Gbenga Afolabi

Photographer, Film Maker

Gbenga Afolabi was born in Lagos, 1981, the scion of a Nigerian music and film mogul. He arrived in Manchester, England in 2004 and proceeded to grow his film skills, culminating in a first degree in Broadcast Television, then a Master’s degree in Television Documentary at one of the centres of innovation in Britain’s film industry, University of Salford. His Finding Nollywood documentary (2015) and Invisible Black (2017) were both nominated for the Northwest Student Royal Television Society awards and he has worked extensively in the Nigerian film industry at its centres in Lagos. Having started the Manchester Filmjam which gives opportunities to aspiring actors and filmmakers to showcase their talent, Afolabi in 2019 started the Lagos film jam. As a filmmaker, Afolabi’s passion lies in exploring untold stories of people of the African diaspora, the challenges they face and how they overcome them. To make ends meet between filming, Afolabi joined the Civil Service as a Contract Manager even there, he plans to continue to use his talent to advance the cause of the NWGDT. As a champion for diversity and inclusion, Afolabi who recently visited Badagry, a former British Slave Port which lies on the north bank of Porto Novo Creek is advocating for deepening of relations between the British Government, UK Private enterprise and the Government of Lagos with the aim of investing in the historical and cultural sites across the town for the benefit of its inhabitants and the descendant of the Africans who were taken into slavery.

• Nigeria