Joona Pettersson is another global nomad and a very talented cinematographer having worked on epic European film productions that have been screened at some of the most prestigious film festivals around the world. From Helsinki, Finland he is also a visual artist, photographer and projection designer. In fact our friendship has always been a global one as I met him while living in Paris and then saw him in his home town Helsinki during my Radicant Fashion Tour in 2010. So I was very excited when I recently discovered the street style photos he had taken while working on a project in Dakar, Senegal. It is a rare and priviledged glimpse into West African street fashion.
What brought you to Dakar?
I worked as an artist in residence in finnish-senegalese "Taf taf" cultural center and taught photography to local kids while doing my own projects. I had been traveling in West Africa before and wanted to discover new things.
Why did you decide to take some street shots while you were there?
I got the idea while traveling in Agadez, Niger and met one elder Tuareg man wearing a screaming pink cloak - I found it absolutely amazing and started to take street shots. Then Ouagadougou, Accra and Cotonou were completely other kind of stories. Dakar happened thanks to Taf taf.
What were people's reactions when you asked to take their photo?
I still remember one young guy who spoke only Wolof. With the help of his French speaking friend I explained the idea of my project, but he was still so confused about the whole thing that he actually refused. Well, I said ok and went on. Then just few minutes later he ran after me and said he had changed his mind.
People who put some effort into their clothes are normally very happy to be photographed - also in Africa.
What were the Senegalese's thoughts on fashion? Do they like fashion blogs?
Young people are using Facebook and internet as much as everywhere so I suppose they are reading fashion blogs too. Some of the guys are selling clothes on the street so they are kind of working with fashion and one of them was actually a designer who wears his own creations (see below).
Was there a particular style that emerged for you?
Knitted black caps were hugely popular with men and young guys(see below) Also mixing African with the western styles.
Where is another place you would like to go to shoot street style?
Nigeria and Mali. Both are too dangerous at the moment and still major cultural hot spots.
How do you feel about the proliferation of trends around the world? How do you feel that European or American Fashion might have influenced African Fashion?
It is quite a thing to see Senegalese hipsters wearing skinny jeans mixed with afro textiles as if it was the most natural thing to do. The same phenomena was going on with tuareg kids in Agadez. Well, I hope Africa can influence European and American fashion too. Actually I'm sure it can.
You can contact Joona at joonapet@gmail.com
Fashion anthropology, trend forecasting and street style photography: bridging the interstice between fashion, art, technology, music and social/political behavior.