November • 2023
Benson was a true professional. He went above and beyond for our project. Thanks again Benson. Look forward to working with you again soon.
Benson I.
Lagos, Nigeria
1 review$500 - $2000 / Day
Request a demoAbout
Benson is a highly skilled and experienced photojournalist and filmmaker with a passion for capturing the world's most impactful stories. With years of experience working for international brands and news agencies like Agence France-Presse (AFP), Vice News, Bloomberg, Guardian, Financial Times, UNICEF(Liberia), World Food Programme amongst others, Benson has honed his craft and established himself as a trusted voice in the field. Benson’s work has taken him to some of the world's most remote and challenging locations, where they have documented events ranging from political uprisings and natural disasters to the daily lives of communities in crisis. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to capturing the truth, Benson’s work has been recognized for its authenticity and emotional impact like when he was nominated for the 2020 Guardian Agency Photographer of the Year award. In addition to his work as a photojournalist, Benson has also proven himself as a talented filmmaker, producing short documentaries that delve deep into the stories they capture.
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Produced for African Artists Foundation
We Never learn
On 26 December 2006, a pipeline explosion occurred at Abule Egba killing hundreds of people. The incident occurred after an elevated pipeline carrying petroleum products was punctured by thieves earlier at midnight (local time), attracting hundreds of scavengers in the district who collected the fuel using plastic containers, allegedly to siphon fuel into a tanker, before puddles of fallen fuel were ignited after dawn. 12 years later, on 19th December 2018 at the same spot, a pipeline explosion occurred at around 2 am (local time) this time destroying a lot of properties at a stretch of about 2.8km. According to an eye witness, the incident occurred after a pipeline was punctured again by hoodlums who came with three tankers to steal fuel. When they finished scooping the fuel, they did not close the pipe and the fuel passed through the gutter and flowed down to the abattoir. Some butchers, who were roasting cow skin at the abattoir, were not aware that there was fuel in the gutter. So, the fuel attracted the fire and that was what led to the fire outbreak.
- Video Journalist
- Documentary DP
- Editorial Photographer
Produced for African Artists Foundation
Homowo
To hoot at hunger Homowo is derived from two Ga words 'homo" meaning hunger and 'wo' meaning to hoot at. Homowo, therefore, means hooting at hunger. According to the legend during the process of migration, the Ga people experienced famine and severe hunger. However, they mustered up the courage to till the land, planted corn and called upon Ataa-Naa Nyonmo, Dzema Wodzi and Sisadzi, the ancestral spirits through libation to bless the farms to yield in abundance. In response to their prayers, rain followed, the crops grew and yielded in abundance. Every year the Ga celebrates this abundance of food and victory over hunger with a specially prepared diet from fermented corn powder called kpokpoi and palm nut soup with fish. The Village heads then go round the streets of Accra and sprinkle Kpokpoi on the streets and every door in the village to signify the beginning of the feast, thank the gods and pray for more blessings in the new year. The Homowo is celebrated to commemorate the day when hunger was defeated and holds a week before Chale Wote.
- Video Journalist
- Documentary DP
- Editorial Photographer
Produced for African Artists Foundation
Lagos Ballet Dancers
The Leap of Dance Academy creates a bridge between two seemingly far divided worlds, that of classical ballet and the unassuming Ajangbadi community located on the outskirts of the megacity of Lagos in Nigeria. Founded and funded by the self-trained danseur, Daniel Ajala, Leap of Dance has offered classical ballet training to students since 2017. Currently, he has 12 pupils attending classes between the ages go 6 - 15. They launch into pirouettes and perform arabesques in the one-room space adorned with bright though faded paint on three of its concrete walls. The deceptively humble appearance of the room emphasizing the resilience, grace, and fortitude of the dancers and their instructor as they move, silently, through the movements of this art form that is most commonly associated with the moneyed elite of the world. "Ballet is for people who have money, who are very high class, because ballet is expensive," "In this area, I know we can't actually afford the luxury of ballet or dance education -- so I think it's a beautiful art to introduce to our people here.” Ballet has provided inspiration and a window onto unknown cultures for 15-year-old student Olamide Olawole. She has even begun to consider becoming a dance teacher herself. "My dream is to make children around the world to be able to share the same dance experience," she says."I want them to be able to express their feelings through dance.”
- Video Journalist
- Documentary DP
- Editorial Photographer
5.0 Produced for Bloomberg Originals Shorts
1 Day shoot in Lagos - Broll
- Documentary DP
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