Travel photographers often benefit from being able to see a place with fresh eyes, and so gain a fresh point of view; conversely, no one can access a place quite like a local. The Gambia as seen by young Gambians is the perspective offered by See What I See, a photographic project run by Jessica Bishopp as part of the Gambia Media and Design initiative.
On one of her regular trips to the country in November 2012, Bishopp engaged a group of 18 students aged between 16 and 20 from The Gambia Senior Secondary School in Banjul, teaching them the basic theories of photography. Armed with their new-found knowledge and a disposable camera, the group was given four days to shoot what they felt was the story of their everyday lives. The results, showing a rare look at Africa from the inside, have now been collected into a photobook of more than 100 images. The book comes with three postcard photos that can be interchangeably attached to the cover, and Bishopp has been encouraging her charges to email pictures of their personalised covers. A limited edition of 150 books has been produced – the Gambia Media and Design Project website has details of how to get hold of a copy along with more information about the initiative.
