James Banor is Ghana's first full time newspaper photographer
Ghana’s first full-time newspaper photographer in the 1950s and the pioneer of colour photography in the country, James Banor, is considered one of the most successful photographers to have emerged from Ghana.
Born Frederick Seton James Banor, he has broken barriers and achieved numerous accolades throughout his career.
He set up Ghana’s first colour processing facilities in the 1970s when he returned to Ghana after spending a decade in England.
From having his works exhibited in America, South Africa, Netherlands, France and Ghana, James Banor is one of few Ghanaian photographers to have their works highly recognised.
He is well renowned for his street and studio photography work that captured Ghana moving towards independence and London becoming a multicultural metropolis.
His first exhibition in the USA in 2010, was presented by Autograph ABP, a British-based international, non-profit-making, photographic art agency in association with the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute in Boston at the Rudenstine Gallery, Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University.
His foundation, the James Barnor Foundation, promotes education, preserves African cultures, and highlights African talents.
Banor, who is 95, has enjoyed a career spanning over six decades in two continents with numerous awards, including the Volta and an honorary fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society.
MAG/ ADG
