My Face Is on a Billboard Advertisement in Ghana, West Africa?!
WHOA! Without my knowledge, I have become the face of a restaurant advertisement in West Africa?!
Late last night I received a shocking message from my friend Alicia, who had been traveling in Africa. "Lillie!" the message read, "Flying down the street in the car on my way to Bojo Beach in Ghana, we passed this sign. I screamed out loud, 'I KNOW THAT GIRL!' Are you aware that you are the face of the Synagogue Restaurant in Accra, Ghana?!"
I gasped and clicked open the photo. Sure enough, there I was:
Ahhh! Whoever was behind this restaurant (maybe someone who knows my coworkers during the months I taught in Ghana, or maybe someone who randomly Googled something like "Jewish girl in Ghana") got their mitts on the lead photo from this article that I wrote in 2010 about how much I adore Ghanaian food, modified it, and put me as the unknowing model on a highway billboard. Zowie!
So what to do? How to react? My emotions have swirled from aghast, to flattered, to weirded out, to giggly. I mean, who opens a restaurant called "Synagogue" in Ghana?? There are more icicles in Ghana than there are Jews! Now, however, I've come to the following conclusions:
1. Yes, I will investigate. I have some theories about how this came to be, and have deployed my chums in West Africa to investigate. I shall keep you posted on what I find! That said...
2. Face it: Things like this happen in 2014. This is a wake-up call-- isn't it?-- to all folks who use the internet: Try as you might, your images are not always under your control. Hence my constant warning to my students to never post anything inappropriate.
Unauthorized use of images is far more rampant than we think, given how widely people (not just bloggers) share photos, and how powerful internet image searches and photo manipulation tools are. Sure, one can try to guard photos through watermarking, but it would hardly have helped in this instance due to cropping. Yet, at the end of the day...
3. Don't kill the beauty of the internet and our connected world due to paranoia. I COULD react to this episode by shutting down my whole website and vast social media empire, erasing any image of myself I could find online, and running screaming into my son's whale-shaped bathtub to never come out again, but... no thanks.
I will continue to use my best judgment about what and how I post photos and facts online, and I will continue to do my best to stop anyone pirating or plagiarizing my work, but I refuse to be squashed by paranoia. In this case, the offender appears to be a small Mom-and-Pop restaurant in West Africa that is likely not making big bucks off my lovely grin. Moreover...
4. Let's not be hypocrites. The issue is not just that a photo that is my property was used without permission, but that my FACE has been gazed at in a commercial context, without my knowledge, by many folks across the ocean.
However, let's put this into perspective. Look at the website of any travel blogger or social media user (myself included) and you'll find images of local people who have no idea they're being seen by thousands around the world. These female manual laborers in India haven't a clue that my article about them has been seen by over 3,000 readers, globally.
Even the fanciest newspapers practice this voyeurism. We humans are fascinated by people who don't look like us, and we love using the images of others (the "Other," as defined by Edward Said, for you fellow literary theory geeks out there) to produce an exotic international effect. Synagogue Restaurant in Ghana simply wanted to show that exotic foreigners delight in their food. And given my obsession with fufu, I likely would!
5. Celebrity solidarity. Suddenly I get a tiny slice of how actual celebrities must feel to see their image splashed hither and thither, completely unauthorized. How many instances of it can they actually fight? What is the emotional impact on one's face essentially becoming public property, as has happened with so many celebs?
Heck-- when I wrote this article while in Ghana in 2010 about how fun it was to see Obama's picture on school notebooks and cafe signs, I didn't think twice about the legal or personal repercussions!
6. If you're doing something naughty, you will likely be caught. I always tell my students that plagiarizers always get caught eventually. It may not be until they've been up to their evil tricks for decades, but the truth always seems to come out.
Thus I am both flabbergasted by and embracing of the ridiculous coincidence that a friend I met in Philadelphia happened to stumble across a violation of my website's copyright rules from the window of a speeding car over 5,000 miles away in West Africa!
Bottom line: This is one of the most bizarre instances to happen as a result of my blog, ever, and it raises some intense questions... but it's also kind of funny. What's YOUR take on this whole issue?
2022 update: I'm happy to report that since this situation, I've now consensually been on billboards at Wegmans in Natick, MA and for Massachusetts tourism.
The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!
That is CRAZY. Wow!
I like your insights and the points you raised. Good reminders for how we all behave on the web.
I also hope that your photo helped bring in more customers to the restaurant. Cheers and travel on!
This is the most bizarre thing EVER!
WOW! This is shocking and funny at the same time! I think that it is good that this restaurant put someone from a different country on there advertisement. It brings in diversity and there would be no point in suing them because they are probably a small business that really didn't know any better. It is weird, I know, but is kind of better to embrace it and move on.
