By Prisica Sam Duru & Chris Mba

THIS year’s edition of the annual Lagos Photo Festival successfully kicked off in Lagos last week. Holding under the theme; What’s Next Africa? -The Hidden Stories.

The photo festival according to its organisers is aimed at using the power of photography to report obscure stories from the continent as opposed to the misrepresented, sensationalized and dramatic images across the globe. The Festival also, is intended to address in tangible artistic form, important social issues as well as capturing the essence of the continent from a holistic and organic perspective.

The Lagos Photo Festival is a unique art festival being organized by the African Artist Foundation  which brings out the ingenuity of both professional and amateur photographers  in  an environment of  creative interplay.

Earlier at a press briefing prior to the commencement of the show, founder of the African Artist Foundation, Mr. Azuh Nwabogu told journalists that Africans, especially Nigerians, believe in the power of photography. He added that the foundation had the vision of inspiring the people and expressed strong believe that the festival will help inspire participants.

“A lot of artists are recognized names with numerous international awards. African Artist Foundation presents to them a unique opportunity to bring home their accolades and tell the stories of Nigeria.” He said.

As usual, the 2011 edition of the festival features cutting-edge outdoor exhibitions at Freedom Park, Muri Okunola park, V/L; Falomo underpass, Ikoyi; MKO Abiola Park, Ikeja and Professor Ayodele Awojobi Park, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba.

The festival specifically aimed at reclaiming public spaces for purposes of addressing topical social issues undermining Africa’s Development, while indoor venues include; Eko Hotel and Suites, Civic Centre, White Space Gallery, The Syrian Club and the AAF headquaters, Lagos.

Some of the exhibiting Photographers, who feature their works in the festival are : Mozambican born Mário Macilau with work titled, Nood work; Nana Kofi Acquah from Ghana; Kelechi Amadi Obi, (Achitecture of Lagos); Butta Radike(German – Orphans in Rwanda); Jodi Bieber; Daniel Naudé; George Osodi; Daniele Tamagni; Peter DiCampo; Yuri Kozyrev; Kadir van Lohuizen(Dutch – Diamond matters), Madagascan born Solofo Tinatt, Chantal Heijnen(Dutch – Ghost Republic), John Densny from Canada exhibited series titled, Mass Urbanisation, Martin Waalbder, and many others.

The creativity of the exhibiting artists need not be overemphasised as they objectively capture Africa in a holistic point of view. Photographs of some participants like Musa Irodia’s(Madagascan) Africa: Work in Progress/Work for Progress, Tom Saatar’s(Nigerian)Hot Air Baloons in Abuja, and Kelechi Amadi-Obi’s Architecture of Lagos present a ray of hope for a better continent.

Among those who see Africa from a different point of view are; George Osodi , whose Driver’s dexterity depicts accident scenes.

Another spectacular work at the show is Eyes of Hope taken by Solofo Tinatt a Madacascan, which features different facial expressions of African children. In the photograph, some are weeping, laughing, brooding with misty eyes and licking fingers soiled with food particles as if in expectation for more.

There are also several photographs that document the aftermath of war in some war torn African countries but the most thought provoking of them all is , A Dream called Happer done by a Dutch National, Martin Waalbder .

The works, about 5 in the series are buildings destroyed in Harper, a town in Liberia during the Liberian civil war which are yet to be renovated. A dream called Happer is an indication of how unnecessary and destructive war is, irrespective of the country involved.

From the array of images captured through these photo artists, there is no longer any doubt that photography as an art form can all the time serve as a reliable and very engaging tool for the chronicling of social and political history.