Born in Uganda and based in Kenya, Sarah Waiswa is a documentary and portrait photographer with a passion for exploring modern identity on the African continent.
Sarah’s photography is bold in every respect: stripped-back compositions are displayed with vivid colours and a powerful sense of design and are married to subjects that challenge common preconceptions of life on her native African continent.
“Over the past few years, interest in African art, music and culture has been on the rise in the West,” says Sarah. “I am interested in what it means to be African at a time when the spotlight is seemingly on Africa – and how this interest has encouraged African youth to embrace their culture, relearn their history and express themselves in various ways, combining past and present and imagining their futures alongside that of the continent.”
Waiswa’s work explores what she calls a “New African Identity”: how younger generations of Africans feel more expressive and less restrained by tradition than their predecessors. She also sought to counteract stereotypical depictions of Africa, often the result of foreign rather than native photographers. Additionally, many of her subjects are women.
In 2016, Waiswa was working with photographer Joel Lukhovi on “African citizens”, which records daily life in multiple African cities.
