Abuja Photo Festival, where every picture is a story

There is a story in every picture, and this was what the Abuja International Photo Festival brought to the city.   If you’ve been to a photography exhibition before, you generally know what to expect. Pictures will be displayed on the walls with inscriptions, both coming together to tell a story. Interestingly, Abuja International Photo […]

There is a story in every picture, and this was what the Abuja International Photo Festival brought to the city.

 

If you’ve been to a photography exhibition before, you generally know what to expect. Pictures will be displayed on the walls with inscriptions, both coming together to tell a story.

Interestingly, Abuja International Photo Festival, an exhibition sponsored by Art for Humanity and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) featuring ‘upcoming artists’, was more than just about the art of photography. It explored the intricacies of photography, the possibilities and impact of the craft on the society.

Themed ‘Engaging Realities: Examining Visual Stories in a Globalized World,’ the UNDP representative, Mohammed Yahya, stated that they wish people will not only get inspired by the images and stories from local communities but also work at making a real difference.

“We hope the photography contest will bring much needed attention to the issues that millions of Nigerians have to confront on a daily basis and call for action by all,” he said.

The festival which began on Monday, October 14 and ended on Thursday, October 17 in Abuja had a lot to offer. On the first day, the exhibition was formally opened with group photographs and photographs were presented with certain drama and had an impact on visitors as they walked in.

A photography enthusiast at the event said despite the many exhibitions he has been to, which featured the works of great photographers, this particular event resonated with him on a deeper level because of the stories the images tell.

The photographs exhibited, works from 24 photographers from around the country, “use light, angles and subtle manipulation to inspire stories from the viewers’ imagination. They also provide an insight into the various realities of the Nigerian people. People are forced to slow down, look very carefully at the art, and connect with it,” he explained.

The Creative Director of the festival, Osaze Efe said, “It is our hope that the well curated images will unlace layers of realities that are subconsciously ignored, hence stimulating actions that will make the world a better place for us all.”

However, apart from the photography exhibition, the festival had several other layers to it. The weeklong festival included photography masterclasses and mentorship sessions which brought together professional and upcoming photographers. The professional photographers included popular faces like Obi Somto, Bayo Omoboriowo, Bolanle Banwo,               Haye Okoh and George Okoro and many others.

The event was also big on female empowerment. A session was created for girl-to-girl talk where female creatives conversed on challenges and how to stay strong despite whatever discrimination they might be facing as women.

Additionally, there was a Photo Walk to Daki Biu Village, Jabi on Wednesday which saw the photographers embark on a journey to capture the realities of the residents of this rural area. After the Photo Walk, there was a final selection of photo contest entries that had been sent in weeks before the competition.

On Thursday, the last day of the event, there was the cocktail and award night where guests were served a variety of drinks and delicacies to feast on. Then the top ten finalists in the photography contest were announced. Here, the guests were allowed to make the final decision on who the top three winners will be through a voting process.

After the votes came in, Madu Emmanuella emerged the second runner up, Jones Bamidele the first runner up and Olatunji Obassa came first. They were all awarded the prize money of 50k, 70k and 100k respectively.

It was also announced that the pictures of the other contestants won’t be discarded; instead they will be used across all the festival’s platforms in a bid to give the artists some exposure.

Speaking to Arts and Ideas, Emmanuella said: “I feel very awesome because I didn’t expect it. I didn’t even want to enroll for the competition; it was a friend that convinced me to.”

When asked the story behind her winning photograph, Emmanuella said, “I went on a hike and saw these little children trying to fish. They cast their net and waited for almost 30 minutes and caught nothing. That didn’t deter them, they kept repeating this process. At that point, I became intrigued and started taking pictures. I wanted to capture the disappointed but determined look that was on their faces.”

She concluded that she was struck by how bad the poverty level in Nigeria is, which pushes little kids to have to fend for themselves and wanted her picture to depict that poverty, to shine a light on the situation. This was why she named the picture, ‘the Irony of Poverty.’