Adebukola Taiwo

About the researcher

I am an interdisciplinary creative with over 20 years’ experience in both graphic design and photography. While I value my design background, my practice increasingly centres on photography because of the social and psychological challenges it engages with, particularly around identity, culture, and community. 

Throughout my career, I have worked with a wide range of organisations across the private and public sectors, developing creative projects that merge artistic expression with social impact. 

I hold a master's degree in photography from Falmouth University, where my research focused on COVID-19 and its effects on Black and Ethnic Minority communities. For my final major project, I curated a community exhibition in partnership with the London Borough of Brent, hosted at Kilburn Library, which showcased visual narratives of resilience during the pandemic. 

I am now continuing my research journey through a PhD in Photography at Falmouth University. My doctoral project explores Yoruba cultural self-preservation through photographic portraiture, situating this within broader conversations about youth empowerment and indigenous rights. 

Research interests

My research interests lie in using photography as both a documentary method and a methodology of storytelling about cultural identity and indigenous rights, with a particular focus on the Yoruba people as a case study. I am especially interested in how visual practices particularly portraiture can document and sustain cultural self-preservation. More broadly, I explore the role of creative practice in youth empowerment, resilience, and the global discourse on indigenous rights. 

Staff profile placeholder image
Staff avatar

PhD abstract

Thesis title

A Photographic Portrait of Yoruba Origins and 
Cultural Self-Preservation 

Abstract

This research explores how the Yoruba people have preserved elements of their cultural identity over time, using photography and oral traditions as primary methods. It examines the origins of Yoruba culture, its historical continuity, and its transformation under influences such as colonisation, Christianity, Islam, and the transatlantic slave trade. 

The project aims to: 

  • Investigate the origins of Yoruba culture and language through photographic, anthropological, and ethnological evidence. 
  • Analyse the cultural impact of colonialism, religion, and global migration on Yoruba identity. 
  • Document how Yoruba traditions persist and evolve across Nigeria and the wider diaspora, including in Cuba, Sierra Leone, Benin, and the USA. 
  • Explore the role of Yoruba youth in sustaining cultural self-preservation, framing them as active agents of continuity and empowerment. 
  • Position Yoruba self-preservation within the broader discourse of indigenous rights, linking local resilience to global struggles for cultural recognition and sustainability. 

Methodologically, the study will combine historical and contemporary photographic practices with archival research, oral history, and visual anthropology. Creative practice will play a central role, producing portraits, exhibitions, and a photobook accompanied by QR-coded oral narratives. 

The research will contribute to new knowledge by countering misconceptions about Yoruba origins, offering a visual archive of cultural preservation, highlighting the role of youth in cultural transmission, and connecting Yoruba self-preservation to global indigenous rights debates.