Nigerian Music Nigeria – Unifying Africa With Images

Source: 234Next, 1 August.2010

One of the most gratifying manifestations in the growth and professionalism of photography in Nigeria is how the present ‘young’ generation of photographers have embraced the ideals of working together in collectives, networking and their staunch refusal to be drawn into the simplistic frame of mind that they are in competition with one another as photographers.

They have, by adopting these positive ideals, been able to achieve as a group, a remarkable level of social responsibility in generating a huge body of authentic documentary images of ourselves as a people in all spheres of life. Our eminent historians and literary people have always advocated that we are, and remain, the best positioned people to write our history and tell our stories. Our photographers have now followed suit.

A lot of praise must go to Uche James Iroha, an accomplished international-award winner, for his brave and unselfish decision to invite other equally talented, aspiring and inspired photographers to collectively contribute towards the production of Unifying Africa; a book of huge relevance, captivating images and in-depth documentary strength.

This book offers a comprehensive coverage on the very important and topical subject of how Africans participate in and celebrate the world’s most popular and beautiful game, Football. It offers lasting evidence to show that, for long, Africans have brought their own special traits; on the field as players and in the terraces and beyond as spectators and fans, to the game of football.

A visual feast

As the Chinese say, many more flowers make a garden more beautiful. And in Unifying Africa, we are given a wonderful visual feast served up by diverse ‘specialist’ eyes/views on the enormous impact of football on the lives of Africans and vice versa.

A 460-page hardcover ‘horizontal’ coffee-table book, Unifying Africa; edited by Uche James Iroha, is a beautifully-printed and packaged book. Right from the unique cover image of a football made from many patches of African fabrics (illustrated by Iroha himself), we are given a documentary treat on the ‘Africanisation’ of football culture from an art photography perspective as against a sports photography approach. Featured are twelve photographers: Abiodun Salu (Nigeria), Abraham Oghobase (Nigeria), Adolphus Opara (Nigeria), Ananias Leki Dago (Cote de Ivoire), Andrew Esiebo (Nigeria), Chiemela Azurunwa (Nigeria), Ebiware Okiy (Nigeria), George Osodi (Nigeria), Michael Tsegaye (Ethiopia), Marcus Obika (Nigeria), Uche Okpa Iroha (Nigeria) and Uche James Iroha (Nigeria). Other major contributions are drawings by Duke Asidere (Nigeria), Ibe Ananaba (Nigeria), and text by scholar Frank Ugiomoh (Nigeria) Uche James Iroha; with Kaine Agary (Nigeria) editing the text.

The book is divided into nine sections: Landscape, Style, Urban Culture, Pride, Belief, Action, Ecstasy, Passion and Family. These might be for conceptual reasons, but the nature of most of the photographs is so all-embracing that they overlap these categorisations. The time-frame of the photographs is recent; from the mid-2000. A lot of the images are from the 2008 26th Africa (Football) Cup of Nations championship hosted by Ghana in Accra, Tamale, Sekondi and Kumasi. In all though, the images are more spread out and from locations in Nigeria, Cameroun, Benin Republic, Ghana, Cote de Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Ethiopia.

A social vehicle out of poverty

With each image identified on the basis of What, Where and When, the book begins with overwhelming evidence in the Landscape category that football is played everywhere in any available space and diverse terrains in rural and urban areas; from rubber plantations, to farms, paved streets, open dirt grounds and beaches. Right from this category, it becomes obvious that exuberance has overtaken the need for tighter editing and choice of photographs, resulting in too many variations of the same idea of where football is played across Africa.

The book makes well the point that especially for the young males, playing football is now the social vehicle out of poverty in Africa. It also highlights the improvisational nature of the sport in terms of venues, outfits, balls used and the very idea of pick-up teams and games with varying number of players. There is little reference in images on female football and the unusual novelty of mixed teams and games.

The plebeian origin of football in England explains its mass support and in Africa it has become an avenue for mass social expression. Within this context, photographs in the book examine the issues of identity and loyalty; the total immersion of fans and supporters that evoke extremes of both passion and pleasure that waver from ecstasy to death! That football, especially at nation level, unearths uncontrollable emotions in Africans of all ages and gender, is well documented.

Fan passion, fan fashion

We are shown that fan passion and fan fashion have made football a carnival of costumes and emotions in Africa! It is obvious that all the photographs of fans at the Cup of Nations were taken from the terraces and the photographers have successfully documented the live theatre of the bizarre, absurd and sublime; thankfully devoid of the hooliganism and violence of European football fans, but full of weird images of people dropping their pants, praying and prophesying in hybrids of religious costumes and objects of worship. Predictably, the intriguing art of body and face painting as well as the variety of musical instruments employed are also well documented.

The foot and the ball

However, for a book of such magnitude in concept and reach, there are bound to be a few hiccups. Each photograph should have been credited, the use of text on the body of photographs is uncomplimentary/disrespectful of the images (remains a debateable point), there are many wrong, weak and verbose captions and one image is printed upside down. These are however minor points in an overall excellent collection of documentary photographs, most of which are in colour.

When you have a collection of about five hundred photographs on different aspects of the same theme (not pre-planned or commissioned) by photographers of varying competence and familiarity with the subject, you are bound to, as in the case of Unifying Africa, end up with very many good photographs but few great photographs!

It is no surprise then, that the exceptional photographs are those that explore the two important components of the game of football: the foot and ball! One of such outstanding photographs, is of feet painted to simulate the design of a football boot with the ankles painted to simulate hoses in national colours; an oblique artistic statement on what dazzling and inventive things African football players can do with their feet/natural boots. Another is the image of a bare-bodied player intimately holding a ball to his waist; a commentary on why African players in the face of their foreign coaches’ perplexion love to hold on to the ball! These images are by two gifted award-winning photographers; James and Okpa Iroha respectively.

Unifying Africa is in many ways an A-plus photographic book that deserves pride of place in any collection or library as a visual documentary on Africa and the sport of football.

Nigerian Music Nigeria