From Photo Walks to Photo Stories

What are you using your narrative power for

Author

Unpublished Africa
April 07, 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 #50

Our featured storyteller this week is Lonah Wanjiru 🇰🇪

Lonah Wanjiru (Kenya) - "Inherited Memory",2026 (From Unpublished Africa's "I'd Be Empowered If..." Group Exhibition)

Bulawayo Photo Walk

Image in Poster by Bonani Vundla from our first Bulawayo Photo Walk

Bulawayo Photographers🇿🇼: We are excited to open registrations for the second Bulawayo Photo Walk.

  • 🗓️ Date: 11 April 2026

  • ⏰ Time: 9:00 AM

Once you have registered, you will receive a link to join the Bulawayo photographers community ahead of the walk, along with any final updates closer to the date.

Have you been part of our Publications?

This photo story by Thamsanqa Sibanda (Bulawayo Photo Walk host) explores the impact of deindustrialization in Bulawayo through the experience of one family. It highlights how the closure of manufacturing companies led to the retrenchment of a father, drastically changing the course of his child’s upbringing and daily life.

The story reflects the broader social and economic consequences of industrial decline, showing how job loss can reshape family dynamics, stability, and opportunity

Unpublished Africa White Papers

"I'd Be Empowered If…": Unlocking True Empowerment for African Women in Photography

If you didn’t get a chance to visit the “I’d Be Empowered If…” exhibition in Nairobi in March, you can still engage with the ideas behind it through the white paper. It brings together the key themes, reflections, and contributions that shaped the project, and gives a clearer look at the thinking behind the work.

We encourage you to read it if you’re interested in understanding the conversations that emerged from the exhibition. It’s a simple way to explore the questions it raised and the perspectives people shared, even if you weren’t able to see the installation in person.

Distributed Cultural Infrastructure in Africa: Lessons from Unpublished Africa Photo Week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.

Conversations around art education in Africa often centre on tertiary institutions, yet many of the challenges begin much earlier, at the point of exposure, access, and how creative practice is first introduced.

In Navigating the Path: Art Education in Africa, we reflect on how artists are often lost at the beginning of their journey due to limited access, cultural perceptions, and weak support systems, with these gaps continuing into post-secondary levels where sustained practice becomes difficult.

Photography as an Agent of Social Transformation: Collaboration for Impact

Photography is a powerful medium for capturing human experiences and driving social change. From historical documentation to modern digital platforms, it raises awareness, mobilizes communities, and influences policy by making important issues visible.

The paper highlights the need for photographers to engage with social causes and act ethically in shaping narratives. Drawing on the African creative ecosystem and Unpublished Africa’s work, it encourages photographers to use their craft not just for storytelling, but to support meaningful social impact.

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.

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