South African photographer Lee-Ann Olwage earned her spot as one of the world’s best photographers, winning the World Photography Award for creativity.
Her work also depicts an incredible message that visualised what an empowered world for girls might look like.
Global (20 April, 2023) — Photography is no easy creative sport. Capturing specs of the world in a snapshot, emotions in a flash and messages in a frame isn’t everyone’s forte, but the ones who do it well can evoke emotion and inspiration in a moment’s glance.
This year, the Sony World Photography Awards in London saw a South African take the creative spotlight, teaming up with an NGO to depict what empowerment can look like.
Lee-Anne Olgwage who originally hails from Durban and is based in Cape Town won the Creative category for her work ‘The Right to Play’, a series that imagines a “playful world where girls are shown in an empowered and affirming way”, as Olwage shares.
“Worldwide, 129 million girls are out of school and only 49 percent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education with the gap widening at secondary school level. From a young age, many girls are told what their future will look like. The expectation is: you grow up, you get a husband and you have children. And that’s your life.
“For this project, I worked with girls from Kakenya’s Dream in Enoosaen, Kenya who have avoided FGM and child marriage, showing what the world can look like when girls are given the opportunity to continue learning in an environment that supports them and their dreams.”—Lee-Anne Olwage.
Her visuals sought to challenge the narrative through visuals where young girls are surrounded by playful elements of growth. Where the classroom is a playful sanctuary as much as an affirmative one.
Take a Look:
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