Western art canon can be seen as a white dominating principle that does not necessarily highlight the Black experience. Your work, on the contrary, is all about the glory of Black bodies and the beauty of Blackness. Can I say that you use your own body as an instrument for making art? As a queer artist of color, why is it so important to emphasize the body? 

After many years of struggling to find my confidence within my Blackness I realized the Black body in and of itself is art. The resilience of existence and consistency of excellence is sublime and needs to be seen as a work of art. I incorporate my own body into my work to show where and how Blackness over generations has arrived and continues to pioneer mainstream trends. As a queer Black individual, it’s important to emphasize the body because flesh in general should be relatable from race to race… but it’s not… and it’s because of a lack of knowledge and consistency of proper representation.

Black Lives Matter is considered as one of the largest movements in American history. It is not only domestic; the movement is also international. We are seeing changes happening in all industries, especially in the arts. What is your take on this movement? How does this movement inspire you as an artist?
I have been invigorated by this moment through being pressure cooked in the depression of it all. It’s been both devastating and inspiring to see such an influence worldwide. I feel that through these exposing times there’s a lot of self liberating happening especially with young Black creatives. We are no longer desiring to uphold our work within the rubrics of success from white institutions, rather, we are creating our own spaces and collaborating with other Black artists to prove to the world that we need nobody but ourselves. I am the most passionate, confident and grounded with my art right now.

I understand that besides photography, you also focus on videography/art film. You have an upcoming short film coming up, would you like to talk a little bit about this new project? 

I am in the process of writing a docu-series to continue to educate and illuminate Black beauty. It will essentially delve into the very diverse and complex mindsets of young Black creatives and how we exceed the margins that society has put us in. It is the biggest project I have spearheaded, and I will be working with so many gifted artists to bring it to fruition. I want to diversify this series by rooting it in beauty. I plan to have it be part interview (group setting and one on one) as well as it being part performance. I want to shoot it almost in the way music videos are shot with elaborate sets and colorful lights to beautifully frame the beauty of these individuals. I plan to begin filming within the next two months.

We are seeing an unstoppable force for globalization, and it manifests significantly in its transculturalism. What is your take on the globalization of cultures? Do you have any thoughts on the concept of cultural appropriation?

I personally believe cultural crossover is an inevitable force. However, I believe that while cultures merge there needs to be boundaries set to maintain respect and eliminate stealing. We must remain rooted and educated in where things come from and put the people of those cultures front and center when we showcase these things instead of only showing whitewashed versions of things that are sacred to someone’s identity. Integrity.

You are originally from Sierra Leone, but now living and working in between London and Abidjan. How does this transcultural and transnational lifestyle affect you as an artist? 

In terms of how living in both places have affected my work, I would say it has definitely made me more open to different cultures, lifestyles, and most importantly, people: I think you can see the interest I have for others in my photography, particularly in the topics I choose for my documentary photography, which is mainly portraiture. I have an avid interest in learning about cultures, what they represent and mean to people, people’s identities and habits.

As an artist, it is important to be open, as you never know what could speak directly to you, challenge you, and inspire you, but also, it is important for me to show the identity of the person who I am photographing through.

It is also important to note that because my experience as a Sierra Leonean and resident of Côte d’ivoire was fragmented, (by living abroad for extended amounts of time)I try to be as careful as I can to not to make my own views as the standard depiction for West Africa. In my work. I want it to be clear that it is my own portion of the big story that I am telling. My own unique perception, along with other creatives’ work from the continent and diaspora, will forge an authentic story.

Your most recent work, The Queens of Babi(2020), portrays Abidjan’s drag community. Can you explain the significance of shedding lights on queer communities like this in Africa? What are your motivations and goals in doing so? 

Of the 76 countries that still criminalise same-sex relationships and behaviour, 38 are African. Recent surveys also show that the overwhelming majority of people who live in Africa strongly disapprove of homosexuality.

The reporting of LGBTQ communities in Franco-African societies is not readily and commonly published. One of the particularities in West Africa is that LGBTQ mobilizing at the community level is relatively new. In Abidjan, there are no real LGBTQ organisations and the members I photographed told me they were often unable to go into certain neighbourhoods for fear of being assaulted or losing their life. Through my photography, I want to change Africans’ perception of the community by sharing their stories, as they reflect true human rights issues. I self-funded the first photoshoot, as this is a cause that is important to me, but I plan to photograph more members of this community, in different environments, including their daily life and more intimate shots of their daily life. I knew that their story had to be shared, but due to the fact I funded it all personally, only one shoot was able to be done. For this shoot, we had a team of eight including the girls and their two makeup artists. With costumes, which are expensive to make, make-up artists, transport, security and a shoot assistant, we went over the budget. I want to be able to share their story well and support them in their endeavours to better their life, including things such as setting up an LGBTQ association for them.

Your work highlights Black bodies. How do you understand the importance of inserting blackness into a white dominating western art canon? 

I think representation is extremely important, and often artists should have work that reflects the times. Which is why it is ludicrous that the western art world can not be completely inclusive of work of all gender, races, sexual identities, etc.

It will only keep enriching the content in the art world, normalise things that should be seen as normal and not “the other” and start to end things like the exoticism and dehumanisation of the black body, as it has been continually portrayed in the past, and continues to be, to this day.

In the wake of Gorge Floyd’s death, America faces a new wave of civil rights movement. All industries are having necessary reevaluations and reflections in racial injustice. As an artist of color, what is your take on this movement? How does it affect you artistically?

This is a question that needs so much to answer properly, as systemic racism and racial injustice are things that have affected black people, me included, our whole lives, at times daily. My take on this movement is that it is long overdue, but it must not lose its steam.

I welcome the important conversations that are going on all over the world right now. I also think there is massive pressure and expectations on artists of colour to create work according to this topic, and to be the spokespersons for the movement, when we are not the originators of systemic racism. It’s a pressure that is not always expected of white artists, or people, and these discussions need to be broached by everyone.

Artistically, it affects me and can play on one’s mental health. But in terms of inspiration, I am so inspired by the strength and support all over the world, and the current sense of connection that is being experienced right now, despite the sadness and injustice of the situation.