
Sarjo Baldeh, a 21-year-old Gambian lady with a passion for photography has recently caught the attention of many as she’s one of the youngest sports photographers at the AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast. After finishing her studies at the Gambian Technical Training Institute, she aspires to be a technician.
She developed a passion for photography at the age of 15. While interviewing with Alkamba Times, she said “I think it is the love and the story behind the scenes that drives me. Also, the respect I have for the profession, wanting to learn, improving, and the will never to be complacent.”
She also highlighted how much photography meant to her when she said “Photography is a gift, something meant for me. It’s a burning passion. I started when I was going to school, I continuously kept on taking pictures.”
When she was asked about the first day she fell in love with photography, she explained that it was the day she took pictures of the students at Starfish International. She stated, “That faithful day was when I took pictures of the students at Starfish International. Every year starfish starts different programs where many volunteers come from different parts of the world to have different sessions/activities based on what is happening in the world. That particular summer, I took all the pictures, and on the day of graduation, we displayed the pictures on a slideshow. The pictures run through emotions as they capture every angle between the volunteers and students. It gave me goosebumps standing there and watching.”
Sarjo came to Starfish International when she was only 13 years and at this point, she is considered a mentor.
According to Sarjo, her role models are Fatou Ndure and Rene Moses. She said, “I started with Fatou Ndure at Starfish, she taught me photography as a volunteer. I grew up with Fatou Ndure. I continued with Rene Moses, Rene has prepared me for the outside world. From there on, I knew my beat, put in the work, and enjoy what I do.”
Judging by the looks of things, she is estimated to have all the qualities to achieve the success other young female Gambians are enjoying, the likes of Jama Jack, Fatou Juka Darboe, Lala Touray, Fatou Jeng, Fatou Muloshi, Awa Gai, Isatou Drammeh and Salimatou Fatty.
Sarjo Baldeh caught so much attention when she covered the Gambia versus South Sudan African Cup of Nations Qualifier. This is in line with the kind of photography she intends to pursue, Sports photography & PhotoJournalism.
According to her, her passion outweighs the course she is studying right now, to elaborate, she said “The reason why I went for construction is that I am from a technical school and it’s easier for me. When I started school, I started documenting whatever activity the school was doing, especially our course. During our practice, I will be taking pictures till it reaches the school administration and they asked me to continue it. I am known as Sarjo the photographer.” She still intends to go to photography school as a means to achieve this dream and she is patient enough to get to her destination just as she was patient enough to get to the limelight, she says she is proud of how far she has impacted people’s lives.
When asked where she saw herself in the next few years, she said “ I see myself doing a lot when it comes to photography. My dreams include owning my studio and representing the Gambia in international competitions in Sports photography and also advocating for more females to thrive in photography.”