Nigeria: Dancing into self-confidence

Proud dancers can not only be found on the polished floors of ballet schools in big cities but also in places where the average monthly income is around 200 euros. In Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, there are also girls and boys who practice elegant pirouettes and defy gravity in graceful leaps.

There, around 20 girls and boys aged between 10 and 22 have gathered under the guidance of their ballet teacher, Daniel Ajala, to become a classical dance ensemble. They practice outdoors, in a yard protected by barbed wire on uneven and bumpy ground, exposed to blistering heat and torrential rains alike, and surrounded by chickens.

Ajala, a graduate of Lagos State University, launched his ‘Leap of Dance Academy’ in Nigeria’s capital with five children from the neighborhood. They come from a district that has electricity only for a few hours a day, inhabited by poor families where dancing in a ballet was a distant luxury. And yet the idea of creating new perspectives for children through dance caught on. Daniel is not the only one who is convinced that dancing helps the children to “stand up, speak up, and defend themselves!”

Photographer: Vincent Boisot, France (Riva Press)

Vincent Boisot, born in 1973, lives as a photographer in Paris. He mainly produces portraits and photo series while also working with NGOs. After studying law, political science, and photojournalism, he began his career as a press photographer with various newspapers in Paris.

His photo series focusing on Africa have appeared in major French media and exhibited not only in France but also in Denmark and the USA. In 2012, he won a World Press award for his work on Dakar Fashion Week.

Credits Text: Peter-Matthias Gaede for UNICEF