Nichole Sobecki and Sara Terry were interviewed for the Women’s Media Center’s “Women Under Siege” project.
“When it comes to access, being female can also be an asset because women are often perceived as less threatening than men. ‘Photography isn’t that different from other aspects of life in that you carry your identity with you wherever you go,’ said Nairobi-based Nichole Sobecki, a member of the VII photo agency who photographs throughout Africa, and who recently won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights prize for her work on the African migration crisis. ‘As a woman, I’m underestimated all the time, and of course you turn that to your advantage. My goal is always to tell the story to the best of my ability, and if not being perceived as a threat will help me with that, then all to the good.'”
New technology, treatment and education aid the fight in the Democratic Republic of Congo against the deadly disease. See Nichole Sobecki’s photos for this National Geographic story here.
Nichole Sobecki’s recent assignment for National Geographic takes a look at Dar es Salaam, the second-fastest growing city worldwide. A city of six million on the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam is expected to have 10 million within a decade and—according to one speculative scenario—could have more than 70 million by 2100. Its planners are struggling to keep up.
On assignment for the National Audubon Society, Nichole Sobecki’s latest work takes a look at the illegal owl egg trade in Kenya. The raptors are already some of most persecuted birds in Africa. Now their eggs are being stolen for witchcraft — but few seem to know or care. From ancient Greece’s Owl of Athena to Harry Potter’s devoted pet Hedwig, owls have long charmed, mystified, and intrigued humans. In the contemporary West, they are often seen as symbols of wisdom. But in Africa they’re generally viewed very differently, as harbingers of evil and misfortune, or as forms taken by nefarious sorcerers. These deeply held, widespread beliefs fuel an untold number of persecution killings. The birds are also highly sought after for use in witchcraft and traditional medicine, accounting for the deaths of possibly tens of thousands of owls annually.
