Sylvain Cherkaoui

The “Extraordinary Women of West Africa” exhibition is currently installed at the OSIWA Regional Headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. The images come from Guinea, Liberia, Niger, Nigeria, and Senegal, and were captured by Sylvain Cherkaoui. The documentary was made by Nick Loomis.

Born in France, Sylvain Cherkaoui has been a professional photographer since 2001. A member of Le Collectif Le Cyclope, he began his career in Paris by taking part in exhibitions as well as publishing in several magazines and newspapers, such as The Irish Times, Le Courrier International, and TIME Magazine. He is currently based in Dakar, Senegal and works as a freelance photographer focusing on news from West Africa. He collaborates with international NGOs such as ActionAID and the Red Cross, in addition to several magazines and newspapers, including Jeune Afrique and Le Monde.

Nick Loomis describes himself as a writer turned photographer turned multimedia journalist. Living in Senegal since 2010, Nick graduated from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and has been published in The New York Times, Global Post, Voice of America, Al Jazeera and CNN. He also has produced videos for many international organizations, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Open Society Foundations.