Our Teachers

Michel Basizi

@basizi_michel

Michel is a native of the Eastern Congo, originally from Bukavu in South Kivu, and now living in Goma. He was a Lens on Life student in 2018, in which he picked up a camera for the first time and completed all offered courses, including photography, computer literacy, and field-work internships. Michel’s dedication and passion earned him a position as the Lens on Life assistant instructor, in which he managed all equipment, class attendance, and logistics of in-person and online lessons during the peak of the pandemic. Michel has traveled to the United States where he taught students in our New York program, offering valuable perspective to our students as a professional photographer in Africa. He has since become the lead instructor in the DRC where he manages and teaches multiple lessons per week to students aged 14 to 24.

Niga Salam
@nigsalam

Niga Salam is a photographer and activist based and born in Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and is the Lens on Life teacher. Coming from a strict conservative family, she was determined to broaden her horizons and joined the college of Fine Arts in Sulaymaniyah. Niga's photography covers fundamental topics in society such as gender-related issues, environment and identity. She began her career in journalism through Iraq’s Metrography Agency and during her career has collaborated with international and local organizations such as World Press Photo, Free Press Unlimited, Moving Artists, space 21 and many more. She has participated in international events such as the Moving Artists residency in Spain and the Doc Festival in Kassel, Germany.

Isra’a Abdulmawla Alsoud @israa_journalist

Isra’a joined Lens on Life Project to share her story with the world through the photos she takes. She is a graduate of the Faculty of Journalism and Media at Zarqa University in Jordan and received her certificate in Digital marketing from Efe Jordan. She was previously a liaison officer for UN Women and a staff member at UNFPA.

Daniel Beloumou @yannelbold

Daniel is a freelance photojournalist born and based in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He studied photography at the University of Perpignan in France and held internships at Agence France Presse and the newspaper “La Provence.” He originally went to school for law until he decided to dedicate himself to photography. His work focused on issues relating to migration, politics, health and security crises, and the environment. He regularly shoots for NGOs, local press and international agencies such as AFP.