‘Photography Is A Crucial Tool For Communicating Nigeria’s Treasures’
Oftentimes, conversations structured on photography give emphasis to the medium as an enabler of expression and linkage to pronounced and concealed messages. With the redefinition of storytelling through photographic lenses and upscaling of skills, more people are getting to understand and appreciate the beauty of their communities.
In the first quarter of 2018, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Symington conceived the NAIJA GEMS photography contest to engage Nigerians on showcasing the beauty of the country with magnificent photography and depiction of positive stories. From the 330 entries received during the contest, 50 works made the cut for rewards and travelling exhibition.
Promoters of the exhibition — African Artists’ Foundation and United States Consulate General Lagos picked Abeokuta, South West Nigeria as the first point of contact outside Lagos to bring the works closer to citizens and connect them to other locations, hitherto not travelled.
The city’s foremost creative community, KUTA Nigeria hosted the exhibition.
Afeez Odunoye engages experienced storyteller and Creative Director, KUTA Nigeria, Benita Nnachortam on the feat and the exhibition.
Afeez Odunoye: NAIJA GEMS is making its first stop in Abeokuta to bring citizens closer to the beauty of the country. What informed the collaboration? Why did the promoters pick KUTA Nigeria for an engagement of this form?
Benita Nnachortam: To start with, the exhibition is an initiative of the African Artists’ Foundation. Thanks to them for recognizing what we do here at KUTA. NAIJA GEMS exhibition as you have already seen will travel through the country. The idea behind the featured works was initiated by the United States Embassy. With the initiative, photographers in the country were requested to make trips across the country and capture beautiful scenes and images.
When the contest ended, the promoters took the conversation further to exhibit the best works. Having the best works from the contest using LagosPhoto, a platform created by African Artists’ Foundation was the first point of giving a large number of people access to the pictures. Interestingly, the first Lagos Photo Exhibition for 2019, which coincides with LagosPhoto’s 10th anniversary, is being held outside Lagos for the first time in Abeokuta. KUTA Nigeria appreciates that they value the work that we do; they value what we stand for which is supporting creativity in Ogun state. Hence, they brought the exhibition to our creative space.
The exhibition is actually a travelling photography exhibition. The first exhibition was staged in Lagos. Abeokuta is hosting the second; the next stop would be Enugu and perhaps some other locations across the country. Giving citizens and locals in our community the means to experience Nigeria through photography influenced the collaboration.
“Art Exhibitions Should Be About People And The Works”
Afeez Odunoye: Against the backdrop of citizens giving minimal attention to arts, it is a no-brainer to tilt the conversation towards turnout. What’s your take on this?
Benita Nnachortam: The turnout is encouraging and healthy. I am impressed with the figures we have recorded in our books for the exhibition. We can officially announce the figures as successful for the opening of an exhibition. However, it could get better. The good thing is the exhibition will run through the week to allow people who could not come around on the first day due to other commitments to visit and connect with the works.
I dare say the best part of the exhibition’s opening is useful engagement because I observed participants taking time to relate with one another. That is the biggest takeaway from exhibitions of this form. It is not just about the artwork; it is also about the people that we meet and form relationships with.
Afeez Odunoye: But the exhibition has brought more young adults together. Is it about young people picking interest in coming to see alluring and thought-provoking pictures about Nigeria?
Benita Nnachortam: I think it is more about our intentions as an art community. NEST By KUTA is a pro-youth art community. We are intentional about reaching out to the young people in our local community. We are intentional about sending invites to them because they are a powerful group. The NEST By KUTA team believes they (young persons) will take on the baton and drive the change(s) we want to see in our environment.
Young persons have the energy; they have the ideas. They are positive with creativity. They are looking for opportunities and so it is just the best match for us to bring them closer to these opportunities. However, we welcome guests of all kinds — under 30s and above and even children. Sometimes we invite children from schools in our community to come learn through exhibitions or workshops. We are reaching out to the youth population because we want them to work with KUTA to drive societal growth with arts.
Afeez Odunoye: Do you think more citizens will get to appreciate the beauty of the country as portrayed in the photographs?
Benita Nnachortam: I will approach the question from the way visitors engage with KUTA. When they come around, they go back home with a story to tell. They go back to their social media homes — handles, pages, status and their stories to say oh I had this experience and it was wonderful. This way they become unofficial ambassadors of the messages that we actually share here. It is something that inspires and comes with ripple effect.
In a creative space such as ours, you get a strong conviction when people share stories of what you do with others using word of mouth and other avenues for interaction. Of course, they also get to value works on display. Viewing the 50 pictures on display could provoke some thoughts from identifying reasons why they (participants) have not been taking trips across the country and getting to see different places. These reasons could spur impact and make significant difference too.
Hopefully more people will be enlightened on the beauty of the country with shared messages because this is the thrust of the exhibition. In the long run, it will create the difference that we would like to see.
Afeez Odunoye: Are you convinced about the potency of the pictures in terms of inspiring young persons to take on adventures to various communities scattered across the country?
Benita Nnachortam: The crux of the NAIJA GEMS project holds the response to this. The message of NAIJA GEMS is not just to showcase the beauty of Nigeria, rather it also takes people through a thought process on travelling and making them (young persons) want to travel almost immediately when they see the pictures.
The United States Embassy gets to see first-hand the amount of Nigerians trying to leave our shores every day, every year. People keep approaching their embassies, applying to relocate or travel for leisure among other reasons. Unfortunately, just about a few persons out of this population have actually gone to more than one state in Nigeria. Some people have not been outside their home state or where they were raised and it is important that they get to experience their country extensively. The exhibition will perhaps touch many hearts to say yes I should probably try travelling sometime soon around the country before I start thinking of taking trips elsewhere.
“Photography Is One Of The Fastest And Most Productive Tools For Communicating The Treasures We Have As A Country”
Afeez Odunoye: Does photography hold through as a strong medium to appreciate the beauty of the Nigerian story and get citizens to connect with it?
Benita Nnachortam: In objective terms, photography is one of the fastest and most productive tools for communicating the treasures we have as a country. The treasure is in our landscapes and cityscapes. You will find them in hidden gems, walls, springs and waterfalls, hills, lovely valleys and lovely statues around the country.
With photography, as simplified by the smartphones we have these days, everyone gets to tell their stories. Almost everyone can be a storyteller on their own with little or no guidance. They can experience a scene, culture, a tribe and its people, save these memories and tell compelling stories with pictures. We are very fortunate to be living in this time. More than ever before, this is the peak of easy storytelling. By all standards, photography is a very crucial tool in today’s time to tell our story as a country.
