Taiwo Aina, a Nigerian visual storyteller and filmmaker, has been awarded the Women Photograph Project Grant for her project, Game of Confidence. Selected from 1,100 applications from women and nonbinary photographers around the world, Game of Confidence is a visual project that explores the lives of six female boxers in Lagos.
In one of the largest cities in the world, these athletes all have different reasons to pursue this sport: Esther Oni mentioned that she gets into the ring to develop her self-confidence, Olamide wants to be a superstar, Eniola to make extra income, and Damiliola wants to burn calories. Exploring themes like gender equality and women’s empowerment, Aina’s goal was to showcase the beauty and importance of this sport, how it’s impacting the individual lives of these women, and show the struggles of what it takes to be a professional boxer in a big city like Lagos.
Taiwo Aina is a filmmaker and visual storyteller specializing in documenting real-life experiences. She is based in Lagos, Nigeria and her work often focuses on societal issues that affect people’s daily lives, with particular interest in women, agriculture, and entrepreneurship. Her work has been published in various publications, including CNN, New York Times, Guardian UK, Anabelle Magazine, the Africa Report, and Reuters. Taiwo’s work on the “End Sars” movement was exhibited in Colorado, USA, as well as at Foto Wien 2022 in Austria and other events. She is a professional member of several photography organizations including Diversify Photo, Black Women Photographers, Indigenous Photograph, Authority Collective, and African Photojournalism Database (APJD), which is a joint project by World Press Photo and Everyday Africa.
Women Photograph is a non-profit that launched in 2017 to elevate the voices of women and nonbinary visual journalists. Their mission is to shift the makeup of the photojournalism community and ensure that the industry’s chief storytellers are as diverse as the communities they hope to represent. They are particularly committed to centering the voices of women and nonbinary photographers of color. They believe that inclusion and equity work must be fully intersectional, and are committed to supporting and highlighting photographers across the spectrum of all identities.
Women Photograph operates an annual series of project grants, a year-long mentorship program, an annual skills-building workshop, and collects data on hiring and publishing statistics in the visual media industry.
