Life in Ikakumo

Life in Ikakumo1_Rasheed Jimoh Momoh

Coming back from spreading lafun by Rasheed Jimoh Momoh

Life in Ikakumo2_Muyiwa Adekanye

Fetching water by Muyiwa Adekanye

Life in Ikakumo
Life in Ikakumo4_Segun Samson

Shapes and Patterns by Segun Samson

Life in ikakumo5_Muyiwa Adekanye

Greeting each other by Muyiwa Adekanye

Life in ikakumo6_Mercy Adekanye

Shapes and Colours – palm oil by Mercy Adekanye

Life in ikakumo7_Muyiwa Adekanye

Sunday activities by Muyiwa Adekanye

Life in Ikakumo8_Joseph Adekole

Greeting each other by Joseph Adekole

Life in Ikakumo9_Ade Omolade

Children helping by Ade Omolade

Life in Ikakumo10_Mathew Obagaye

Moses and Tosin by Mathew Obagaye

life in ikakumo11_Favour Adefemi

Carrying tobacco by Favour Adefemi

Life in Ikakumo13_ Lakun Obasoro

Cashews by Lakun Obasoro

Life in ikakumo14_Lakun Obasoro

Children helping by Lakun Obasoro

life in ikakumo15_Lucy Adu

Sunday activities – braiding hair by Lucy Adu

life in ikakumo16_Taiwo Yusuf

Bringing cassava by Taiwo Yusuf

Life in Ikakumo17_David Olorunmola

Sunday activities by David Olorunmola

Life in Ikakumo18_David Olorunmola

Ade is getting ready for the school quiz by David Olorunmola

Life in Ikakumo19_Lucy Adu

Children helping by Lucy Adu

Life in Ikakumo12

Primary School

Life in Ikakumo20_Segun Samson

Going to the farm by Segun Samson

Life in Ikakumo1_Rasheed Jimoh Momoh thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo2_Muyiwa Adekanye thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo4_Segun Samson thumbnail
Life in ikakumo5_Muyiwa Adekanye thumbnail
Life in ikakumo6_Mercy Adekanye thumbnail
Life in ikakumo7_Muyiwa Adekanye thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo8_Joseph Adekole thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo9_Ade Omolade thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo10_Mathew Obagaye thumbnail
life in ikakumo11_Favour Adefemi thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo13_ Lakun Obasoro thumbnail
Life in ikakumo14_Lakun Obasoro thumbnail
life in ikakumo15_Lucy Adu thumbnail
life in ikakumo16_Taiwo Yusuf thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo17_David Olorunmola thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo18_David Olorunmola thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo19_Lucy Adu thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo12 thumbnail
Life in Ikakumo20_Segun Samson thumbnail

With nine cameras to work with, the first few days about 30 children aged 11-18 years share the cameras to do exercises on understanding light, composition, captions and vocabulary. To start with, practically every other photograph is a posed one. Before we know it, given how little input they receive, documentary style pictures take over. Children photograph scenes from their lives naturally and almost effortlessly, without distracting the community. And as they capture the village life they explore their own world.

Student numbers go down. A few boys come every day, many (especially girls) have to help in their compounds or work on the farm, but once they have the time they want ‘to snap’. It appears to be a self- selection process and by the end of the first week they are about 12 boys and 5 girls. They fight for the cameras to photograph a market day, or various activities on a Sunday, or our trip to the ‘rock’. After a lesson on captions, they are off to take pictures of actions and things they know words for in Yoruba, Ikaan, Ebira, Hausa, English. They come back excited and teach each other.

Their first computer lesson is to follow. They can now transfer photographs from a camera onto a computer and select the ones they like. Ikakumo is like a mini-Babylon, a condensed splice of society, a small village in rural Nigeria, with healthy and disabled children, celebrations and disputes, hardships and joys, problems and dreams. When they grow up, children want to be lawyers and doctors, nurses and artists, soldiers and actors, technologists and footballers.