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‘I Am Because I Am’ is a photography exhibition and accompanying digital book centred on a fictional protagonist doing a month in the life takeover for a popular Instagram account. It aims to highlight the multitude of ways that culture is preserved and reimagined in daily life, while contributing to a new narrative about the contemporary African experience in the UK. It aims to remind individuals that there is no one way for them to be and to embolden them when claiming their heritage.
The digital book combines the physical and digital elements of the exhibition - on the one hand the images the protagonist shares throughout the month, and on the other, useful resources specific to the themes explored.
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Kemi Hadi
Kemi Hadi is a Nigerian, Ghanaian-born, UK-based Civil Servant and Founder of The Ọmọlúàbí Group, a research organisation focused exclusively on the preservation of Yoruba culture. Current projects include The Ọmọlúàbí Journal, The Ibile Project and The Imo Programme which highlight the richness of indigenous cultures, while considering the merits and limitations of social preservation.
Kemi holds an MSc and a BSc in International Social and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is also an alum of the World Bank Youth Summit and the Firoz Lalji Programme for African Leadership. Prior to founding The Ọmọlúàbí Group, Kemi held positions at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR). She co-organised LSE’s annual Africa Summit in 2019.
Esohe Uwadiae
Esohe Uwadiae is a Civil Servant and multidisciplinary practitioner. An LLB Bachelor of Laws graduate from the London School of Economics, her written work predominantly focuses on socio-political issues. Her debut play SHE IS A PLAY CALLED HOME premiered at VAULT Festival 2020 in a 5-star, acclaimed run for which it was nominated for VAULT Festival’s Origins Award and Stagedoor’s People’s Choice Award. It was then shortlisted for the Untapped Award (New Diorama, Underbelly and Oberon Books) and longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award. More recently, she was shortlisted for the inaugural Mustapha Matura Award and the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize. She has been selected for programmes with organisations including the Royal Court Theatre, the Almeida Theatre and the London Library. She has staged work with theatres including The Duke of York, the Pleasance and the Almeida. Visual arts are a key part of her practice, she is currently developing projects on the reimagination of cultural preservation (The British Council and Caerbladon) and migration.
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