Photographers Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo and Yannis Davy, and fashion designers Marvin Desroc and Abiola Olusola are just some of the visionaries challenging Western stereotypes of Black bodies
“I wanted to use the medium of photography to fight the notion that creativity resides only in the West,” says Ghanian photographer Sackitey Tesa Mate-Kodjo. Throughout history, Western prejudices have oriented the way that Black bodies are portrayed, often heavily influenced by the history of slavery and colonisation. A new generation of creatives, including photographers such as Sackitey and Yannis Davy, and fashion designers such as Nicolas Guichard and Marvin Desroc are challenging these stereotypes. Through their imagery and clothes, these visionaries—from the African continent and diaspora—are reaching into their personal histories to accurately represent their realities and experience .