Paparazzi Press
Paparazzi is a Political Tabloid published weekly by PAPARAZZI PRESS
Friday 27 June 2014
Wednesday 18 June 2014
A Road Trip Through ‘Invisible Borders’
From
Oludare Richards
A
Road Trip Through ‘Invisible Borders’
The Trans-African artist is the
artist whose sensibilities transcends or goes beyond the pre-saved definitions
of what constitutes art from Africa. They draw inspiration from exchange
between people of diverse tribes and countries within the continent without
having to compare, contest or seek validation for these sensibilities. They do
not seek a definition of Africa in their ‘Africaness’ because Africa is what
they make of it and not the other way round – Says photographer, Emeka Okereke,
under whose coordination, the fifth edition of the trans-African cross-country initiative
presents a group of artist an opportunity for adventure and innovation through
experience, to serve as a medium through which photography is celebrated and
exhibited in their bid to portray an Africa with ‘Invisible Borders’..
Founded
in 2009, Invisible Borders has travelled by road across African countries and borders.
Beginning with a trip from Lagos to Bamako, the Organization has travelled
further to Addis Ababa, Libreville and Dakar. In 2014, up to 9 artists would
travel for at least 150 days from Lagos to Sarajevo, Bosnia.
For
the 5th edition of the Invisible Borders Trans-African Road Trip, 9 artists
will travel across 20 countries and over 40 stops from Lagos, Nigeria to
Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. The journey will last 151 days beginning
on June 2nd until October 31st, 2014!
The
nine participants have been selected from five countries around Africa. They
are: Dawit L. Petros, Photographer from Eritrea, Heba Amin, Filmmaker from
Egypt, Breeze Yoko, a Video/Film & Graffiti Artist from South Africa,
Lindokhule Nhlakanipho Nkosi, a Writer also from South Africa, Renee Mboya, Writer
from Kenya, Tom Saater, Photographer from Nigeria, Angus McKinnon, Photographer
from South Africa, Emmanuel Iduma, Nigerian Writer & Art Critic and Emeka
Okereke Photographer and also the founder of the initiative.
“The
impulses that led to this project came from the urge to question and look at
the whole idea of a Trans-African exchange. We were a couple of photographers
and writers who had planned to go to Bamako, then we made plans. Along the line
we realised we had bitten more than we could chew. We decided to adjust fast,
we had invested too deep. Then we thought, why not go by road,... we made the
journey. It’s not a really new initiative, it’s been done even by Africans
before like the Pan-African Circle of Artists, PACA, whose based on Arts, Lectures
etc Ours came with the adventure, connectivity and knowing that being an artist
but there are other things you can do to communicate your social activism
beyond just writing and taking pictures,” Emeka said.
With
the aim to enhance the experience of the 2014 road trip, they’ve decided to include
the possibility of having guest participants on the trip.
“There
will be media participants for the road trip of which four of them are crew (TV
production crew and project managers) but the guest participation begins when
we reach Dakar. They’ve have reserved seats to receive the guest participants at
intervals of two weeks each, so through the 151 days trip, there will be
approximately 10 guest participants,” said Emeka.
The
guest participants will be chiefly writers, artists, scholars, politicians,
curators, and art historians, or anyone working across the fields of arts and
humanities, (students in these fields are not exempted as well) from any part
of the world whose works are engaging and reflect a sensitivity towards issues
in the same lines as those embodied by the Invisible Borders project.
The
central idea behind the guest participation is to create a situation that
allows for bouncing off of ideas and feedback between the permanent
participants and guest participants who come in with fresh and divergent
perspective on the actual trip.
The
guest participants will be mostly experienced personalities in their respective
field whose practices could also benefit from being on a project such as the
road trip that proposes a totally different experience as compared to already
established knowledge.
“This
trip will be the first Trans-Continental Road Trip of the group and will be from
Lagos (Nigeria) to Sarajevo (Bosnia) through 21 countries in Africa and Europe
notably Nigeria, Republic of Benin, Togo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra
Leone, Guinea, Senegal, Mauritania, Western Sahara, Morocco, Spain, France, Belgium,
The Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and
eventually Sarajevo in Bosnia, Europe,” said Emmanuel Iduma, a member of the
collective.
“In
the course of the last four editions of the Road Trip we have explored African
countries from coast to coast and the Central African region. The impressions
of the last four years have given rise to reflections and subsequent advancement
of questions around the complexness of borders. The 2014 road trip is an
attempt to advance to the core of what necessitates borders. The road trip
project is an attempt to draw a tangible line of connection across chosen
geographic locations in order to transcend the limitations proposed by the
existing demarcating lines,” Emmanuel added.
Emeka,
who has been part of all four past trips went on to describe his confidence in
the success of the 2014 trip saying: “The most effective form of activism is
optimism. Not just the African view of “E go better”optimism but the
realisation of the fact that you can be in the mud and can’t get where you hope
to get to without getting stained by the mud. The endeavours of artists during
this trip will be to reflect upon the contrast between preconceived notions and
freshly acquired perceptions for every displacement through places and people.
Sandwiched in between these two positions is the Invisible Borders”.
The
road trip will assemble artists from countries in Africa whose previous work
are rooted in the reality of the African continent. It will be made up of
photographers, writers, video artists, art critics, art historians and
performance artists. There will be ten participants in a whole.
The
journey will last 151 days (22 weeks) from the 2nd of June until 31st of
October 2014. They will make stops of about five to seven days in major cities
of these 21 countries. Besides creating personal works with their various
mediums, the Invisible Borders participants hopes to develop varied projects in
collaboration with local allies (Associations, Museums, Art Centers, Public
Institutions, Artists, etc.), including exhibitions (installations,
projections, performances), to offer the road trip experience to the viewer
including exchange with the local audience through interactive art creation
involving involvement of local artists and indigenes, in public spaces and
chosen communities.
