DeLovie Kwagala - Don't be Perfect, Just be You

This week we are talking to the extraordinary DeLovie Kwagala, award winning photographer, artist and fighter for social justice.  Identifying as non-binary, Delovie grew up in Uganda, suffering  an abusive childhood and learning about survival the very hard way. They  remember the experience of being kidnapped from school by their father, and growing up in isolation, ignored and rejected by their stepmother.  Always feeling an outsider and different from their peers, DeLovie  recounts the abuse and discrimination against the LGBTQ community in Uganda;  and the struggle to persuade  their parents who were HIV positive, to seek treatment despite the stigma surrounding the condition.  In 2013, DeLovie narrowly escapes  civil war in Sudan, and eventually finds refuge in South Africa. DeLovie has found a voice through photography, with a unique style exploring  identity, belonging and gender.  Winning the East African Photography Award in 2021, DeLovie says, ‘ I am proud to be the first queer photographer telling a queer story to get this recognition’.  Accepting yourself as you are has been a hard but essential life lesson that’s helped DeLovie  succeed, totally ‘against the odds.’
Contact DeLovie on
deloviephotography@gmail.com

You can see some of DeLovie’s amazing work here:
https://deloviephotography.com/
Instagram:  aconstantbecoming
Recent work:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/interactive/2021/pride-world-photos-lgbtq-pandemic/
https://www.aint-bad.com/article/2021/06/28/pride/
https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/facebook-lift-black-voices-photography-220621
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/apr/29/i-am-not-my-trauma-survivors-of-sexual-abuse-at-a-ugandan-girls-shelter-photo-essay

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