Anufotogirl promoting Nigeria’s tourism potentials @ LABAF 2019
by Urowayino JeremiahStories by Prisca Sam-Duru
The first time I met Anufotogirl was at the just concluded Lagos Book and Arts Festival, LABAF, held at Freedom Park, Lagos. Anuoluwapo Adedeji, being her real names, had her works exhibited at Freedom Park on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th November, 2019, as part of the Green Festival @ LABAF with the Children and The Environment , CATE, 20th Anniversary celebration.
Most viewers are sure to be filled with awe on encountering her photographs while some others may begin to doubt if she actually took those photos herself, knowing she is just 5 years old. I doubted at first but my doubts were erased once I encountered the little girl making waves through the lens.
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Anufotogirl was somewhere at the Green Festival, taking photos when I arrived at her exhibition stand. Her father quickly went for her and while approaching her stand, she caught a glimpse of Nigeria’s performing artist, Jelili Atiku in action. Rather than come straight to her stand where I was waiting, she left her father and ran to the scene and began taking photos of Atiku. I had no choice but to trail behind her. Mighty things truly come in small packages. You’d be enthralled watching the way she handled the camera, as well as her numerous postures while trying to shoot different angles of the performance. No doubt, Anufotogirlhas already developed a penchant for photo news.
As noted earlier, the photographer is only five but has great works to her credit. On display during the exhibition were photos of one of Nigeria’s founding fathers, late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s building, his bedroom, and his wife, HID Awolowo’s bedroom. There were also photographs of lakes, and mountains, taken from mountain tops. Several other views that promote the tourism potentials of the country were also showcased at her stand.
Anufotogirl’s recent projects included works done during a tour of Oyo State. From the tour, she presented a clear storyline that adds value to the history of the country while also encouraging tourists to explore the areas.
Her tour covered “Ado Awaye, where there’s the second hanging Lake in the whole world. One of the two lakes is in Colorado, while the second is in Ibadan, Nigeria”, explained Anufotogirl’s father, Olalekan Adedeji. In one of the photographs, the young photographer is seen climbing the mountain with 350 steps. She keeps a documentary of how she climbed up the mountain and is seen, taking pictures during the exercise. On display also were photographs taken during her visit to The Guardian Newspaper, where she was received by the Photo Editor of The Guardian.
So far, Anu has done four exhibitions already. She will celebrate her 5th birthday in December and plans are already on the way to mark it with an exhibition of her works. Good a thing, Anufotogirl’s parents are supportive enough to want to assist her build a career around photography, if she comes of age and decides to continue. “Anu is free to take up photography as a career. I do not want to kill her passion or talent now that she is young. That is a mistake most parents make. They force their children into professions against their will, killing the passion. And when they graduate, they roam about the streets hunting for jobs which are scarce these days, and at this time, the talent will be nowhere to be found because, it was killed a long time ago.” Adedeji explained.
While many photographers are occupied with documenting random events, Anu has carved out a niche for herself – tourismphotography. And her large body of works in that area already showcases Nigeria’s endowments to the world. The expectation is that by the time Anu is ten, she will have a tourism magazine that will showcase her projects and places she has visited.
In addition to working with the lens,Anufotogirl is the youngest Beach Samaritan, a volunteer group that cleans beaches in Lagos. Coincidentally, the Beach Samaritan and Anufotogirl are celebrating five years this 2019.