Nigeria Content Online

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.