Nigerian photographer, speaker, travel storyteller and author
Lola Akinmade Åkerström
Occupations
Photographer
Travel writer
Lola Akinmade Åkerström is a Nigerian photographer, speaker, travel storyteller and an international author whose books are published in 18 languages.[1] She is based in Stockholm, Sweden.[2] Her work focuses on culture, tradition, and lifestyle.[1]
She is a Hasselblad Heroine and 2018 Bill Muster Travel Photographer of the Year.[3] In January 2024 her novel, Everything is Not Enough, earned a nomination in the Outstanding Literary Work at the NAACP Awards.[4]
Early life and education
She started her early life in Lagos state in southwest Nigeria, where she completed her early schooling before relocating to the United States at the age of 15.[5] She studied Geography Information System (GIS) and holds a masters degree in information systems at the University of Maryland.[6][7] At the age of 19, she gained admission to the University of Oxford in England but failed to pursue it because of funding issues. In 2006, Åkerström relocated to Sweden with her husband.[5]
Career
Her work focuses on culture, tradition, and lifestyle.[1] Åkerström started her career as a field journalist at Eco-Challenge.[8] She worked for 12 years as a GIS developer before becoming a professional photographer.[9] Between 2006 and 2007, she joined Matador Network and worked as an editor.[6] In October 2009 she resigned her appointment at the GIS world to pursue her passion.[6] In June 2011, Åkerström contested in a pre-selection program organised by Quark Expeditions to pick a writer that will be traveling to the North Pole for the project of documenting its ecosystem.[10] In 2012 she participated in the expedition race in Fiji, where she started the combination of her traveling, photography and writing skills.[11] In 2016, she visited the Italian Unesco World Heritage Sites of Sabbioneta and Mantua for exploration.[2]
She has dispatched from more than 70 countries and her work has appeared in publications, online and in print, including National Geographic Traveler, BBC, and CNN, The New York Times, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure, Lonely Planet, Vogue, BBC World Service, National Geographic Traveler, Travel Channel's World Hum, San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes Traveler, Sherman's Travel, Fodors.com, ISLANDS Magazine, United's Hemispheres, AFAR, Guardian UK's Been There, Smithsonian.com, City Magazine, The Away Network, Transitions Abroad, and The Matador Network.[12][1][non-primary source needed][13][14] She has collaborated with brands such as Dove, Mercedes Benz, Intrepid Travel, Electrolux, and National Geographic Channel.[15]
Her photography is in the National Geographic Image Collection and she is a member of Women Photograph and Wonderful Machine. She was recognized as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in Media & Culture, and she runs her own online academy, Geotraveler Media Academy, dedicated to storytelling.[1]
She lives in Sweden, teaches travel writing and is the current editor-in-chief for Slow Travel Stockholm.[16]
