A Day in the Life of Africa

Programme Summary:

A Day in the Life of Africa is a photography project that aims to raise global awareness of Africa by looking at the everyday life of Africans through the lens of a camera. The project organiser David Cohen of San Francisco says the project aims to portray Africa as a place of hope rather than what is shown in the media. "When African countries are portrayed in the media, they are usually represented by images of famine and war.”

Communication Strategies:

The project was first held on February 28 2002 with nearly 100 photographers from 26 countries around the world taking photographs of Africans as they go about their daily life in 53 African countries.

Photojournalists had 24 hours to document the entire continent of Africa. In this 24-hour journey, the photographers had to capture images that celebrated the diversity of Africa's people, geography and customs.

The assignment took them from the busy markets of Marrakesh to the windswept deserts of Namibia. They documented the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, a sultan's court in Niger, the hip Lagos music scene, and the quiet dignity of a Zambian HIV/AIDS hospice. With access to homes, schools, and workplaces across the continent, photographers created a tapestry of African life as it is lived on one day.

Development Issues:

Population, Development.

Key Points:

The results of the photo shoot are available in a 288-page book, titled A Day in the Life of Africa. The book includes 250 colour and black and white photos. The photo book is published in America, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. All publishing profits will go to charity - supporting HIV/AIDS education programmes in Africa.

Contact Info:

Gina Privitere

Source:

A Day in the Life of Africa website on May 18 2005.