Preserving Africa's Beauty through Photography

Contributor Nenzar Beka, Styra Yacho

This week we talk to Beka Nenzar Gideon born on the 17th of December in 1999. He is originally from the northern part of Nigeria but he was born in the South, where he spent most of his childhood. He is the third of five children who are all creatives in their own right.

Nenzar attended primary and early secondary school in Delta state (his place of birth) before his family moved to the country’s capital. He was a teenager when they moved so he completed his secondary education in FCT Abuja and then proceeded to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree in the University of Jos, located in Plateau State which is his state of origin. Nenzar currently lives in Abuja where he works as a freelance photographer and content creator. Nenzar was always creative as a child and very imaginative. He had interests in art and media but his love for photography started developing after he turned 15.

?“My parents got me a phone with a half decent camera and I remember taking pictures of everything in sight. I was excited and by then I didn’t even know anything about actual photography or that you could make a ton of money doing something you loved anyway”

Nenzar studied mass communication at university and that was where he was exposed to professional photography.

“During my 2nd year in Uni, I held a DSLR camera for the first time. It sparked a whole new world of interest for me. At that moment I knew I wanted to explore this new world for the rest of my life.”

Nenzar shared with us that he has been into professional photography for about three years now and that he doesn’t intend to stop anytime soon. He has worked with a few small and medium brands in the course of these three years. “I know I haven’t been doing this for long but I feel like I’ve come so far in such little time. I honestly can’t wait for what the next three years have in store for me.” Besides photography, Beka Nenzar is also a graphic designer and a social media strategist. He uses his knowledge of photography and social media to advise brands and individuals on creative steps to take in order to optimize their business and take it to the next level. We had an interview with Mr Beka and we asked him a few questions; here are his responses.

Why photography? I chose photography because it was the easiest form of creative self-expression for me. As a kid I used to draw a lot; and I was good, but I wasn’t so much invested or interested in pursuing it further. It was more of a hobby for me. I know it would sound cliche, but I feel like photography chose me. There’s a way something comes natural to different people; when you try so little, but it comes out so well, almost as if it’s second nature. That’s how photography is to me. Idea’s pop into my head naturally and I’m able to use whatever I have around me to bring that idea to life. I believe photographers are crucial to the existence of our society, and the perpetuation of our culture. We are the memory keepers; we preserve certain moments in time and make it possible for someone far into the future to revisit that moment. Today we know what people like Albert Einstein, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King etc all look like; why? Because of photographs of them. Even 100 years from now people will know what they looked like because photos of them exist to show us exactly what they looked ages ago. Photographs and photography are timeless and to think I’m playing a part in something so important is a dope feeling.

Who or what inspired you to pursue photography as a career? In Uni, a couple of my lecturers organized a little extra curricular class, and they invited a photographer to talk to us. His name is Kureng Dapel. At the time my view of photography was limited by what I had seen but when Kureng came in I was left speechless. He showed us a few of his projects and two in particular caught my attention; a series he did on Kenyan heroin Mekatilili Wa Menza and another underwater series. Those two projects opened my mind to the endless possibilities of photography, and it sparked my interest because that day I told myself I’ll get to that level someday. Since Kureng, I’ve been inspired by a lot of the greats like Uche James Iroha, TY Bello, Peter Mckinnon, Kelechi Amadi-Obi and many more. The reason why I especially love these people is the fact that they’ve redefined what photography means; they’ve taken something so general and turned it into their own. It’s amazing.

How has your photography journey been so far? Honestly it has not been easy. Even though I’ve been blessed with a very supportive family, the path is still not straight. I say I’m blessed because I know the struggle many photographers endure just to survive. My dad got me my first camera and just recently he again gifted me a brand-new camera which in my wildest dreams I didn’t expect. I can’t count how many times I’ve done free jobs, or gigs that I end up spending more than I make. Many creatives are being exploited because in Nigeria or even Africa as a whole, there is little to no education and sensitisation of young creatives, and this leaves a void which is filled by opportunists and exploiters. This is one thing I’m trying my best to fix in my own little capacity. Just like me, there are millions of creatives in Africa who struggle with being well compensated for their art; but my hopes are high because I know more creatives are starting to learn about their rights and worth, so that’s good.

What are your short and long-term plans for your career? Well for my shorts term plan I’m trying to learn a lot about self-worth and mental health for creatives so that I can in turn teach those coming up or help my friends currently having a tough time in our industry. We can’t create when we are either sad, broke or depressed all the time; not to mention the crippling anxiety that comes with being a creative, and I’m talking from personal experience. So, I’m starting a series in the form of Instagram live sessions, podcasts and YouTube videos on Mental health issues as creatives. I’m calling it therapy sessions because it’s also a reminder that we should normalise therapy in Africa especially among young people. Talking about your problems and challenges does not make you weak so we need to kill the narrative of “therapy is for weak people”. Anyone can hide from their problems all day long, but it takes a strong person to want to fix those problems. Besides this, I’m also working on more educative content for those who follow my work. I’m going to be showing them my creative process with specific steps on how to achieve similar outcomes. I believe sharing knowledge is always a good thing which is why I have no problem showing people how I take my photos.

For my long-term plan, it’s my dream to get signed as a Canon ambassador. That would give me the platform to do even more of what I talked about creativity, photography and wellness amongst creatives - as my short-term plan. Ultimately, at the end of my career, I want to have an organisation or some sort of hub where we will mentor and educate young creatives on all aspects of the industry to ensure they don’t make the same mistakes we made or get exploited by brands or individuals. The end goal is to create value chains for young Africans with an authentic camera manufacturing industry.

What advice do you have for any creative reading this? Be patient, don’t give up, there is a time and season for everything. Simply because things are not working out now doesn’t mean they won’t work out later. No matter what life throws at you, keep moving forward because progress is progress no matter how little. If you are consistent, it will show and you’ll be rewarded for your efforts. Have confidence and above all believe in yourself and trust God. Self-doubt will come but it should not hold you down.

I always tell my friends “No reason am… Things go surely align” meaning don’t worry, everything will work out well.

For the full video interview