LAGOSPHOTO PROJECTS: MAKOKO
13 OCTOBER - 10 NOVEMBER 2012
LAGOSPHOTO 2012
Makoko is an historic fishing village in Lagos, Nigeria, that is home to an estimated 80,000 residents. Over a hundred years old, Makoko consists of makeshift huts and structures built on stilts above Lagos Lagoon. Widely considered Lagos’ poorest slum, the government of Lagos State commenced the demolition of the shanty settlement on 16 June 2012 after giving residents a seventy-two hour eviction notice. As a result, thousands of residents have been displaced by the ongoing demolition of the community, some resorting to living and sleeping in their canoes.
As part of LagosPhoto 2012, LagosPhoto Projects launched with a trip to Makoko to document the demolition of Lagos’ most notorious slum. A group of twelve local and international photographers, videographers, and journalists traveled together to the heart of the village’s ongoing destruction. As part of LagosPhoto 2012’s theme “Seven Days in the Life of Lagos,” LagosPhoto Projects was created to react to urgent social events that are changing the cultural landscape in Nigeria. LagosPhoto Projects consists of excursions with emerging and established photographers and journalists to document as a group the very essence that makes the city such a unique place.
The Makoko Project Team traveled by canoe through the village to document the demolition and its effect on the community. Photographers and videographers documented huts that were already torn down as well as the destruction that is continuing to take place, while others tweeted live the visual descriptions of their experience. While the team witnessed displacement and destruction as a result of the ongoing demolition, they also witnessed a cohesive social community. ere are churches, schools, music stores, hair salons and photo studios; all the signs of a vibrant cultural environment.
The LagosPhoto Makoko Project has since taken on a life of its own, with other photographers joining in with their own photographic projects of Makoko. While the future of Makoko and its residents are uncertain, the LagosPhoto Makoko Project aims to document the vibrant social community of Makoko as an historical document at a time when vast changes are affecting the cultural landscape of Lagos.
Participating photographers include: Aderemi Adegbite, Tunde Adegboye, Songonug Akehind, Medina Dugger, Maja Flink, Joseph Gergel, Jane Hahn, Hauwa Mukan, Bayo Omoboriowo, Zemaye Okediji, and Olayinka Sangotoye.