Quote by Teju Cole: “The camera is a weapon because it can be used to destroy and to build.”

This quote interprets the camera not merely as a neutral recording device, but as a powerful tool with ethical implications. It highlights photography's dual capacity to both dismantle and construct realities, making it a potent force in shaping narratives and influencing perception.

Published in an essay reflecting on the history of photography and its role in conflict and social justice, this comment emerged during a period of intense discussion about visual media, fake news, and documentary ethics.

Nigerian-American writer and photographer whose debut novel Open City won the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award in 2012. His work fuses memoir, criticism, and fiction to examine race, movement, and identity in the postcolonial world.