‘Why I draw attention to IDPs in my photos’

Etinosa Yvonne is a documentary photographer who considers her work as a tool to drive social change. Here, she talks about her latest multimedia project themed ‘It’s All in My Head,’ the plight of Internally Displaced Persons, among others. Excerpts:   The ‘It’s All in My Head’ project aims to advocate for increased and long-term […]

Etinosa Yvonne is a documentary photographer who considers her work as a tool to drive social change. Here, she talks about her latest multimedia project themed ‘It’s All in My Head,’ the plight of Internally Displaced Persons, among others. Excerpts:

 

The ‘It’s All in My Head’ project aims to advocate for increased and long-term access to psychosocial support for the survivors of terrorism and violent conflict. What triggered it?

In February 2018, I watched a documentary called ‘Salam Neighbor.’ There was a boy in the film that made me think deeply about the state of mind of refugees and internally displaced persons. He happened to be a Syrian refugee living in Jordan, at the time he refused to go to school in the camp. After much persuasion by the producers of the documentary he opened up to them and it became obvious that he was somewhat distraught and traumatized by the things he had witnessed in his country, which was why he wasn’t really willing to go to school. At the end of the documentary, he returned to school.

After viewing the documentary, I was curious to understand how some of the survivors of terrorism and violent conflicts in Nigeria cope with their new and rather unpleasant reality amidst little or no psychosocial support.

The norm here is that whenever there is an attack, humanitarian organizations, government agencies and others focus on providing relief materials, setting up make shift clinics, temporary housing, schools and the list goes on. Although the aforementioned are very necessary, however, little priority is given to assessing the mental health of the survivors.

I started this project so I could draw the attention of the society to the state of mind of some of these survivors.

Your photographs in the series includes detailed information about the plight of your subjects underneath. What inspired this and why did you deem it necessary to take this approach?

Well, asides from viewing the layered portraits, I want people to be able to read about the experiences of the survivors by using a first-person narrative.

You have received grants from Women Photograph, National Geographic in partnership with Lagos Photo and Access Bank Art X for the ‘It’s All in My Head’ project. How important would you say grants are to an artist’s career development? If you had not received a grant, how do you think you could have achieved this?

Personally, asides from the financial support that comes with grants, I believe they help give an artist visibility. By that I am not referring to just the artist but to their work as well.

That being said, getting grants to produce a body of work gives one the freedom and discipline to focus and create. When I started my project, I had very little money, less than N15,000 in my account at the time. I was rarely getting assignments so I was not quite sure how I would continue to work on the project. However, I kept telling myself that things will work out somehow. When I got my first grant from Women Photograph, it was surreal. Months down the line even with no assignment I was happy that I could travel and take time to work on my project, all thanks to the grant. Grants are very necessary for an artist, to say the least.

How would you say your work has enhanced conversations or solutions around violent conflicts and terrorism?

At the moment, I am trying to get the relevant authorities to provide long term access to psychosocial support for survivors of terrorism and violent conflict in Nigeria. As I continue to work on my project, I’m also researching and trying to understand quite a number of things that fuel terrorism and violent conflict.

If we look at the deplorable state of security in Nigeria, it shows that our leaders are either unbothered or have just decided to profit from insecurity in all the ways they can. It is sad that almost on a daily basis, we have different types of violent attacks going unchecked as well as an increase in the onslaught by Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. Every day I have to encourage myself to commit to working on the project regardless of all that is going on.

Another of your project is themed ‘Women March 2019.’ What is it about and what inspired it?

The Women’s  March is an annual protest that takes place globally.  The goal of the annual marches is to advocate legislation and policies regarding human rights and other issues, including women’s rights  immigration reform, healthcare reform, reproductive rights, the environment, LGBTQ rights, racial equality, freedom of religion, workers’ rights and tolerance.

I happened to be in D.C at the time so I joined the March and took some photographs as well.

Why did you decide to use documentary photography as your medium and how did your journey as an artist begin, generally?

I am a trained thespian, although I haven’t practiced since I graduated. So, it’s safe to say my journey started in the theatre. However, I first had access to a camera in 2015 and then in 2017. After a horrible working experience, I resigned and decided to try out a career in photography. While I see the camera as a tool and medium of expression, I am constantly looking for new ways to express myself. I have begun experimenting with sound and I also want to try out other art forms.

What major challenges do you encounter in your work?

Quite a number. Insecurity seems to top the list. I have to pray harder and constantly be on alert while I am travelling. Then as an artist I struggle sometimes to be confident enough to share my work and try out new things. I took some time off in December to go on a personal residency where I have been alone and took time to speak to myself and let nature speak to me. This has been quite helpful.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently preparing to work on a new project which will be published on my website in the coming months and thereafter will continue working on my ongoing project, ‘It’s All In My Head.’