“Transforming African Entrepreneurs: How Photovoice Elevates Business and Community Through Personal Stories”

Can a simple photograph truly hold the blueprint for a thriving business, a healed community, and a powerful personal legacy? This is the bold question that echoes through the life and work of Obehi Ewanfoh, a Nigerian writer, researcher, and storytelling consultant based in Verona, Italy, whose Esan heritage from Edo State grounds his global vision.  

Learn How to Leverage Your Story through our Story To Asset Framework.          

Obehi understands that for African and African diaspora entrepreneurs, the challenge is not a lack of vision, but often a lack of a clear, compelling structure to showcase the wealth of their unique journey.  

He has dedicated his life since the early 2000s to the study of identity legacy building and storytelling, a commitment that birthed the foundational research, The Journey, about the presence of Africans in Verona and northern Italy. This research ultimately shaped his entire body of work today, including his strategic focus on the power of personal narrative. 

The academic tool known as Photovoice offers a powerful, yet simple, model for this exact transformation. Photovoice is a participatory visual research method, a powerful collaboration that combines the immediate, visceral truth of photography with the deep resonance of narrative storytelling.  

It is designed to capture the authentic, lived experiences of individuals, especially those from communities whose voices are often marginalized. 

Storytelling Structure: Hook → Insight → Lesson → Action 

Imagine the market woman in Accra, the tech developer in Lagos, or the community organizer in Harlem. Each holds a camera, not to take a selfie, but to document a day in their life, a moment of triumph, or a systemic challenge they overcome daily.  

What if those images, woven with their personal narrative, could become the most credible, emotionally resonant asset in their business arsenal? 

Obehi, who first explored these powerful themes in his early book “Round My Mind” and in his 2011 award-winning documentary “Creating the Blackness of Africa,” knows that true impact starts with a visceral connection.  

See also Understanding the Legacy Gap: How Storytelling Transforms Business Strategy and Trust Building 

Photovoice hands the lens to the community, making them not subjects, but co-creators of their own narrative. This is the first, crucial step in Obehi’s central belief: the absolute necessity to own your story. 

Insight: The African Proverb and the Invisible Story 

In many African traditions, there is a wise saying: “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” This proverb illustrates the core problem for many in the African diaspora. Their story, their history, their brilliance, is too often told through a filter, or omitted entirely. 

Photovoice works by putting a camera in the hands of the entrepreneur or changemaker, inviting them to become their own historian. 

• Participants Take Photographs: They document their environments, their struggles, and their small, hard-won victories. A photo of a late-night workshop, a dedicated team member, or the community served becomes a visual data point. 

• Discussion and Reflection: They then reflect on these images, connecting them to their aspirations, the challenges they face, and the unique realities of their business journey. This is where the emotional resonance begins to build. 

• Creating a Narrative: Through rich, detailed storytelling, they attach personal, indelible meanings to the images. The photograph of a cracked pavement is no longer just a detail; it is the daily infrastructure challenge the business is overcoming to deliver excellence. 

The insight here is profound: a visual story, backed by personal truth, is far more compelling than a sterile business plan. It’s the difference between hearing a statistic and seeing the face behind it. This is how Obehi guides entrepreneurs to move from roots to relevance, turning lived experience into undeniable strategic credibility. 

Lesson: Transforming Memory into Strategic Business Asset 

Obehi’s entire career, from his long commitment to storytelling since early 2000 to his work in tourism in Verona for over 10 years, has been focused on translating identity into value.  

He champions the concept of memory and legacy building, an idea deeply explored in his strategic offer, the Story to Asset Framework. 

Photovoice is a practical application of this framework. By visually and narratively documenting their journey, entrepreneurs are not just creating a lovely photo album; they are generating powerful, actionable assets: 

1. Credibility & Trust: The authentic visual narrative bypasses marketing jargon and builds immediate trust with customers and investors. As Obehi often emphasizes, for African and African diaspora professionals, showcasing the struggle often showcases the strength. 

2. Community Building: Sharing these images and stories fosters powerful collaboration. It connects people of African diaspora to their roots, creating a collective experience of empowerment and celebration. 

3. Advocacy & Impact: The resulting stories can be used for advocacy, engaging policymakers, or attracting mission-aligned partners. Obehi’s own work, such as his 2015 documentary “Pan-Africanism: Testing Ideas on Reality,” proves the power of visual documentation to drive real-world change. 

Obehi knows that every entrepreneur’s journey is a powerful tapestry of life and legacy. Using a Photovoice approach allows that tapestry to be seen, not just described, making it accessible and clear even to those outside the community.  

See also The Legacy of NC Mutual: Why Your Story is an Asset That Can’t Be Liquidated 

He reminds us, in his warm, inclusive, and professional tone, to use straightforward, jargon-free language to communicate these deep truths. 

For deeper insights into how to structure your personal journey for maximum business impact, remember that AClasses Academy hosts over 2000 insightful articles dedicated to these very topics. We encourage you to explore the wealth of free resources available. 

Action: Embrace the Story and Therefore the Asset Framework 

The ultimate goal for Obehi is to encourage every African and African diaspora entrepreneur to embrace the Story to Asset Framework. Photovoice is a potent engine for this framework, transforming personal experience into a verifiable, strategic asset. 

Here is your actionable next step: 

Think of the most challenging or most defining moment in your entrepreneurial journey. Now, how would you capture it in a single photograph? What narrative, what bold question, what surprising fact would you pair with that image to deepen the connection with your audience? 

The stories you hold, the challenges, the culture, the heritage, are not merely background details; they are your market differentiator. They are the currency of authenticity in the modern global economy. By documenting and narrating your truth, you empower yourself, you build your community, and you lay the foundation for a sustainable life and legacy. 

To hear more stories of professionals across the African diaspora and beyond who are actively implementing these strategies, explore The Obehi Podcast, which features over 1000 interviews. You can find us on YouTube (youtube.com/c/ObehiPodcast) and all other streaming platforms. 

The time for waiting for someone else to tell your story is over. It is time for you to take the camera, step into the light, and turn your truth into an invaluable asset. Book Your Free 15-Min Legacy Call Now to take the first step in structuring your unique story into a strategic asset. 

The Photovoice method was first developed by researchers Caroline Wang and Mary Ann Burris in the 1990s as a tool for participatory action research and community-based health promotion, particularly with women in rural China. Book Your Free 15-Min Legacy Call Now