I felt uncomfortable watching her writhe in pain, wailing. Other village women tried consoling her, but her screams were deafening. From what I could gather, she’d lost a loved one and her wails were a mixture of grief and regret. Regret that she’d failed them in so many ways. My heart was breaking.
Oh, she was good.
Darn good because it was all improvised and seemed all too real.
To reinforce what they’d been learning in the 3-day community outreach seminar organized by the local NGO, C.H.I.E.F on the topic of orphans and their caregivers, the villagers of Ibeju-Lekki decided to split themselves into groups and put on little plays depicting various scenarios where orphans and their default guardians interact.
One such scenario depicted a stepmom (ironically acted by the chief’s 2nd wife, a natural talent) screaming at the top of her lungs at her stepchild who was a maternal orphan. The point of the play being that verbal abuse wasn’t the right way to treat and take care of orphans.
I love outreach work because it forces one to find new ways of communicating to drive home the grassroots message and overarching point of why an organization is there; helping, teaching, and providing for impoverished local communities.
[ Travel Photography ]
Check out Set I – Photographs from Nigeria (40 photos).
I’ve picked just a handful from thousands of good shots to post online. Will share Set II in the upcoming week as well as more themed write-ups and specific photographs.
I really can’t post them all right now as they’re being reviewed by various sources and for other projects at the moment.
Comments (12)
That image is unforgettable. The emotions rush through the screen.
That’s such a great photo! So alive, so colourful!
very nice portraits you got there….
Wow, I would NEVER have realized it was improvised. Amazing.
Sheesh that is one haunting photo.
This is a lovely snapshot into Nigeria. Of course you don’t have to hear it from me that your photography is INCREDIBLE!!!
it goes without saying, but great pictures. My fav is probably the boy with mischief written on his face…
Your story tells a lot on what’s in the photo. Goose-bumps as I imagine.
Lola: Your work is a gift. Thank you for sharing it.
(I think my favorites from this batch are the faces of Nigeria.)
@Everyone – Thanks so much! Set II coming soon…
I keep on coming back to this photo. I love it. It does look so, so real.
[...] Finally, Lola Akinmade, an accomplished travel writer and photographer, shares with us an incredible picture from an N.G.O. training session in Nigeria on her blog GeoTraveler’s Niche. What do you think is happening in this picture? Read the full post here. [...]