“In Gambia we used to go watch Bollywood films at the cinema. That is all they showed, so there was no other choice. We didn’t know the language but we understood what was going on. I learnt a lot from watching those films. It’s strange, when you can’t understand the words you see so much more in the picture.”

I met a huge character today in Ngary. He was walking towards me in the Victoria Quarter, and dressed the way he was, I couldn’t let him get away without getting snapped. The friend he was with took the opportunity to carry on shopping and said she’d see him in a bit, disappearing into a nearby designer shop.

After I had got a few full-length shots, I asked him if I could take a few closer photos, to which he replied:

“Snap away man, I’m as vain as they get.”

Vain he may have been, but he was friendly in equal amounts. Ngary didn’t reveal what line of work he was in, but we did discuss Leeds business opportunities. He told me about his plans for the summer, when a certain cycling sporting event will be coming to Yorkshire.

He also seemed to be involved in the performing arts, and a group which assisted children in achieving their goals. It was then that he told me about his experience of watching Hindi films in Gambia, and what he had learnt from them. We talked a bit more about seemingly random topics, but soon his friend returned so we said our goodbyes.


Humans of Leeds