The
last four editions had featured names such as Lucy Azubuike,
Okereke, Amaize Ojeikere, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Unoma Geise, Uche James Iroha, Chris
Nwobu, Nike Ojeikere and Kemi Akin-Nibosun, whose conceptual photography
exhibition is currently on at Alliance Francaise, Lagos.
Saturday 14 June 2014
Chibok: No Fulani Woman Abducted- Mike Omeri
Contrary to widespread national and international media reports, investigations by the Nigeria Police and military troops stationed in Borno State have revealed that no Fulani woman was abducted last weekend by members of the Boko Haram terrorists operating in the North East.
There were reports that on June 7, the day that Nigerian military personnel ambushed and killed some 50 insurgents on their way to attacking some villages around Chibok, insurgents abducted at least 20 Fulani women.
Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC) Mr. Mike Omeri made the clarification on Friday while briefing the press on efforts being made to curtail the insurgency and bring back the over 200 Chibok secondary school girls abducted close to two months ago.
“The story of the abduction of Fulani women is improbably. Troops on ground have said that no such reports have been received. It has been confirmed that there is no police report to the effect that Fulani women have been abducted. This story may likely be part of the general misinformation being peddled to create the impression that the insurgents are inaccessible”, Omeri stated.
President Goodluck Jonathan has also invited all former Heads of States to a meeting in Abuja next week also to discuss the raging insecurity issues in many parts of the country.
Some parts of northern Nigeria have been embroiled in various forms of unrest in recent times.
Already, Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad, Niger, United Kingdom, France and the United States have jointly established an External Intelligence Response Unit (EIRU).
The EIRU was the outcome of memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the countries wherein they committed themselves to sharing all forms of information on security particularly terrorism challenges.
The move was initiated by Nigeria and was a fall out of the Paris Summit convened by French President, Francois Hollandaise.
Omeri, who is also Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA) said the formation of EIRU was a major achievement in the fight against insurgency in the West African Sub-region and Nigeria in particular.
The NIC Coordinator announced that surveillance and patrols by land and air activities of troops have continued in the North East and other parts of the country to curtail terrorists’ activities and armed groups.
And as part of concerted efforts to defeat the terrorists, Nigerian military high command is currently engaging their counterparts from Sri Lanka- the only country known to have successfully rooted out terrorists.
The NOA on its own is equally organising a Safe-School Security Awareness Workshop on June 24 and 25 at the Command Officers’ Mess, Asokoro for teachers, school proprietors, school administrators and parents/teachers associations.
— with Ogbeni Olawale Dawodu Snr.Contrary to widespread national and international media reports, investigations by the Nigeria Police and military troops stationed in Borno State have revealed that no Fulani woman was abducted last weekend by members of the Boko Haram terrorists operating in the North East.
There were reports that on June 7, the day that Nigerian military personnel ambushed and killed some 50 insurgents on their way to attacking some villages around Chibok, insurgents abducted at least 20 Fulani women.
Coordinator of the National Information Centre (NIC) Mr. Mike Omeri made the clarification on Friday while briefing the press on efforts being made to curtail the insurgency and bring back the over 200 Chibok secondary school girls abducted close to two months ago.
“The story of the abduction of Fulani women is improbably. Troops on ground have said that no such reports have been received. It has been confirmed that there is no police report to the effect that Fulani women have been abducted. This story may likely be part of the general misinformation being peddled to create the impression that the insurgents are inaccessible”, Omeri stated.
President Goodluck Jonathan has also invited all former Heads of States to a meeting in Abuja next week also to discuss the raging insecurity issues in many parts of the country.
Some parts of northern Nigeria have been embroiled in various forms of unrest in recent times.
Already, Nigeria, Benin Republic, Cameroun, Chad, Niger, United Kingdom, France and the United States have jointly established an External Intelligence Response Unit (EIRU).
The EIRU was the outcome of memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the countries wherein they committed themselves to sharing all forms of information on security particularly terrorism challenges.
The move was initiated by Nigeria and was a fall out of the Paris Summit convened by French President, Francois Hollandaise.
Omeri, who is also Director General of National Orientation Agency (NOA) said the formation of EIRU was a major achievement in the fight against insurgency in the West African Sub-region and Nigeria in particular.
The NIC Coordinator announced that surveillance and patrols by land and air activities of troops have continued in the North East and other parts of the country to curtail terrorists’ activities and armed groups.
And as part of concerted efforts to defeat the terrorists, Nigerian military high command is currently engaging their counterparts from Sri Lanka- the only country known to have successfully rooted out terrorists.
The NOA on its own is equally organising a Safe-School Security Awareness Workshop on June 24 and 25 at the Command Officers’ Mess, Asokoro for teachers, school proprietors, school administrators and parents/teachers associations.
Friday 30 May 2014
Thursday 29 May 2014
PAPARAZZI - SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE - Feeding Fat on Blood Money
PAPARAZZI - SOLDIERS OF FORTUNE - Feeding Fat on Blood Money
Paparazzi Vol 2, Edition 18: Another banger! The salient question Nigerians have been asking is, why can't the military contain Boko Haram...Paparazzi tells you all you need to know in our archival cover this week... Soldiers of Fortune...feeding fat on blood money***Tinubu Finally Bites the Dust, his greatest gain has become his greatest grief, we bring you exclusive details from sources closest to the Jagaban***Fiery activist Festus Keyamo says Jonathan must negotiate with Boko Haram***Oyakhilome marriage break-up, fresh insight on why Anita wants out*** We unveil Internet perverts on the prowl and how to spot them...plus lots more! Ask your vendor for a copy today!!!
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