Accra will host a major new addition to its creative calendar when the first-ever Lenscape Photography Festival opens from December 4 to 6, 2025, at dot.ateliers in South La. The three-day event is designed to elevate photography as both an art form and a powerful cultural archive in Ghana and across the continent. Lenscape Press Brief
Organisers describe Lenscape as more than a showcase. The festival has been conceived as a platform that expands visibility for African photographers, creates space for critical dialogue, and strengthens the industry’s contribution to social transformation. Festival Director Salomey Gyamfi says the initiative aims to “champion bold storytelling and ignite dialogue on the role of photography in shaping our society.” Lenscape Press Brief
This debut edition is themed “Storytelling Through Lenses.” It explores how artists use photography to document history, protect identity, challenge systems, and interpret everyday life. The festival highlights the importance of the medium in preserving memory and advocating for change. Lenscape Press Brief
Lenscape promises a full creative experience with an exhibition featuring curated works from emerging and established photographers. The selected pieces span culture, fashion, identity, nature, heritage, and surreal experimentation. In addition, industry leaders will lead hands-on workshops focused on strengthening technique and narrative craft. Lenscape Press Brief
Discourse also plays a central role. Public events will include panel conversations and live podcast recordings that examine photography’s intersections with gender equity, civic engagement, and cultural memory. Participants will also take part in photo walks through Accra, engaging the city through themes of identity and resistance. Lenscape Press Brief
Young creatives will have opportunities to compete in two major contests. The IPMC x Lenscape Challenge comes with a GHS 800,000 scholarship package for students enrolling in visual arts programmes next year. A second contest, the Woodin Creative Challenge, will see standout images transformed into limited-edition T-shirts for the brand’s 2026 collection. Lenscape Press Brief
The festival is hosted in partnership with dot.ateliers, reinforcing photography’s place within the wider contemporary art ecosystem. Programming is curated by Omoge & Co. Projects with a focus on education and accessibility. Lenscape is powered by Upplause Consulting, which aims to build sustainable creative ecosystems across the continent. Lenscape Press Brief
Photographers, media houses, cultural institutions, and partners are encouraged to join what organisers hope will become a landmark cultural event in Ghana’s growing creative economy.
Story by Doe Benjamin Kofi Lawson