“African photographers’ biggest advantage is that there are so many things that are not spoken about,” says acclaimed Sudanese photographer Ala Kheir in an exclusive interview. “Select something that you know and are close to, and talk about it from your point of view. No one can do it better than you.”

Born in Nyala, Darfur, Kheir relocated to Khartoum with his family at age five. Despite experiencing discrimination due to his Darfuri heritage, he has dedicated his career to elevating photography across Sudan and the broader African continent through his powerful visual storytelling.

Kheir’s photographic journey began unexpectedly while studying mechanical engineering in Malaysia, where he first experimented with a friend’s point-and-shoot camera.

“I started photography to get a more beautiful picture,” he recalls. “But it becomes more interesting the more you learn about it as a tool, a voice, a way of thinking and a way of telling stories — that’s how the addiction started. The photographs become a metaphor for a bigger message.”

Kheir’s compelling images have gained international recognition two decades later, appearing in prestigious magazines and exhibitions from Addis Ababa to New York City. His reputation has grown through creating the Other Vision (TOV) mentorship program and chairing numerous photography competitions.

Documenting Sudan’s Struggles Through a Personal Lens

In a remarkable display of dedication to documentary photography, Kheir returned to war-torn Sudan in 2023 after evacuating his family to Cairo. Risking his safety, he captured powerful images of displacement and hardship during the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (formerly known as Janjaweed).

Though his portfolio includes documentation of the Darfur and Tigray conflicts and the Sudanese revolution, Kheir resists the label of photojournalist. “I use photography to investigate everything around me, and it just so happens that Sudan has so much going on,” he explains. “I’m a Sudanese playing my role.”

Mentorship and Building Photography Communities in Africa

Recognizing the limited access to photographic education across much of Africa, Kheir has become a pioneer in photography mentorship. When faced with lacking formal photography schools in Sudan, he founded Sudanese Photographers, creating a collaborative learning environment for aspiring visual artists.

“Being a self-taught photographer, the internet was a main source of information,” Kheir shares. “But the internet is driven by marketing and telling you to get a certain kind of image so that you end up buying cameras.”

Through Sudanese Photographers, Kheir and his colleagues hosted workshops and exhibitions that discovered and promoted new talent. This initiative evolved into the Mugran Photo Week, an important platform showcasing photography from across the continent and engaging with local audiences.

Building on these successful initiatives, Kheir established TOV (The Other Vision), an intensive year-long program combining lectures, assignments, and personalized mentorship that helps photographers transition from creating single images to developing comprehensive photographic narratives.

Kheir’s influence continues growing as he prepares to chair the Africa and global juries for the prestigious 2025 World Press Photo contest. He appreciates the contest’s recent methodology changes, including regional awards alongside global recognition.

“The two segments allow more stories to be heard and give photographers a better chance,” Kheir explains, emphasizing that Africa still needs more platforms to represent its diverse photographic voices and create opportunities for photographers from underrepresented countries.

“African photography is way more developed than people from the outside could imagine,” he notes. “Most African photographers are self-educated, which gives them a kind of uniqueness. They react and deal with issues from a different, creative, and deeply personal point of view.”

Kheir’s work with photography workshops has taken him across the continent, including participation in the Invisible Borders Trans-African Photographic Initiative. During a transformative road trip from Lagos to Addis Ababa, he observed striking similarities and subtle differences between the countries he visited.

“Traveling is educational in general, but within Africa, it’s another amazing experience,” he reflects. “It’s almost like a deja vu.”

This continental exploration revealed to Kheir how little Africans often know about each other. He believes photography can serve as a powerful medium for cross-cultural understanding within Africa, helping address a fundamental question he sees emerging in many projects: what does it mean to be an African today?

Looking Forward: The Future of African Photography

As chair of the upcoming World Press Photo contest, Kheir encourages photographers to submit their work before the January 10, 2025 deadline. “When you apply with a photo narrative or long-term project, it’s a beautiful process that will help you organize everything and finalize your work,” he advises.

Kheir prioritizes originality, personal connection, and distinctive perspective when evaluating submissions. “If you look at the winning images, it’s always a local photographer talking about a particular space they know,” he observes. “I want to see new ways of presenting the realities on the continent.”

Kheir remains optimistic about the future as African photographers continue to gain recognition and diversify their storytelling approaches. “The future is positive,” he concludes confidently. It’s a privilege to engage with these fresh perspectives.”

ACCOMPLISH MAGAZINE