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Honorable Mention BIFA 2021 Editorial / Photo Essay

Kayayei

  • Photographer
    Geraldine Van Der Meer
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention in Editorial / Photo Essay

Every year thousands of young girls migrate from Ghana’s poorest Northern regions to Kumasi. Most of them come from the Dagomba tribe. Where it is customary for the aunts to raise at least one of their brother’s daughters. Some aunts turn their nieces into house helps, maltreat and abuse them. The girls run away from home or are forced to earn money for their family. When they arrive in Kumasi they realize they aren’t qualified for a dignified job. So they end up as Kayayei, meaning ‘girl carrier’. The girls work as head porters on the market. The girls are treated very badly on the streets.

Geraldine van der Meer is an Amsterdam based documentary photographer. Her interest for photography started nine years ago when she worked as a volunteer in Ghana. After this trip she bought her first camera. In 2018 she decided to start a photography study at the Fotovakschool in Amsterdam. She graduated in 2020 with a documentary about Kayayei in Ghana. She loves to travel the world and meet new people and cultures. Her aim is to raise awareness for social issues around the world. She is always looking forward to new collaborations and prefers to work with human rights and sustainability