Building sustainable creative careers in Africa & more

Here's your weekly guide to African photographers, exhibitions, and creative opportunities.

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Unpublished Africa
February 23, 2026

Welcome to African Visual Storyteller! Your weekly guide to African photographers, exhibitions, and creative opportunities.

This space exists to support visibility, connection, and real pathways for African creatives. Thank you for being part of our growing ecosystem.

African Visual Storyteller of the Week #44

Our featured storyteller this week is Keith Benjamine Lancaster 🇰🇪

Keith Benjamine Lancaster (Kenya) - "Above The Street", 2025 (Published by Unpublished Africa in the "Representation" Group Photography Exhibition 2025/6)

Upcoming Photo Walks

Jos Photo Walk

🇳🇬 Join our 3rd Jos Photo Walk this February:

Kampala Photo Walk

🇺🇬 Register for the Kampala Photo Walk taking place this March:

Join the Creative Conversations (Live on X Spaces)

Building Sustainable Creative Careers In Africa:

At Unpublished Africa, we care about what it really takes to build a creative career that can last in Africa because we see the gap every day. Many creatives are skilled but lack access to platforms, networks, commissioning structures, and clear routes to monetise their work. And without these, talent stalls.

Our work has always focused on creating early entry points into the creative economy. Through exhibitions, publications, photo walks, and the Creative Business Studio, we have supported creatives across 25+ African countries, with in-person programming in nine.

Sustainability is not abstract to us. It is about building systems that allow creatives to move from passion to profession, and from isolated practice to long-term participation in the creative economy.

Join our creative conversations to engage with this more.

Unpublished Africa White Papers

Distributed Cultural Infrastructure in Practice documenting how Unpublished Africa Photo Week

Over the past 2 years, we have been a testing a different way of building cultural infrastructure.

We've now released our latest white paper on Distributed Cultural Infrastructure in Practice documenting how Unpublished Africa Photo Week expanded from in-person activations in 3 cities to 15 cities across 9 African countries.

More of our White Papers:

"I'd Be Empowered If... " - Unlocking True Empowerment for Africa Women in Photography

This white paper, created alongside the "I'd Be Empowered If" exhibition examines the complexities of empowerment. As stated in the abstract, structural barriers impede access to resources, hindering progress. We explore how photography, as seen in this exhibition, can be a powerful tool for change, redefining narratives and promoting equity.

Other Opportunities:

Help Us Improve What We’re Building

If you’ve joined an Unpublished Africa photo walk, exhibition, programme, or conversation, we’d really appreciate a quick Google rating and review.

It takes a few minutes, and it goes a long way in helping us build better infrastructure for African creatives.

👉 Leave a review here: https://g.page/r/CYo40kkDN_4UEBM/review

Thank you for being part of the journey and for helping shape what comes next.

➡️ Share this newsletter with a friend or colleague interested in the African creative economy!

Thank you for continuing to build with us.

More conversations, walks, and opportunities ahead.

— Unpublished Africa