putra b 1984, South Africa
  
• Sekgala, Thabisa (1981 - 2014) South Africa
• Senga, Georges b 1983, Congo
• Subotsky, Michael b 1981, South Africa

Leila Alaoui ... b 1982 in France

Leila Alaoui was born in 1982 in Paris, raised in Morocco and educated in the United States. Working out of all 3 places and acutely aware of the privilege of her freedom to travel, she produced a number of series of works from 2008 onwards.

Collaborating with a number of NGO's she used her photography to reveal human narratives, believing that photography and art could be used for social activism. 

'Water-Seller' from 'The Moroccans'

- No Pasara" ('Entry Denied'), 2008. Crises in migration and displacement of people. Black and white images documenting a group of young Moroccans awaiting their journey to Europe in search of a better life... including portraits set in landscapes.

- "Natreen" ('We Wait'), 2013. Set in Lebanon, documents the lives of fleeing refugees from Syria.

- "Les Marocains"(The Moroccans'), was an ongoing series amassed from 2010 until her death in 2016 - A series of life-sized portraits that capture the ethnic and cultural diversity of Morocco.

Her unfinished video "L'Ile du Diable" ('Devil's Island') drew on photographs, video, sound and testimonies of the stories of migrant, car-factory workers from post-war days west of Paris in France. 

From series "Natreen" Leila Aloui

Her death in 2016 as result of injuries sustained in a terrorist attack in Ouagadougou was tragic and untimely but her powerful and sensitive images give face to the people who have been lost and misrepresented. 

Mohau Modisakeng... b 1986 in Soweto, Johannesburg

This Michaelis-schooled, multiple award-winning photographer uses his own body and self portraiture to explore the history of the black body within the South African context.

Mohau Modisakeng, Mara, 2018

Mohau-Modisakeng-Ditaola-XIV

Represented through film, large-scale photography prints, installations and performances, his work engages race, militarization of society and the deep divides of post-apartheid South Africa and post-colonial Africa. 

Modisakeng has participated in many exhibitions, both solo and group, and has represented SA at the Venice Biennale in 2017.

Mario Micalau ... b 1984 in Maputo, Mozambique

Mario Micalau first got hold of camera when he was 14 years old taking photos of his surroundings and the environment around him in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique. 

While he has moved to digital photography he still prefers to present his images in black and white. Intense and moody he uses depth of field and natural light to give more nuance to his images.

Mario Micalau, from 'Faith' series

His subject matters are always part of a process longterm projects that require commitment and trust between the photographer and his subjects. Micilau says his work is "a personal documentary and a constant exploration of how humans sustain themselves in changing environments".

Dreaming of Sunset, 2017, Mario Micilau

'Showering', 2017, Mario Micilau

'Growing in Darkness' is one of those series. Documenting Mozambique's street children he portrays how against huge adversity, these children carry on living thanks to their huge resilience and "the immensity of their hearts". In the poignant image above a 14 year old takes a shower on a Sunday in order to attend a hosted meal.

Lakin Ogunbanwo ... b 1987, Nigeria

Born in Nigeria he studied law before moving into photography in 2012. Currently working out of the UK he delightfully fuses fashion and portraiture in enigmatic and wistful images.

Lakin Ogunbanwo, Nigeria

Ogunbanwo said in CNN's article on leading photographers, "I have always been interested in images, from a young age, but actively started to understand them by making portraits of my sisters. My inspiration comes from everything, every day, and an innate need to capture beauty as I see it. I'm usually drawn to form, interesting shapes and silhouettes."

His iconic series of Yoruba men with traditional hats and headwear was a way of preserving his culture while adopting the present and showing how mixing garments has become a part of contemporary fashion.

Namsa Leuba ... b 1982, Switzerland 

Contemporary African photographer Namsa Leuba, was born in Neuchatel, the child of mixed race parents. Now living and working in Tahiti, Polynesia she remains intrigued by her natural heritage and most of her work explores signs and symbols of African culture, from traditional rituals and ceremonies to statues and masquerades to modern day youth, street culture and fashion.

Namsa Leuba

Using documentaries, fashion photography and performance art, she creates mesmerizing and inventive images. She has spent her last 5 years of her artistic research focusing on visualizing African identity through Western eyes. 

Her series Weke was executed in Benin, the birthplace of voodoo and animism and her photos explore imagined narratives around this theme. 

'Azaca', Namsa Leuba

• Abuzaid, Owise b 1993, Egypt
• Addy, Campbell b 1993 Ghana / UK
• Atem, Atong b 1992, Sudan / Australia
• Berta, Girma b 1990, Ethiopia
• Gum, Tony b 1995, South Africa
• Gyasi, Prince b 1995, Ghana
• Khanyile, Phumzile b 1991, South Africa
• Mann, Alice b 1991, South Africa
• Nqaba, Nobukho b 1992, South Africa
• Oduro, Nana Yaw b 1994, Ghana
• Ossai, Ruth b 1991 Nigeria / UK
• Tayo, Stephen b 1994 Nigeria
• Uzochukwu, David b 1998, Austria / Nigeria
• Weeks, Kyle b 1992, Namibia
• Zaidy, Ismail b 1997, Morocco

Many of their projects are an attempt at decolonizing the portrayal of Africa. The African identity is constantly being challenged, diversity of cultures and identities are being explored. Topics explored include gender, LBGTQ, sexuality and socioeconomic status.

Other pertinent themes are all about borders, the diaspora, translocation, deportation and refugees. Humanity, giving face to the overlooked and the silenced, politics, oppression victims and documenting truth give African photography strength and power, enabling its citizens. 

Ruth Ossai ... b 1991, Nigeria

Ruth Ossai was raised in Nigeria and Yorkshire in the UK. She is the genuine product of the influences of a combined culture and environment.... A leading fashion photographer, she takes her inspiration from Nollywood, the films of her youth. The vibrancy and fervor of her Nigerian community also plays a role in the creation of her fabulously colorful and hyper-stylized aesthetic. Many of her images are joyful and celebratory. 

She has invested herself into an integrated role in society, supporting the welfare of its members and never compromising her work or her principles. At the same time she can take very intimate and personal photographs of family and cultural or pop icons that really engage with the public and manage to touch people.

Letitia Wright, Ruth Ossai, VF

She has collaborated with film makers and fashion houses as well as showing her work at PhotoLagos and Red Hook Labs, New York.