Precious Nyabor has been named the winner of the inaugural iteration of the Fafali Organization's picture competition, which was held on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, at the organization's Kissehman-Accra headquarters.
The competition's subject was "My Community, My Family."
The first, second, and third place finishers will each get $75 in prize money. With their different cameras, the participants were requested to capture photographs of the Kissehman neighbourhood where they lived.
The event was attended by the founder of the Fafali Organization, Raymond Amezado, the organization's CEO, Senyo Sosu, and its programmes coordinator, Pablo Weeden. There were also competitors, competitors' parents, and every member of the Fafali Organization personnel.
The idea for the picture contest originated with John Weeden, a member of the Fafali Organization's advisory board, and was carried out by Pablo Weeden, the organization's programmes coordinator.
We had outdated cameras back in Spain, so my father (John Weeden) recommended I bring them with me on my trip to Ghana so the kids could use them and begin learning a little bit about photography, photographs, video creation, etc. said Pablo Weeden.
Additionally, he said that he had devised this competition to evaluate how well the kids could handle the cameras that were provided to them. According to the Programs Coordinator, the long-term objective of this initiative and how it affects participants is to instil discipline and accountability in all participants.
"One would be responsibility for the camera," he added. "I think it is crucial that students learn how to treat things carefully with care since it is not only for them but for a group of people."
Regarding the long-term objective, he noted that the group is trying to get these youngsters involved in after-school activities to keep them occupied and off the streets.
Over fifty (50) kids applied to participate in the picture competition during the organization's Spring Break Camp in May, where participants were chosen. Ultimately, there were only six (6) contestants remaining, and all of the winners were women.
In the beginning, there were more people present, but later, due to a shortage of resources (cameras and money), I had to cut back, and there were only eight people left, the man explained.
Even though there were eight of us, according to Pablo Weeden, "two (2) had to leave because they were too young to handle and operate cameras, leaving us with only six (6)."
Participants had four (4) weeks to create the greatest family photographs in the neighbourhood on which to base their scores. Six (6) people could only utilise three (3) cameras, thus two (2) individuals were assigned to each camera. The judges had to choose which three photos of those that had been submitted in the early days of June were the finest. According to Pablo Weeden, the programme coordinator, judges included both participants and personnel from the organisation who chose which images they liked. The pioneer John Weeden then worked with Pablo Weeden to choose the top three (3) competitors.
Precious Nyabor, Candra Evadzi, and Rejoice Jargoh were the top three (3) contestants chosen, finishing first, second, and third, respectively.
The competition's overall winner, Precious Nyabor, said that one of her future goals is to work as a photographer. She claimed, "When I entered this tournament, I believed it would assist me to develop and become somebody in the future.
Precious stated, "I have learned how to store images on the computer, how to take out and replace the battery of the camera, as well as how to switch on and off the camera," when asked about what she has learned throughout this competition.
Like Precious, Candra, the first runner-up, and Rejoice, the second runner-up, all made references to their aspirations to become professional photographers. Rejoice claimed that the thought of pursuing a profession in photography fascinates her. Precious said, "When people take fantastic images, I feel like it's me."