Photographer Aaron Williams introduces Africans to another side of themselves through his project, “Go Love Africa.”
Williams and his counterpart Nathan Dewberry travel to remote villages in different African countries to photograph villagers — villagers who have never owned a photo of themselves, Williams said.
Williams and Dewberry, both professional photographers, take portraits of the villagers and then gift the photos, along with a gospel message, to each individual. They have the technology to print the photos in two minutes, Williams said.
“It’s a Christian faith-based project,” he said. “We are going to help a church, missionary or pastor. We spread love through photography.”
The “Go Love Africa” project began in 2014 and is now on exhibit at the West Baton Rouge Museum in Port Allen. Those interested can view the exhibit during normal museum hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 2-5 p.m.
West Baton Rouge Museum Curator Angelique Bergeron said the exhibit made its way to the museum due to Williams’ connection to the city, being a 2007 University graduate and current resident.
“We read about his project in The Westside Journal,” Bergeron said. “The museum is always looking for local stories, and we are excited about telling his story.”
The project first took the photographers to Uganda. After the first year, people reached out to Williams and Dewberry, asking to be a part of the project. Five photographers then traveled to Madagascar to continue the work.
The “Go Love Africa” team is still trying to figure out where they will travel this year. They are considering Sierra Leone, Williams said.
While the exhibit is mainly photographs, the photographers also brought back African fabrics and hand-crafted souvenirs, Bergeron said, which adds another layer to the exhibit.
“It’s cool to see their faces and how excited they are that someone from a country as far away as America is coming and giving them something absolutely free of charge,” Williams said. “We want to give them something out of love.”
While Williams is an integral part of the project, Dewberry is the brains to making it all come together. He came up with the idea while on a mission trip in Zimbabwe. He contributed by constructing buildings, but he — a photographer at heart — would take pictures at the end of the day, Williams said.
People would pose for Dewberry and ask that their picture be taken. Afterward, they would look at the photo on the back of the camera. Williams said the villagers were ecstatic and would ask for their photo, but Dewberry had no way of giving it to them.
“He wanted to get the people their pictures,” Williams said. “When he returned to America, he tried to find a way to make that happen. I helped him find the right printer and worked out all the other technicalities. We ended up going to Uganda that same year.”
The photographer looks back fondly on one interaction in particular. Williams met Samuel, a 62-year-old English and math teacher, his very first day photographing in Uganda.
“He came up to me and asked, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Williams said. “I asked if he owned a photo of himself. He said yes, which surprised me a little. It was just the photo on his passport. This struck me.”
Williams said he was astounded a 62-year-old man had never owned a photo of himself and subsequently, told Samuel that he was the reason they were there.
The photographer told Samuel he wanted him to have a photo of himself so he could look back on it to remember the happy moment.
“His face lit up,” Williams said. “That’s probably the moment when I realized that we have something here. We’re just trying to spread love and happiness to an area that normally doesn’t see it.”
Hundreds of villagers gather around the photographers to receive a photo. The “Go Love Africa” team took 1200 portraits in Uganda, but over 3,000 in Madagascar, Williams said.
“We take our daily lives for granted and don’t feel we can change someone’s life through the simple things we do, but you can change someone’s life through almost anything,” Williams said. “Their lives changed because now they have something they can look back on and feel happy about.”
Go Love Africa opened March 13 and runs until April 30. Regular admission into the museum is $4, but students can get in for $2.

Gallery • 5 Photos

Catherine Seddon

The exhibition, Go Love Africa: Portraits from Uganda and Madagascar is on diplay at the West Baton Rouge Museum from March 12 through April 30.