Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Standing out in Sweden: Photographer Lola Akinmade
DW (English)
Follow
yesterday
Photographer and author Lola Akinmade lives in Sweden. Despite her success, does she experience racism or discrimination because she comes from Nigeria?
Category
đź—ž
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
She grew up in Nigeria, studied in the U.S., and now lives in Sweden.
00:05
Lola Akinmade is one of the most successful female photographers in Europe
00:10
in an industry that is dominated by white men.
00:13
She specializes in travel photography.
00:16
How did she achieve this?
00:18
When I was starting out, there weren't a lot of travel photographers
00:22
that were Nigerian, black, African women.
00:24
So, it was having to prove myself to show that I have my own eye.
00:31
Her unique perspective is what has made Lola successful.
00:35
It's also made her an international best-selling author.
00:38
It seems that for her, anything is possible.
00:41
In Sweden, I can live a quiet, happy life by a lake,
00:45
somewhere eating canabula every day.
00:47
But the minute I want to be the CEO of IKEA, or Ericsson,
00:51
then we have a problem.
00:52
Sexism, migration, racism, her books also deal with these topics,
00:58
issues that she's faced with regularly, even in progressive Sweden.
01:03
As a travel photographer, Lola has visited more than 70 countries.
01:08
Her photos can be found in renowned publications
01:10
like The New York Times, The Guardian, and Vogue.
01:13
When she began her career, many believed that she wouldn't be that successful
01:17
simply because of her background.
01:19
But that is something Lola sees as one of her strengths.
01:22
What you may bring back as a white man can be very different
01:31
than what I bring back as a black woman from the same place.
01:36
You know, my travel photography, I've got a unique visual style.
01:40
I love rich colors and a lot of contrast.
01:43
And that comes from my background, you know, in growing up in Nigeria
01:48
with a lot of rich colors and contrast as well.
01:52
Travel photography is Lola's trade, but her Afro-Swede project is a matter close to her heart.
01:58
Her aim with this series is to show what integration means to her.
02:02
She plans to take hundreds or even thousands of portraits of Swedish residents with African roots
02:08
who, like Lola, have had to fight for their place in a society that is predominantly white.
02:14
Visually, she plays with the Swedish national colors blue and yellow.
02:18
The Afro-Swede project is one that's dear to my heart.
02:24
You know, it talks about what it means to celebrate all your identities.
02:29
It's a project about integration versus assimilation
02:33
because assimilation says you have to be one or the other
02:37
or you have to be more of one and less of the other.
02:41
Well, integration says, no, I can be proudly booked.
02:43
Lola isn't only a successful photographer, she's also an internationally renowned author.
02:50
Her books have been translated into 18 languages.
02:55
In novels such as Everything is Not Enough,
02:57
she tells stories of black women and their problems in Swedish society.
03:03
One of the things that a lot of immigrants or new citizens or new residents battle with
03:09
is this feeling of having to stay grateful forever.
03:12
And what that means is society sees you as not having anything of value to give.
03:18
Just stay grateful to me for letting you in.
03:22
In one of her early books, Lagom, The Swedish Secret of Living Well,
03:27
Lola is a kind of psychoanalyst of Swedish society.
03:31
In Sweden, lagom means healthy moderation.
03:35
One thing I realized about Lagom is that it's actually the Swedish way of handling stress, right?
03:43
So things that bring unnecessary stress into your life, you try to remove it.
03:48
Lola has been living in Sweden since 2010, but no matter where she is,
03:52
there's one thing that she's always been able to rely on.
03:55
My full name is Onara Lola Olua.
03:58
It's a Yoruba name, and it means God's ways are wonderful.
04:01
God moves the mysterious ways.
04:03
And once I found out the meaning of that name, I just, you know,
04:08
it guides the way I move through life, knowing that there's something bigger than me.
04:12
Whether with words or pictures, the stories Lola Akinmadee tells offer new perspectives and new insights.
Recommended
4:29
|
Up next
How Lola Akinmade advocates the African view of life
DW (English)
6/26/2025
5:04
Shedding light on social issues in Nigeria
DW (English)
11/21/2023
12:14
Swedish-Burkinabé artist Theresa Traoré Dahlberg on bridging past and present
FRANCE 24 English
2/1/2024
25:38
George Osodi on the Kings of Nigeria and Boko Haram - REWIND
Al Jazeera English
10/31/2016
1:15
MACC seeks to forfeit over RM169mil in cash belonging to Ismail Sabri
The Star
yesterday
5:46
500 more cancer patients to get free treatment at IHH Healthcare Malaysia hospitals
The Star
yesterday
5:16
First phase of DRG payment model planned for 2026, says Dzulkefly
The Star
yesterday
3:05
Short track-Do you know what happens During sexual arousal inside the body_ what is the clitoris_
A To Z Videos
10/5/2022
6:30
Do you know how orgasm is in females_ female body and biology
A To Z Videos
10/5/2022
3:33
DONT FAP (Omegle & Chatroulette Funny Moments #82)
Aysesen2016
10/14/2015
5:02
Trdelnik - a traditional specialty from Prague?
DW (English)
yesterday
7:12
Mauritanian students grow vegetables in arid conditions
DW (English)
yesterday
5:33
Better maps could protect India's coastline and communities
DW (English)
yesterday
3:16
How does our lymphatic system function?
DW (English)
yesterday
9:25
Kenya one year after the Finance Bill protests
DW (English)
yesterday
2:44
Parisians make a splash in the Seine after century-old ban
DW (English)
2 days ago
3:32
How Germany's cuts in foreign aid could cost lives
DW (English)
3 days ago
2:21
Old German drivers — a risk on the streets?
DW (English)
4 days ago
2:38
Germany echos Israelis, Palestinians calling for ceasefire
DW (English)
4 days ago
5:09
Descendants of enslaved Africans return home
DW (English)
4 days ago
4:45
India forces dozens of Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh
DW (English)
5 days ago
5:19
Who will win the space race?
DW (English)
5 days ago
10:44
Thailand: How high is the risk of a coup?
DW (English)
5 days ago
2:45
Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill' sparks fear for healthcare, aid
DW (English)
6 days ago
5:34
A Libyan farmer growing organic food in desert conditions
DW (English)
6 days ago