Dakar, Senegal – The Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) is launching a photography project on Instagram titled « Essential Stories » on June 1, 2020 to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic impacts everyday West Africans in six countries. The project will capture, in real time, the lives of communities throughout six West African countries during this global pandemic.
OSIWA has identified a range of people recognized as "essential" in the sense that they play a decisive role in keeping our societies safe during COVID-19. They include health workers, food vendors, street vendors, tailors, farmers, etc.
According to Christopher Ifeanyi-Nwanze, OSIWA’s Communications Officer, “we are partnering with photo-journalists in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone who will gradually document their work once a week and capture the diversity of profiles and experiences and help paint a realistic picture of how the pandemic has affected lives in the sub-region."
The narratives will also be published on the OSIWA website and social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. “We hope that in a post-COVID era, the photo collections and complementary data analysis will form the basis for future initiatives to strengthen health systems and governance and document the stories of those who lived through the pandemic", says Ayisha Osori, OSIWA’s Executive Director.
For more information please contact
Christopher Ifeanyi-Nwanze
Communications Officer, OSIWA
Office: +221 33 869 10 24 | Mobile : +221 78 637 03 77
Email : cinwanze@osiwa.org
Assane SINE
Communications Associate, OSIWA
Office: +221 33 869 10 24 | Mobile : +221 77 740 36 19
Email : asine@osiwa.org
About OSIWA
Open Society Initiative for West Africa is part of the global Open Society Foundations Network. OSIWA is one of the four foundations based in Africa. It promotes the establishment of open societies in West Africa, characterized by inclusive and democratic governance institutions that are responsible and accountable to the citizens, and respect for human rights. To learn more, visit www.osiwa.org.
