jolade olusanye.

nigeria

What are you currently doing?

Working as a fulltime freelance photographer, director and poet

Could you give me a short bio of yourself

Raised between Nigeria and London, I’m a freelance creative working in photography, film and poetry. I frequently travel with my work and I’m also a part of SXWKS, a creative collective.

Name of your featuring project 

Afii Suuru (Active Patience)

Please explain the project to us in detail (journey, inspiration, message, influence, and what are you trying to communicate through your creative outlet.

I went back to Nigeria a few years ago for the first time as a photographer. I intended to shoot my country the way I saw it as a child but in the midst of doing so found a common theme. It was a sort of ‘active patience’. Nigerians, as well as many other Africans are known to be fastidious in prayer and to that effect, we are also fervent in the act of patience. To a certain extent. But in our patience, we’re active. We’re not sitting down and waiting. We’re busy. So the project was born. Most of the portraits I captured were of people in that mode of being ‘actively patient’. These portraits show the norms of Nigerians in terms of work but they also show a resilience, a calm and casual nature unique to them. Ultimately, I’m trying to show the world where I come from through my eyes. No forced poses. Everything is candid. I’m a storyteller. All the spaces and people I come into contact with have a voice. Whether they’re talking directly to me or not, I’m listening.