By Ayan Hag Hersi

One photographer wey get beta camera and connection from di Global North dey send go Global South to snap picture of health wahala wey di people dey face for dia community.

Di pictures wey di photographer snap, na wetin global health charity and humanitarian organisations dey use to show di wahala, outbreak and crisis wey dey happen. Dem dey depend on di pictures to do dia work well.

But sometimes, di pictures fit no dey ethical and e fit even make di inequality wey dey ground worse. Dis na somtin wey dem suppose address.

Ngugi wa Thiong’o, one Kenyan writer and academic, don talk about di idea of linguistic decolonisation. E tell African writers say make dem dey use dia local language instead of English, French or other foreign language. E talk say African language dey important for di culture, history and identity of di people.

Di same way language dey important, na so picture too dey important for di culture, history and identity of di people. When person snap picture, e dey create story or message wey go represent di people wey dem snap.

Di picture fit affect how di people wey dem snap go see demsef and how di world go see dem. If di photographer no do di work well, e fit cause wahala wey go carry colonial and power imbalance enter di picture dem.

To make sure say di pictures dey ethical, di photographer suppose ask for consent and think well about di integrity and relevance of di picture wey e wan snap.

Many times, pictures wey show people for di most sensitive and undignified situation, like when dem dey sick or when disaster happen, don dey publish for di whole world. Dis kind thing fit exploit di people and no respect dia dignity.

One group of global health researchers don do study to check di respect and appropriateness of di pictures wey dem dey use for global health reports. Dem come develop Framework of Good Practice wey get four criteria: consent, relevance, integrity and equity.

Some international organisations like CONCORD don also release ethical guidelines for photography. Dem talk say make di pictures dey accurate, no dey stereotype people and make dem respect di people wey dem snap.

But even with all dis guidelines, e no mean say everybody dey follow am. Di organisations and di photographers get responsibility to make sure say di pictures dey ethical.

Photographers suppose make sure say dem get consent from di people wey dem wan snap and make dem respect dia dignity. Di consent suppose dey documented and di organisations suppose dey see di evidence.

Another way to make sure say di pictures dey accurate na to hire local photographers. People wey sabi di area go fit capture di real story and context of di picture well.

Seye Abimbola, for him book 'The Foreign Gaze', talk say di foreign gaze dey shape how we dey see ourselves. Na why e good make local people dey involved for di process.

Imagery na strong tool to tell story. If dem no use am well, e fit spoil di identity and dignity of di people. Di author, Ayan Hag Hersi, na journalist and researcher. She don work for BBC, WHO and SIPRI. She dey write about epistemology, ethics and global health.

Disclaimer: Di views wey di author express no mean say na di same view wey TRT Afrika get.