Hey Lillie, that’s actually hilarious. You should feel honored that they found a photo of you worthy advertising with. Well, I am saying this not knowing how I would feel in that situation…
But since they took the image from your delicious food in Ghana post, at least it fits the context. And if you really felt so strongly about this advertisement, then you should have never posed it and nobody would have ever known… : )
Good points! :)
I agree with everything you said. Thanks for the balanced look at what is an emotional subject for you. Few, if any, issues are black and white, all wrong or all right.
Personally, I have sinned too much to ever throw stones (but I do get irritated at rude and/or stupid people, so don't think I am perfect :-) )
Cheers,
This seems like it would be an internet-era thing, but it's not, even though i have no doubt it is amplified now. Back in 1993 I was traveling in Poland. People were selling books on the street and when I checked them out I saw that a bunch of the covers had pictures of punk rock friends from the Bay Area. I bought some, even though they were in Polish, brought them home, and the folks had no idea how they became cover boys and girls. (The books were collections of political graffiti slogans, if my memory serves.)
Um, congrats? Also I like your positive attitude, in today's world it's almost inevitable that your photo will be found and used without your knowledge. To be honest it's pretty impressive that you're on a billboard! It could be worse. But don't imagine it! Aw, now you're imagining it aren't you? Sorry about that.
As a photographer and writer, I agree with and love your points #3 and #4.
On #3: When I posted my photography portfolio to Facebook, other film/photography/media peers warned me that--according to Facebook user agreements--my material could be used by Facebook without my permission. I told them it's a small risk worth taking. I doubt one big organization would abuse one individual's art. I still post articles and non-watermarked photos all the time. We really shouldn't be that concerned. I love your wording of "Don't kill the beauty of the internet"!
On #4: Yes, street photographers have always benefited from candid photos! And nowadays, we're all street photographers and photo subjects. I guess we just have to either live under a rock or let it be.
Hilarious and awesome!
That is so crazy and awesome!
Spot on with #4 too!
Hi Lillie: With all due respect, I strongly disagree with your comment, “Let’s not be hypocrites.†What you and I do is travel writing, not commercial advertising. If someone took my photo while at an event or a festival and used it in editorial content, I'd be OK with that. But I'm not OK with anyone using my images, whether they are of me or something else I shot, in a commercial advertising piece, without my knowledge and express permission.
Barbara, normally I TOTALLY agree with you. I've used the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notices to get websites that have plagiarized my content or photos to remove it or shut down, because those instances enraged me. But for some reason this restaurant-in-Ghana instance just strikes me as hilarious, not malicious. Perhaps it makes more sense to be consistent in one's policies, but...
4. Let’s not be hypocrites.
That's absolutely correct. Also, I'd be honoured!
Crazy story! Not sure how I'd react, except it's not really anything negative.
"Let’s not be hypocrites", that was spot on!! Indeed, most of Africa's stories are often told by travelers using bizarre pictures depicting hunger, poverty, disease, war and so on; ignoring most of the beautiful things that characterize much of the continent. Rarely do we come across positive tales of the continent as told by Lillie. As a child growing up in Ghana, I remember how at the sight of every white person in my village, we were eager to attract his irrespective of how we were dressed or what we were doing. We were completely ignorant of where those pictures were going to end up.
I visited a friend who had spent 4 years as a peace corps volunteer in Ghana in the USA and I was shocked when I went to meet his class in Sacramento and saw the sort of pictures he shared with the students on Ghana. None gave Ghana a positive image and I had a hard time explaining to the ignorant but curious minds the disservice that my friend had done them. He was a cool guy in Ghana and he obviously had a nice time while in Ghana suggested by the extension of his service by 2 years and a visit back to Ghana with his wife a year after he left the country. Yet most of the images he took and shared with his friends and family painted a bad image of the country. I'm absolutely against the unauthorized and unethical use of images but I think the actions of the owners of the Synagogue Restaurant is nothing compared to what happens to people from that part of the world in the west. We post images on the cloud that we are comfortable with but those taken by others are not under our control and they are used as the photographer pleases and that is what people in places like Ghana suffer. But Lillie, no worries; as you said, they just want to portray that exotic foreigners delight in their food.
Beautifully put!
I definitely think this is hilarious! Time to lead your own personalised tour odyssey for a personal visit to 'your' billboard!
Wow! I like your take on it. I guess with the internet making us so connected that is likely to happen!
"4. Let’s not be hypocrites."
Absolutely. And so wise and brilliant of you to recognize the irony, Lillie.
It does happen and I'm sure it's happened to me and I don't yet know about it. I've decided that I'm not going to worry about it, unless of course it's a major corp and then I'm going to get everything I can from them. Why? Because they didn't hire me to do the makeup for a proper model on a proper photo shoot! :)
Love it!!!
HAHAHHAHA, good one, Penny!
