By  JAPHET aLAKAM

Borno State has been a theatre of war as a result of the activities of Islamic insurgents, Boko Haram. Since their emergence, the state like some other states in north east has witnessed all sorts of carnage, bombings, killings, destruction of houses, churches, mosques, schools and others. But just like any other event of such magnitude, the media has centered on the negative side of the stories that one would imagine whether there are people still living there, not to talk of economic activities.

It was in response to such feeling that Borno State Government in collaboration with The Centre For Creative Arts & Talent, Abuja organised a project tagged Bits of Borno, with the theme, Bruised but not broken, an exhibition of recent photographs by a visual story teller, Fati Abubakar.

The touring exhibition which can be seen as a counter narrative to the dominant media focus on death and despair in its coverage of Bornu, highlights the beauty of its inhabitants. It first opened in Abuja from 28th  – 30th January, 2017 and the Lagos show opened from February 9 to 11, 2017 at the Omenka Gallery, Lagos. Featuring about 61 carefully selected photographs, the exhibition hall was filled with different colourful images that provides a counter narrative to the negative headlines of despair and destruction caused by the Boko Haram insurgency by showcasing the beauty, culture, tradition and most importantly, the resilience of the Borno people. It was such a wonderful sight to see images of life, business and other economic activities going on in the state.

“I just felt like Borno State has endured enough, but the spirit is not broken. We are bruised as a people, community but we are not broken, our spirit is strong despite what has happened,” she said.

• Natural Borno people as captured by Fati in the IDP camp

The documentary photojournalist and humanitarian worker from Maiduguri displayed a true picture of the impact of Boko Haram insurgency on her hometown, bearing eloquent witness to the traumatic aftermath of extreme violence and mass displacement and the many challenges of rebuilding shattered communities.

She further captures the strength and courage of those who fought the insurgency and the resilience, hope and even joy of those who survived the destruction and return to normal life. “There’s a slow gradual return despite all of the adversity. I want people to remember us not only for our culture and tradition, but also for our resilience during this conflict. I like photographing children because they are very happy despite the situation,” she states.

Though the works were not titled, some of the images include, a typical cattle market, showing that people are still going about their normal business despite the war. A young boy playing with  a baloon, something many do not expect to see in Bornu. Series of fashion- children dressed in different attires especially during the Eid festival. Images of old women taken in the camps, showing the colourful nature of the old women, but you can not see most of them as they are in the villages, but the insurgency brought them out to the camps. There is also the Tribal series- women wearing regalias in different form, depicting their real rural nature without any kind of influence from the western world.

Fati, who was trained as a nurse before her passion pushed her into photography said she would like the works to be in a small coffee table book and archive it for future generations.

The project was conceived as a platform to showcase the beauty, culture, traditions and daily lives of people living in Bornu.

The exhibition started in Maidugiri in a small scale then to Abuja, to Lagos and grand finale will hold in Maiduguri in 3rd March.