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 #66

Our featured storyteller this week is Maingaila Muvundika 🇿🇲

We invite you to lead an Unpublished Africa Photo Walk in your city

We have recently received numerous requests for programming in new locations, and we are officially opening this up to our wider network. Should there be a host, you can also volunteer as a co host. Reply to this email should you be interested in bringing an Unpublished Africa Photo Walk to your city.

Upcoming Events and Photo Walks

Open Call for Exhibition: African Streets as Archives

Unpublished Africa invites photographers across the continent to submit work to be considered for a black and white group photography exhibition for our upcoming exhibition, Streets as Archives.

Women are encouraged to submit work for consideration.

Submission guidelines: https://unpublished.beehiiv.com/p/call-for-submissions-streets-as-archives-second-edition

• 🗓️ Deadline Extended to 7 August 2026

Register for our August Lusaka Photo Walk 🇿🇲

🇿🇲 Register for Lusaka Photo Walk:

• 🗓️ 23 August 2026

• ⏰ 2 PM

• Register: https://airtable.com/app6YmuLQIV96rgc2/shrK0yTEfmxuvz52Q

In the Press

Curating Beyond the Exhibition: Building Pathways for African Photographers

What is the role of a curator today? For many, the answer begins and ends with selecting photographs for an exhibition, but in a feature by Art Africa Magazine "Building Structures of Visibility: Unpublished Africa and the Politics of Sustained Empowerment," our Founder was interviewed by Art Africa Magazine. As Unpublished Africa we view it as tool to create opportunities, shape careers, and build the structures that allow photographers to thrive long after an exhibition closes. Here are a few points to note from the article:

Curatorship is a responsibility

The interview presents curating as an ongoing responsibility rather than a one-time event.

Every decision, from the open call to image selection and exhibition design, is approached with two questions in mind: What story is being told? and How will this opportunity support the photographer's professional growth?

Beyond Visibility

One of the strongest messages in the article is that visibility may introduce a photographer to new audiences, but lasting impact comes from what follows. Professional development, portfolio reviews, publishing opportunities, mentorship, and industry connections are what transform visibility into sustainable careers.

Curatorial practice in this case functions as infrastructure, creating pathways that help photographers move from their first exhibition to future commissions, publications, festivals, and commercial opportunities.

Protecting Stories Through Curation

Images influence how people understand places, cultures, and communities making curatorial decisions extend beyond artistic quality to include questions of dignity, context, and representation.

We therefore encourage photographers to submit work that consider how photographs may be interpreted when viewed outside their original context, ensuring stories remain authentic and respectful.

How We Build Creative Communities

Exhibitions, photo walks, panel discussions, and professional development programmes work together to strengthen creative communities across Africa. These initiatives allow photographers to develop their practice, build networks, and engage with audiences in meaningful ways.

Why It Matters

By viewing curatorship as a long-term commitment to access, mentorship, and professional growth, exhibitions become platforms that strengthen careers, expand representation, and contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable African photographic ecosystem.

Thank you again to Art Africa for the feature.

Read the article here:

https://artafricamagazine.org/building-structures-of-visibility-unpublished-africa-and-the-politics-of-sustained-empowerment/

In the Unpublished White Papers

Why Representation Matters: Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in African Photography

Photography has long shaped how we see the world. Yet, the people behind the camera often determine which stories are told and whose perspectives are represented. For many African women photographers, gaining that opportunity remains a challenge.

The white paper, I'd Be Empowered If... Unlocking True Empowerment for African Women in Photography, examines why women continue to be underrepresented in photography and what is needed to create a more inclusive industry.

A Gender Gap Behind the Lens

The paper notes that this imbalance has shaped visual storytelling, leaving many women's experiences overlooked or told through someone else's perspective.

It also highlights the lack of comprehensive data on women working in professional photography and photojournalism, making it difficult to fully understand the scale of the gender gap. What is clear, however, is that women continue to face systemic barriers to opportunities, mentorship, funding, and industry recognition.

What Women Photographers Say They Need

To better understand empowerment, the exhibition asked participating photographers to complete one sentence: "I'd be empowered if..."

Their responses revealed common themes. Many called for greater access to photography training, mentorship, exhibition opportunities, and sustainable income. Others spoke about the importance of having platforms to tell authentic African stories, challenge stereotypes, and connect with audiences around the world.

Rather than asking for special treatment, these photographers are asking for equitable access to the opportunities that allow creative careers to grow.

Representation Changes the Stories We Tell

Our white paper notes that increasing the number of women behind the camera is not simply about gender equality. It is about broadening the stories that are documented and preserving perspectives that have too often been overlooked.

When African women photograph their own communities, they capture stories of resilience, identity, work, family, and social change from lived experience. These images challenge stereotypes and contribute to a more complete understanding of African societies.

Building an Inclusive Photography Industry

It also highlights the important role played by women-led photography organisations and collectives across Africa, which are creating spaces for collaboration, learning, and career development. These initiatives demonstrate how community support can help break down barriers and create lasting change.

For more, read the paper here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/402664147_I'd_Be_Empowered_If_Unlocking_True_Empowerment_for_African_Women_in_Photography

Photo Walk Archive

Were you part of an Unpublished Africa Photo Walk? We’d love to see what you captured! Upload your photos to the Photo Walk Archive and help us document the journey.

Upload here: https://photowalk.unpublished.africa/

Other Opportunities:

• Xposure International Photography Awards ( Xposure ) - deadline: 05 September

• FESPACO 2027 – Call for Films ( FESPACO ) - deadline: 20 September

• MENA Panorama: A Regional Open Call by PhotoVogue ( Vogue ) - deadline: 24 September

• Sony World Photography Awards ( World Photography Organisation ) - deadline: 05 January 2027

• Call for Applications ( International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) ) - rolling deadline

• Minority Africa Call for Storytellers ( Minority Africa ) - rolling deadline

• Pulitzer Center Grant ( Pulitzer Center ) - rolling deadline

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