Learnings from Photography and Photojournalism

Session 9 summary

Makoko: Life on Stilt

He is considered to be a Photo-activist and historian of identities. He says that photojournalism, like history is important. As a photographer too has an important place in the history. As a photojournalist, he wanted to talk about his culture, people and culture around the world. While talking about his works he emphasis on the points; what is the concept of representation and what is the concept of identity. Representation is the idea of replication- replicating something that is truth. Truth is intertwined with representation and it defines us. As making images is very important for a photojournalist, it is important to note that the two concepts of representation and identity cannot be separated from power and representing something that is almost true, as one’s own truth is not the other’s own truth. The truths vary from one person to the other and one image may have different meanings. The question on representation is only a part of truth. He admits that he is not a representation artist but a historian of identity.

Makokois a settlement across the 3rd Mainland Bridge located on the coast of mainland Lagos. A third of the community is built on stilts along the lagoon and the rest is on the land. The waterfront part of the community is largely harboured by the Egun people who migrated from Badagary and Republic of Benin and whose main occupation is fishing. Makoko is sometimes referred to as the “Venice of Africa” owing to its waterways. Its population is considered to be 85,840; however, the area was not officially counted as part of the 2007 census and the population has been estimated to be much higher.In July 2012, the Lagos State government ordered that some of the stilts beyond the power-lines be brought down without proper notice. This led to the destruction of several stilts on the Iwaya/Makoko waterfront and many families were rendered homeless.Hence, it is considered to be a very poor state.

In the concept of representation, it is important to note that history cannot be clearly represented. When representing indigenous people like from Makoko, one often says that it’s a place where dirty people live. But a photojournalist like Akintunde, visits the same place and say that very creative people are living and surviving there. He shows the identity of the people through his works, and he not only takes pictures of them but he also talks and interacts with them. Makoko is defined by people differently, Akintunde’s definition represents the history, truth and a particular identity.

The people living in Makoko are living their life on water. One won’t be able to see their life from the Third Mainland Bridge but only by going there one will be able to experience their life. But the bridge does not lead to Makoko, one has to go around about way to reach it.

Western education is not available much there. It is considered that to survive in the city one must have western education, but because the place is lacking this a lot of the people are unable to get proper jobs in the city.

Akintunde says that he cannot represent the whole identity of Makoko’s people and culture, but is able to present only a slice of it. Some part of Makoko is indeed dirty but the people are living their identity- they are surviving there and are content. These people cannot live in other places because they live by selling fish. If government takes away this place the people won’t be able to survive.

Makoko has become a part of Bank Culture- it cannot be destroyed. The government must plan to make it better for the people living there. When the government takes away these types of places, they are taking away for themselves but then where do these people go when that happens?

Conclusion

It is important to look at the positives. One must learn what to gain from a community living in the waterbody. How you build and learn from a society which is surviving beautifully. Akintunde advices young photographers that everything is cultural, what you are doing now can be expanded in the cultural form, how to do it and define it in the way it connects with your community. In the end it comes down to how to find beautyin ugliness and importance of culture.