3rd prize goes to the image: “Abakaliki rice mill 71” by Obinna Matthew (Nigeria), Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 Download Link
An in-depth look at Wiki Loves Africa’s International Photography 3rd Prize winner: “Abakaliki rice mill 71” by Matthew Obinna (Nigeria)
“For me, it was about capturing life as it truly is — not staged or forced, but raw and real. That honesty is the story.” — Obinna Matthew
This powerful image plunges viewers into the dusty haze of a rural rice mill, where workers manually process grains by hand. The landscape seems almost barren — a sunbaked desert in a mirage of heat — but here life reveals itself in the quiet choreography of survival. Their labour — grinding, winnowing, sifting — reflects the hands-on realities of traditional African food production. Rice is milled by hand in a process as ancient as it is essential. The image honours the unseen steps that transform harvests into sustenance, capturing both the effort and dignity woven into Africa’s food systems. It is a raw, textured tribute to craft and community.
For photographer Obinna Matthew, the image carries a deeply personal meaning: “I wanted to show everyday realities that often go unnoticed. I didn’t just take a picture for the sake of it; I wanted people to see the value and dignity in the simple processes around us. For me, it was about capturing life as it truly is — not staged or forced, but raw and real. That honesty is the story.”
File:Obinna Matthew 04.jpg by MediaMOF CC-BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Through the Farm to Plate theme, he found himself examining more closely the overlooked toil behind food production: “It opened my eyes to the effort, culture, and humanity that goes into what we sometimes take for granted. I started seeing the people, the hands, the sweat, and the beauty behind food — not just the product, but the process. It changed the way I looked at my subjects, with more respect and gratitude.”
The jury praised the photograph for its balance of strength and subtlety. Juror Bouba Kams described it as: “A superbly captured scene! The softness of the sharpness guides the eye with finesse, while the women’s gestures evoke a beautiful visual harmony. A true pleasure for the eyes.”
Participating in Wiki Loves Africa has transformed Obinna Matthew’s approach to storytelling: “Before, I would just take pictures for the love of it, but now I think deeper about what my images communicate and how they might be preserved. It has connected me with a wider community of storytellers across Africa, which pushes me to keep growing.”Above all, the project represents a reclamation of narrative for Obinna: “The project shows Africa beyond stereotypes. It highlights our daily lives, our resilience, and our creativity in a way the world doesn’t always get to see. Instead of letting others define who we are, we get to speak and show it ourselves. That alone is powerful — it changes the narrative from pity or misconception to pride and truth.”
To download Obinna’s winning photograph from Wikimedia Commons, click here!