The real Nigeria you never see
Countless media outlets highlight the bad, amoral and ugly in Nigeria, so the good is left behind. As a Nigerian now living in the west, I know to take everything I see on the news about my country with a grain of salt. I turn on the news, and almost every headline I read about Nigeria goes along the lines of “Nigeria in crisis”, “Hundreds dead in Nigeria”, “Terror in Nigeria”, and the long list of ugly and depressing headlines goes on. However, the media does not celebrate people who strive to change the country; people who believe in their home and are ready to glorify it at all costs.
Nigeria as a country is far from its negative illustrations, and before you read this, you have to believe that too. Although I can’t deny that, to some extent, Nigeria really isn’t among the safest places to live. In fact, why would I leave home and move west if it was so safe, beautiful, and generally positive? The truth is, just like any other country (but mostly developing countries), the people are tired of their corrupt leaders and have decided to take matters of survival into their own hands. People have chosen to deviate from society’s ethical standards of living and have started doing anything to survive, including crime… corruption, disregard for human rights, child labor and much more. Therefore, I cannot sit here and deny the fact that Nigeria is indeed a land that spawns a great deal of crime and inhumane actions. But it is home; home to me; home for so many other people who are born into that survival system; home for people who have no choice but to live a broken lifestyle; home for people who have no choice but to survive.
So even as I sit in my plush chairs and type freely and safely on my laptop in public, without any immediate fear for my overall safety while sipping on a pretentious but delicious drink from Starbucks out west, I can’t help but long for my home. in the East. I miss my family and hope that one day Nigeria will truly become a safe haven for all the people who have left. It is in my moments of caring for my country that I came across the amazing work of Devesh Uba (aka Snap It Oga). In the last year, his name has spread all over social media. From Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr, he’s everywhere, and more importantly, he’s everywhere because of the nature of the photographs of him.
In 2013, Uba, a street photographer from India, ignored the many negative labels that propaganda outlets often place on Nigeria, especially its commercial capital, Lagos. This city is widely known as the second fastest growing city in Africa and is undoubtedly rich in diversity, culture, vibrancy, tourism, as well as extreme population. Uba ventured from his hometown in India to the vibrant city life of Lagos, fearlessly armed with all the negative information he had heard about the country, he traveled to the city on his own to work and live for a year.
“Before moving here, I spent a lot of time researching Lagos and Nigeria, only to be discouraged when I didn’t find any positive stories or images. However, when I finally arrived and started spending more time in the city, I realized that there were several positive things about the culture that most media conveniently ignore There is art almost everywhere…in Danfos, on the streets, on shop signs, on school walls etc. The people of Lagos he “rushes” and does it with enthusiasm he smiles the colors in the markets are so vibrant and the ‘never say die’ spirit of the people here is so inspiring the Nigerian love of food, football and music is just contagious,” Uba opens up about her immediate perception of the city. he life in Lagos in a special interview for Spirited Pursuit (SP), a blog and social networking hub for traveling photographers.
With this general shock of how different Nigerians looked in person, Uba launched his well-known brand called Snap It Oga. However, he also states in his interview with SP that this name was not his creation, but that “the first people I photographed in Lagos would say ‘Grab it, Oga!’ when I was looking at them through my camera’s viewfinder, the name just stuck, so I just kept going,” he explains. And for many Nigerians reading this, we can all agree that Snap It Oga is indeed incredibly Nigerian and an invitation to the way of its people, as ‘Snap’ is a slang term. ) for ‘take the photo’ and ‘Oga’ is usually a name given to a foreigner, or anyone who is considered superior in Nigeria.
Aside from Lagos State, Uba has traveled almost everywhere in Nigeria, from east to west, and her reactions to the disparity between the people she meets and the people she hears about in the media seem to grow with each passing day in the streets capturing photographs. It is this difference in the illustrations of the types of people living in the country that inspired Uba to launch Snap It Oga, a blog space where she catalogs all the photos she captures and shares them on her various social media accounts and her friends. followers, without any media filter.
In my opinion, Uba has the right formula. Experiencing Nigeria and its people should be subjective, real and non-judgmental. I am not saying that there is no truth in Nigeria that is seen in the media, all I am saying is that, like all countries, Nigeria is made up of people, and it is these people who define the country. It is unfortunate that we have let our perceptions of Nigeria be shaped by a select few bad people, while ignoring the majority of great and genuinely kind Nigerians. Uba also resonates with this, as he states in his SP article: “One of my worst memories as a photographer in Lagos was on the streets of Ajegunle when I was there to capture street art. The roads were pretty bad so our car got stuck. stopped. stuck in a pothole. Out of nowhere the ‘area guys’ surrounded us and started banging on the glass of the car hysterically. Somehow my driver was able to calm them down by telling them that his brother lives down the street and has a salon at the local market. We were finally able to get help from some nice people who stopped by after all the chaos was over. I can’t lie though, that was the most uncomfortable 20-25 minutes of my life. Despite this negative experience I have had many great and positive experiences here in Lagos that outweigh the bad ones.”
So even if all that comes to mind when you hear or think of Nigeria is danger, don’t let that deter you from a chance to visit one of Africa’s most culturally diverse and successful nations. Nigeria is comprised of deeply rooted tradition and culturally rich elements that will amaze and excite all enthusiastic and non-judgmental explorers who get the chance to visit their land. From the beautiful clear blue waters, the incomparable ranches, the incredible game reserves, the warm springs, the magnificent waterfalls, the rich museums of African history and much more, Nigeria has it all. So do yourself a favor, turn off the TV, plan that trip to Nigeria against the odds like Uba, and explore like never before.
Website: https://www.wingd.ca/