Yetunde Ayeni – Babaeko is best known as a documentary photographer. So, when she ventured out to spend nearly a year with the Albino Foundation in their own world to produce 21 amazing pictures of them, most people were intrigued to see the results of this project. At the moment, the exhibition of the photographs is going on at the Temple Muse Gallery in Lagos. Edozie Udeze had a chat with Babaeko on this and what motivated her to go into this project
Pictures always say it all. Or put more succinctly, photographs do not lie. That was exactly what ace photographer and artist, Yetunde Ayeni – Babaeko did last week in Lagos. After spending close to a year working with members of the Albino Foundation, she was able to produce 21 amazing photographs of them. The photographs were opened in a two months exhibition at the Temple Muse Gallery in Lagos. The crowd that attended the opening ceremony demonstrated how much the public cherish and appreciate not only the efforts of such goodhearted artist like Babaeko but the fact that albinos are gradually getting integrated into the society.
Majority of the guests were albinos themselves. They were there in great numbers including officials of the foundation, who were delighted to be so exposed to show how they really live their lives happily. The photographs were taken in different postures as was arranged by Babaeko. This was purposely done to give the photographs different styles, varieties, tastes and formats. Babaeko in an interview with The Nation, explained that she did all that to ensure that the pictures came with different varieties of postures involving, in some cases, both their families and children.
The exhibition was titled White Ebony and organized by SMO Arts, Lagos. The works were deeply thought-out, provocative photographs that truly captured the complexity of the life that persons with Albinism face daily. Incidentally, the exhibition coincided with the Albinism World Day, a day celebrated world-over to ensure that this set of people are not unduly harassed by the society. This was why White Ebony took viewers on an emotional journey that was filled with nuances which displayed the highest level of professionalism. Most observers saw in the works some elements of controversial stark positioning and challenging suggestions. Babaeko made it clear, “Yes each work reflected both internal struggles of these people while I worked through layers of identities and self-actualisation. I was able to interpret their modes of life because I often attended their association’s meetings from time to time”, she said. Some also went to her on their own, thus making the work lots easier.
She went on, “the reason why I embarked on the project was because I was personally touched. Even me sometimes people call me Oyibo or see me as a different person; a woman with a different colour. So, I imagined what people who live among their own people, born of the same parents, from the same cultures, same African society, felt when their own people tried to discriminate against them. I was moved to swing into action.
“Then I told my husband to help me make the necessary contacts with the foundation which involves members of the albinos. This he did, and so most of the time for almost a year, I’d attend their meetings. That was where I met some of them; men, women, young, children. I used to interact with them while they had their meetings. It was fun, it was indeed interesting to see them in their world. Very intriguing world, it was indeed and this helped me to see how I could handle my cameras and get the postures that I needed. However, there were some that visited me in my studios at their own time.
“At the beginning it was not easy. But as we moved on, it became much better, a bit easier. So, it became a project that now took almost a year. It moved on slowly as I mixed with them. Some of them came to me. But mostly I went to the venue of their gatherings to often arrange and tell them how to pose or sit or place their feet or hands to give the different postures we have here today.
“From then on, I was able to talk to them, make them feel at home with me and so on. Sometimes some of them would come to my studios, often in company of their friends or alone. They cherished the idea and this of course thrilled them. They are interesting people like us. But it is unfortunate that people do not want to associate with them most times. But apart from that they are people with the same desires like us; they hope to achieve like us. They have dreams like us and have feelings like us. Of course, they are equally human and humane. I didn’t know anybody before I went into the project. But with that, even though I never photographed, I set a goal before me. It was tough but I am satisfied now that the efforts have yielded good results”, Babaeko declared with some profound sense of love and concern for the albinos.
As the exhibition went on, people moved from downstairs to upstairs to view the pictures, using the faces of those of them in attendacet to access Babaeko’s perfect efforts. One of the albinos by name Seyi, tall and slim and beautiful said, “she was the one that told me to put my two hands on my chin. She said it was for me to look different. Seyi is a student of National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) and she believes the project has helped to show that to them, life is also good, interesting and intriguing. The works will definitely make more impacts in their lives, encouraging most of them to look forward to life with big hopes.
Even though the works took time, Babaeko feels that it is always commendable to do the best for the society. “When they were coming to my studios, I would have sessions with them. It is unfair that people discriminate against them. In their associations they are well-organised. They run their welfare very well. Yes, we have done this, but we have a long way still to go,” Babaeko, said.
She still hopes that this project will come in series. “Yes, I hope so, I just hope so. I still feel it can be expanded to accommodate more aspects of this group of people. I don’t think we have exhausted their world, what they believe in. This makes everybody happy. If there will be a part two, may be it will come in form of documentary. May be part of the reason they accepted me was because I am a woman and also light skinned. May be, I don’t know, I don’t know. Even when I was in Europe I used to see Albinos. But I did not quite take much interest in them probably because they could mix up much easier. It was here that they became too obvious to me and then I didn’t like the level of discrimination meted out to them”.
Babaeko was born in Enugu in 1978 to a Nigerian father and a German mother. She graduated in photography from Macromedia, a school for Arts and Designs in Osnabrueck, Germany. After working in a number of corporations in Nigeria for several years, she ventured into her own private business. Camara studios, her private concern, was opened in 2007. Apart from her fashion and documentary photography, Babaeko has facilitated numerous workshops in partnership with the Goethe Institut, Nigeria, mentoring young female photographers. She has also been involved in other group exhibitions where her documentary photos often stood her out.
White Ebony was so named to explore and situate the beauty of the white colour on black skins. This is why the exhibition will run till July 19th. “It is to enable more people the opportunity to see these wonderful people in their own world”, so said Sandra Obiago, organiser and sole owner of SMO Arts, Lagos.
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