Damilola Fowosire Redefine Makoko Through Venice of Africa
Renowned documentary photographer Damilola Fowosire has unveiled Venice of Africa, a powerful exhibition that challenges how the world sees Makoko, one of Lagos’ most misunderstood communities. Through emotive imagery, youth empowerment, and community-led storytelling, the project replaces long-held stereotypes with dignity, creativity, and resilience.
Fowosire’s connection to Makoko began in 2017/2018 during an NGO outreach he was documenting. What started as simple documentation quickly became a calling. “I photographed the people, listened to their stories, and something shifted in me,” he recalled. Over time, repeated visits—and experiences with donors and friends—made him realise that charity alone could not change narratives.
Inspired by Tunde Onakoya’s Chess in Slums, Fowosire asked what he could uniquely offer. His answer: photography and modelling—skills that had shaped his own life. That idea became Venice of Africa, an artistic empowerment initiative that trains children in Makoko, photographs them, and gives them a platform to express confidence, identity, and creativity. He hopes to replicate the project across underserved communities in Nigeria and beyond.
As a documentary photographer, Fowosire believes the camera can reshape perception. For years, global media framed Makoko almost exclusively through poverty. His work seeks balance. “I photograph with empathy,” he said. “Instead of what is broken, I focus on what is powerful.”
Each image blends visual beauty with social and cultural depth. “Beauty draws you in; truth keeps you engaged,” he explained. The project’s most moving moments came from the children themselves—their excitement while learning, their confidence before the lens, and an emotional runway show staged on a floating platform. “These are kids the world overlooks,” he said, “now shining on a floating runway.”
Fowosire hopes the exhibition shifts perspectives: “See beauty instead of pity, strength instead of struggle, possibility instead of limitation. Makoko is not ‘less than.’ It is vibrant, alive, and deeply human.”
Venice of Africa aligns with the core of his career—storytelling rooted in dignity, culture, environment, and identity. With growing international recognition, Fowosire is expanding his work through ERIN, aiming to build platforms that equip children in underserved communities with skills, confidence, and representation.
“Talent exists everywhere,” he said. “What people need are platforms and opportunities.”
More than an exhibition, Venice of Africa is a cultural statement—one that insists communities like Makoko be seen for their creativity, humanity, and untold brilliance.