I am sorry that this had to happen to you. but on the good side they thought you are beautiful and you are beautiful.
I believe that children photos should not be posted on facebook.
Wow – this definitely raises some interesting questions. More importantly, you're officially an international celebrity! Speaking of Obama, I think he had it worse in China a few years ago when they used his face for "Obama Fried Chicken"!
HAH!
I google myself a lot just to see what of me is out there, but honestly have never really given pictures a second thought! My goodness, thankfully it's just a restaurant and not anything dodgier!
Agreed!
This has copyright attorney written all over it.
This is SO funny!!!! I often wonder what happens with the pictures people take of us when we're abroad. When travelling through Asia with a fair, curly-haired little boy, we have a lot of people ask to take pics of or with us. Never thought they'd end up on a billboard though!!!
I think it's kind of awesome! One thing I know is that you have to go visit that restaurant! You'd be a celebrity and maybe get a free meal. :)
Ha ha ha. I still can't get over how incredible this is. I'd feel weird about it too and at the same time, find it hilarious. I look forward to hearing the results of your investigation. :)
What a trip! This is a little crazy, but let me share that a fellow blogger in Amsterdam had to break the bad news to me that my photo was on a porn site (along with my family in a group photo - fully clothed, I might add). Thank goodness he forwarded the link (not sure how he found it...didn't ask) but I was able to shut down the blog as it violated operating rules. Crazy!
Wow, this is absolutely crazy! But I have to agree with you that overreacting wouldn't bring you any further. Keep calm, investigate and eventually this person will be caught... It's worrying how much information we share though and the different ways that this information can be used without our agreement.
This fascinates me, and then terrifies me at the same time. It's incredible to think that what we post on our blogs may end up half way across the globe on a billboard! I'm pleased to see it's only tasty local cuisine that you're advertising! The product could have been a whole lot worse!
Omg I had to laugh! It is so weird to think we could all be advertisements somewhere in the world and never even know it. So random that this happened and so random that you found out about it! I hope you can find some answers, it is very interesting
Wow! That is cool and shocking!
This is funny, weird and strange all at the same time. Plus a wakeup call. If you don't want images passed around, even with copyright, then don't share them on the net. As a Park Ranger, visitors take my photo all the time with and without permission. Can't hardly imagine how many are 'out' there. But perhaps not as popular as you are now in West Africa. And makes for a great post.
If it was a corporation like AT&T or Apple using your image, then I'd worry. My guess is these are folks just trying to get by with their local business day to day. In Mexico folks are always pulling stuff off the web (but it's usually famous models and Disney characters) and using them as they please on billboards and in other marketing. There isn't the same culture of "permissions" and "image rights' that there is in the United States. In some ways this is good because there isn't the same amount of litigiousness in the culture: the phrase "I'll sue," is never used. In some sense perhaps peoples' rights aren't as protected. But I personally like living in a culture that is more open in this sense and where the fear of lawsuits isn't omnipresent.
Well, what a strange situation! Can imagine the mixed emotions. Such a big world but so small too. I'm definitely going to start noticing more signs and being on the lookout for familiar faces ;)
At first I thought I'd be pissed. But, then as I read your post when I go to item number 4: Let's not be hypocrites, I got over myself. Because that is truth. We use photos we take of others all the time.
This happened to me in Australia. A year after I left, my ex co-workers wrote me an email with a picture of a poster from the Octoberfest in Brisbane and a screenshot of their website. I was the face for annual Octoberfest in Brisbane.They took the picture off my blog from the year earlier when I was there celebrating!
I think I would find this hilarious. Slightly taken aback and a bit weird, but kinda funny at the same time. And you present many valid points. I wonder if I'm posted on any sign somewhere around the world. Hmmm....
I bet you are!
Good point. It's pointless to get mad about it when we do the same thing (to a smaller extent).
I wonder if the girl holding the origami knows she's part of your advertisement for your TeachingTraveling.com site. :)
If this was happening in the US, you'd have many more options. But the hassle of attempting to get compensated or have it taken down in West Africa is probably more effort than it's worth. Makes a great story though!
That TeachingTraveling photo was EXACTLY what I thought of. I know the woman in the photo (she was a coworker) and since she didn't have email, told another coworker to let her know about the photo, but not sure if he did. But I love her expression so much! Guess that's how the Synagogue Restaurant felt...
This is crazy. I think I'd laugh at it. The only thing that bothers me a bit is being a family travel blogger and having photos of my family out there. But I'm not that concerned about it. What a shocker this must be for you!
Yes, as a new mother, this is something I think about A LOT, and am putting things in place around it.
Wow, how truly bizarre! It makes you wonder how many other signs there are out there with your face on them! It does also make me think twice about what I post on the internet
Seriously. I'm convinced that this happens FAR more than we realize!