2020 in Review
Chief Nana Munko Eku VIII of the Fante tribe visits a wedding in Cape Coast, Ghana, Aug. 8, 2020. Photo by Nana Kofi Acquah / Everyday Africa
We're proud to have supported our community throughout a tumultuous year. We worked to find opportunities for this global cohort of storytellers, to keep them safe and informed as they worked through a pandemic, and to push for the hiring of local photojournalists documenting their own countries and regions. Thanks to all of our collaborators, partners, and supporters, and above all, thanks to the hundreds of photographers around the world with whom we have the privilege of working.
Documenting COVID-19 Globally
With a network of hundreds of photographers around the world, we were uniquely positioned to document this global, historic moment, telling intimate stories of our lives and communities.
Through an ongoing collaboration with NPR, the photographers of The Everyday Projects documented how lockdown changed their lives, the babies of the pandemic, and how the world is reinventing rituals. We’re continuing this partnership with NPR into 2021.
Self-portrait of photographer Macarena Tabja del Solar on her 40th birthday. COVID-19 has made a milestone celebration with friends impossible, and Lima has a 10 p.m. curfew, she says. "So instead, I bought one birthday hat, put on a nice dress and went to my rooftop with some wine and my camera." July 8, Lima, Peru. Photo by Macarena Tabja del Solar / Everyday Peru
Valentine Ayuma, a 10-year-old ballet dancer, follows a Facebook Live stream at home. The dance session was organized by Mike Wamaya, founder of the nonprofit Project Elimu. Due to lockdowns when the pandemic began, students in Kenya were trained via streamed recordings. May 22, Kibera, Kenya. Photo by Gordwin Odhiambo / African Photojournalism Database
Paz Olivares-Droguett makes a picture of Amadeo's morning washup with his father, her partner Matías: "Our son was born on January 31 and is now 5 months old. We have been in quarantine since March 16. Most of our family and friends have not met him yet as he has only gone outside for vaccinations." April 16, Valparaíso, Chile. Photo by Paz Olivares-Droguett / EverydayLatinAmerica
In collaboration with HuffPost and RYOT Studio, 13 photographers in our network re-photographed a scene from their archive so that we could collectively explore the visual marks that 2020 made on the world. We also created a 3D gallery experience (best viewed on mobile) so that viewers could have an exhibition in their own homes, and the work was displayed at Photoville in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
The locally nicknamed “Lost Cause” Confederate monument in Decatur Square in Atlanta, Georgia was removed in June 2020 following years of protest.
A hologram image of George Floyd, who was murdered by police in Minneapolis in May 2020, temporarily took the place of the Confederate monument. Sept. 9, 2017 | July 29, 2020. Photos by Sheila Pree Bright / Everyday Black America
“El Tingo” is one of the most popular local swimming pool complexes in Quito, Ecuador. Every weekend, holiday and vacation, hundreds of tourists flock there.
The pool complex was closed in mid-March and there is no date set for its reopening. May 2, 2015 | July 31, 2020 Photos by Yolanda Escobar Jiménez / Everyday Latin America
Wacera Njagi, Everyday Africa Coordinator, and photographer Sarah Waiswa investigated the claim supported by most media that teen pregnancy was on the rise in Kenya. While the numbers are disputed, the two focused their reporting on a local response: a Girls Club that emerged when Kenya’s schools closed. Many thanks to Code for Africa and Pulitzer Center for their support of this work.
Winnie Achieng’ at home with her children Reggie (2) and Rhian (1) in Nairobi, Kenya. When Kenya’s schools were closed due to COVID-19 earlier this year, she noticed that many teens in her neighborhood were idle and more vulnerable to sexual abuse. She decided to set up a program that engages teenage girls with educational and social activities. Photo by Sarah Waiswa / Everyday Africa
COVID-19 Guide for Visual Journalists
Most photographers and visual journalists cannot do their reporting from home. Dr. Jenell Stewart, an infectious diseases specialist, wrote this COVID-19 Guide for Visual Journalists early in the pandemic, and we have continued to update it throughout the year.
Webinars
Early in the pandemic, we co-hosted two webinars: “COVID-19 Safety Training for Visual Journalists” with Dr. Jenell Stewart and CatchLight, and “Advice from Funders on Reporting Grants for Photojournalists” with IWMF, National Geographic Society, and Pulitzer Center.
Artists Against an #Infodemic
Working with CatchLight, Dysturb, Pamela Chen, and Dr. Jenell Stewart, we paired documentary photography with illustration and public health messaging, creating murals that were pasted in the streets of cities worldwide and posted across social media.
Many thanks to the JSK Journalism Fellowship and PhotoWings for their support of this project.
Postal worker illustration by LMNOPI, photo by Tayo Kuku Jr., paste-up design by Dysturb
Photo Bill of Rights
The Everyday Projects is one of eight author organizations of the Photo Bill of Rights who came together in the midst of COVID-19, alongside the movement to fight police brutality and systemic racism, to assert the rights of all lens-based workers and define actions that build a safer, healthier, more inclusive, and transparent industry. Read and sign the Photo Bill of Rights here.
Our Growing Community
This global movement continues to grow. This year, 15 Everyday projects launched or re-launched, all with the goal of presenting a more accurate depiction of daily life in their home country, city, or region. Welcome to Everyday Amazon, Everyday Andes, Everyday California, Everyday Germany, Everyday Karachi, Everyday Mexico, Everyday Oaxaca, Everyday Puerto Rico, Everyday Raajje, Everyday San Luis Potosi, Everyday Saudi, Everyday Southeast Asia, Everyday Tanzania, Everyday Uruguay, and Everyday USA.
We updated the African Photojournalism Database, our project with partner World Press Photo, to include a public membership listing and better connect African photographers with editors, publishers, and industry experts globally. The APJD is a directory of emerging and professional African visual journalists with more than 500 members.
Photo by Mustafa Saeed / Everyday Africa
For the first time, we created a listing of all Everyday Projects publications and exhibitions in order to better highlight our community and the tremendous growth of this grassroots movement over the years.
Everyday Africa exhibition in Oldenburg, Germany, February 2020. Photo by Andreas Burmann
Photographers in our community worked with some of the world’s most prominent media outlets this year, participated in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass, became Canon Ambassadors, and much more.
This year, we had an online presence at major festivals and events, including World Press Photo’s Building New Platforms for New Voices panel, a PhotoNOLA panel on The Everyday Projects, a panel on our Then & Now project at Photoville, and the Photo Bill of Rights Salon.
We are excited about our plans for 2021, which include:
A new series of professional development webinars, in direct response to the expressed needs of our community
A new grant and mentorship program for emerging photographers working on long-term personal projects
A new podcast featuring conversations with photographers from around the world, focusing on equity and representation
An expansion of our existing curriculum for middle and high school students
Thanks to all of our partners, collaborators, and supporters
Over the past eight years, we have strived to provide opportunities, structure, and support for our global community of storytellers. We hope you’ll join the cause to help us continue our mission in the new year.