Artist Statement

My name is Samali Bikangaga and I was born in San Francisco, CA. I am the daughter of  immigrant parents from East Africa, Uganda. I'm currently a senior at Hunter College pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a concentration in Journalism. I moved to NYC to escape the comfortable bubble that surrounds California. I fell in love with the art of photography in my early college years, playing with black and white film cameras, trying to document the world around me.

 Growing up, I lived with a single mother and two brothers. Our household was a broken one, but what brought us together around dinner time was the news. Programs like World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and 60 minutes, connected us through our love of information and our knowledge that we were not quite American, yet not quite African either. Hearing the stories of people from around the world I feel humbled me and brought me closer to finding my identity. The first time I found my passion to do photography was during my last trip to Uganda. I was fascinated by the way we all live in different worlds; western vs eastern, third world vs, the first. I really wanted to capture those moments and tell the stories of people not quite that different from me. I came back after a summer spent traveling around Uganda and decided to pursue photojournalism.

Iam eager to also graduate from photography to film. This past summer, i was interning at VOA for a broadcast program in their Africa Division. I worked on short video docs, as well as creating news packages. It was then I decided to take on the documentary road. Telling stories in a visual form is my passion. I think it is important to do profiles on subjects to rid the world of ethnocentric bias and ignorance. My goal is to create a site/business/media company, from the perspective of a first generational American. I believe that I grew up very differently from my peers and would like to not only document my experiences, but the experiences of other first generations; more specifically of the African Diaspora. There is so much cultural appropriation in this society that comes from this community, that I feel gets silenced. The up and coming music, art, fashion, and eco sustainability within the African Diaspora community I feel has not been represented in the media.My goal is to help bridge that gap.

 My work has been inspired by my favorite artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Lauryn Hill, and Kendrick Lamar who have all used visual art alongside their lyrics as a form of  protest. Filmmakers such as Spike Lee, Ava Dunvealy, and Justin Simien, and Wes Anderson inspire me to think experimentally, visually, and socially aware when taking photos or making films. I hope my work helps others to become more socially conciseness.