These Pictures Show How Stunning Everyday Africa Really Is
“I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up and was not happy,” legendary writer Ernest Hemingway famously said about perhaps the most misunderstood and intriguing continent on our beautiful planet.
While Hemingway used words to show Africa in a different light, in the digital age social media provides a platform to counter misconceptions about people and countries across the continent. Using technology for good, Everyday Africa is an awesome Instagram account that features photos of everyday Africans enjoying life that are a far cry from how Africa is usually portrayed in the mainstream Western media.
View this post on InstagramRoom with a view. Photo by @guillaumebonn #shela #lamu #kenya #guillaumebonn #dispatchesfromatraveler #indianocean
The account, which was set up by documentary photographer Peter DiCampo and writer Austin Merrill in 2012, currently has around 350,000 followers who enjoy regular postings of photos showing children playing and splashing around in water, bustling markets full of fresh produce, joyous family gatherings and just general everyday life in Africa.
With 54 officially recognized countries and a plethora of local cultures all with their own languages and customs, Africa is an extremely diverse place, a message that Everyday Africa aims to show the world. Most of the photographers involved in the project are themselves African, making it a genuine portrayal of what life is really like for the people who actually live there.
View this post on InstagramEl Mermah”, a local horse race that takes place in some areas in Upper Egypt in the south , especially on special occasions such as weddings, henna nights, moulid. Photo by @mahmoud.ahmed.hawary from @everydayegypt #everydayegypt #egypt #horse #race #everydayafrica #everydayeverywhere
For those on a digital detox who prefer not to follow Everyday Africa on Instagram, they recently launched a gorgeous hardcover book featuring the works of 30 photographers “re-picturing a continent” with sections of Instagram commentary inspired by the images.
View this post on InstagramBoxers fight during an East African boxing tournament hosted by the organisation “Kentrack Boxing” in Kibera. Photo by © Bryan @kiberastories #everydayeverywhere #everydayafrica #boxing #kibera #storitellah #fight #slum #boxers
Everyday Africa has over the years inspired other “everyday” photography projects from various regions in the world that also tend to be misrepresented. From Iraq, to Latin America to the Bronx, these realistic photo projects aim to bust stereotypes and create a more positive image of the world in the general.
