Paul Botes is the picture editor of the Mail & Guardian in South Africa and has won numerous awards for his work. His work focuses primarily on issues of social justice and inequality. Paul has taught photography at The Market Photo Workshop and runs an intern programme that works regularly with students from a variety of schools from all over the world. He has been working on a long term “slow journalism” project with journalist Niren Tolsi which follows the aftermath of the 2012 Marikana massacre in South Africa.
Martha Kazungu is a Ugandan curator and Art Historian. She holds a master of arts in African Verbal and Visual Arts with a focus on curating and media in Africa from the University of Bayreuth, Germany. Several years of promoting the work of women artists led to her founding Njabala Foundation to render visibility for women artists. She is on the scientific advisory board for Art and Feminisms exhibition by the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Kazungu also serves as external curator for the German Federal Cultural Foundation Turn2 Labs of 2022. As Assistant Curator at MARKK Museum am Rothenbaum, she cocurated Archive of Experiences, an exhibition within the 8th Triennial of Photography in Hamburg. Kazungu’s writings have been featured in several publications in Africa, Europe, and the USA. Most recently she contributed to Phaidon’s African Artists: From 1882 to Now. Kazungu has curated exhibitions in Europe and Africa most notably My Mother is Forgetting My Face (Norway), Life Classes: an exhibition of Ugandan art on paper (Germany), Embodiment of Reason (Uganda) and Here and Here (Ethiopia). Kazungu is an alumnus of Independent Curators International (ICI) (South Africa), Àsìkò School (Ethiopia and Ghana), C& writers’ workshop (Kenya) and AtWork (Uganda). She was assistant curator for the 2016 Kampala Art Biennale curated by Elise Atangana in 2016 and the Feedback Art Africa and the 1980s curated by Smooth Ugochukwu at Iwalewahaus in 2018.
Cynthia MaiWa Sitei is a British Kenyan emerging curator and documentary photographer, who currently works at Ffotogallery Wales as the Creative Producer. Her inspiration is drawn from her cultural upbringing - stories played a big impact in her upbringing. Her current role as the creative producer allows her to push the envelope with curiosity regarding the visual perception of images around us and in preserving and caring for them as well as re-presenting them for everyone to engage with. Cynthia has a BA in Psychology with Criminology from the University of Winchester and gained her MA in Documentary Photography from University of South Wales. She co-curated an exhibition at the National Museum of Wales, responding to the museum's permanent collection as part of the Photography Season in 2019, and recently curated two exhibitions at Ffotogallery, one with 12 exceptional photographers from Africa, More Than a Number and a collaborative digital project, ‘Where’s my Space?’ Her curious mind makes her wonder in spaces where she sees action as being more effective than words, where learning from others and acquiring skills and knowledge is not enough if not put to use.
Sarah Waiswa is Ugandan-born, Kenya-based documentary and portrait photographer with an interest in exploring the New African Identity on the continent. With degrees in sociology and psychology, Sarah’s work explores social issues in Africa in a contemporary and non-traditional way. Her photographs of people living with albinism and ballet dancing in the Kibera area of Nairobi have generated dialogue through their visual poetry. In 2015, she was awarded first place in the story and creative categories in the Uganda Press Photo Awards and second place in the Daily Life and portrait categories. In 2016 she was awarded the Discovery Award in Arles, France and in 2017 she was awarded the Gerald Kraak Award in Johannesburg, South Africa. In 2018, she was named a Canon Brand Ambassador and was selected for the World Press Photo 6x6 Africa Program. Her work has been exhibited around the world, most recently at the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia and at the Bristol Photo Festival 2021 in collaboration with the Bristol Archives. Her photographs have been published in the Washington Post, Bloomberg, the New York Times, among other publications and she has worked with brands such as Christian Dior and Chloe. She founded African Women in Photography, a non profit organisation dedicated to elevating and celebrating the work of women and non binary photographers from Africa.
Edward Echwalu is an independent documentary photographer based between Uganda and Kenya with 15 years of experience. He puts that experience to use as a photography mentor and judge. He's part of an exciting crop of photographers based in Africa contributing towards changing the negative image of Africa through the Everyday Africa project and has made significant contributions to a number of publications including ‘Everyday Africa: 30 Photographers Re-Picturing a Continent’ and more. Edward emerged 1st Runner Up in the CNN African Journalist of the Year: Muhammed Amin Photojournalism Award 2012 and was highly commended in 2013. He was also a winner of Uganda’s coveted Student Photojournalism prize, The Cranimer Mugerwa Photojournalism Award (2009). A member of the International Press Association of Uganda, and the International Press Association of East Africa, Edward has had and continues to have commissioned work by some of the leading media and developmental institutions in the world.
Niamh Tracey is the Coordinator for FORMAT International Photography Festival, the UK’s leading international contemporary festival of photography and related media based in Derby, UK; Portfolio reviewer for national and international portfolio reviews such as Belfast Photography Festival and Uganda Press Photo and visiting lecturer. Niamh is also part of the FORMAT and QUAD curatorial team curating shows both internationally and nationally such as; un/natural, Lishui Photography Festival (2021), Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards, QUAD (2021), #massisolationFORMAT, Derby Museum and Art Gallery (2021). Niamh holds a BA (Hons) in Photography from University of Derby and is a graduate of the MA Fine Art course at Central Saint Martins.Anne Nwakalor is the Founding Editor of No! Wahala Magazine, one of Africa's first-ever contemporary photography magazines dedicated to showcasing authentic visual stories told by African creatives. She is also a Photo Editor and presently works as a Communication Expert within the art space in the UK.