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Art is my instrument for social change- Washington Uba

Washington Uba is a Documentary photo-artist who has concerned himself over the lowest class of Nigerian social fabric. His exhibition on leprosy colonies in Nigeria to mark the World Leprosy Day will open this Sunday, January 26th in Lagos. In his chat with Nigeria Xpress speaks on his art and passion for the poor.

My exhibition on leprosy

My coming exhibition, commemoration with the World Leprosy Day, which I call ‘leprosy story board awareness campaign’ is a full documentation on leprosy, how it came about, the number of people affected. It’s going to be academic, interactive, and medically challenging. There’s no specific date for the day but it is being celebrated globally on the last Sunday of January. It is linked to a French philanthropist in 1956 a Catholic passionate for assisting people with leprosy.

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Many people have the notion that leprosy isn’t curable, but itis. That’s where the challenge is. If we continue to play the lukewarm attitudeto it the whole world would suffer greatly for it is increasing rapidly. If thedisease could be given the same attention which was given to the HIVpatients the disease would have decreased by a great fold. Everyone thatcomes for the event would be made to sign on the commitment page and to help ustell a friend about leprosy.

Motivation behind artand charity

Art is my instrument for social change. I see it that if I don’t do it I won’t be fulfilled or happy. I have over the years concerned my work with the poor as a documentary photographer. I didn’t start with leprosy, but documenting destitute. Lagos was my first point of call. Being a charity person before my university days, after graduating, I started an NGO called Charity Care Network Initiatives.  In 2005, art came into it through photography when I began the documentation of the extremely poor people’s environment. And having worked for charity for over 15 years, in 2005 and 2006, I went documenting the streets of Lagos and found a particular place in Okobaba,Ebute Metta, where a family support destitute home was built. I realised that this was where I wanted to be. I made friends with them and went there during the monthly festive period to give them handouts and know how they are faring.

Art has played a vital role in this: using photography, Igenerated funds and handouts with the pictures I had taken. In 2006, I wentinto exhibiting my work, where I had my first ever exhibition in National Museum.Former Sunday The Guardian newspaper,art editor, Jahmna Anikulapo, gave me the opportunity to exhibit first underthe auspices of Committee for Relevant Art (CORA) at Lagos State Book and Art Festival(LABAF). I realised, that I could raise money from this exhibition. So I wentabout exhibiting from one place to another. I have since exhibited in NationalMuseum and also National Theater several times, until it grew and went to otherstates. And in going to other states, I found out that among the poor are themost terrible and forgotten and they are those who suffer from leprosy. I wentinto research in order to understand the cause of this ailment and discoveredthat it was the oldest ailment in the world with about 250,000 people gettinginfected each year, globally. Having discovered this, I embarked on a projectof seven years, going from one leprosy colony to another across Nigeria. The firstplace I visited was Itu in Akwa-Ibom, the oldest leprosy colony in Nigeria, builtin 1928. Then I went to Uzuakoli in Abia State, built in 1934. After goinground the colonies for seven years I entitled the project/exhibition, the “Imagesof God”, and exhibited in commemoration with the 2019 World Leprosy Day.

My experience as anArtist

It’s been interesting, rewarding: interesting because when youdo what you like doing you hardly feel bad about it. There had been high andlow moments.

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Challenges as anartist

Life is full of challenges. I really don’t believe inchallenges. I’d share with you the ugliest experience I have ever had. But Ilearnt something from each challenge I face and work to surmount it. When we werestill digging the borehole at Okobaba, we had spent N296,000; and we had nomoney again. The chairman of the NGO, Mr Odinaka and I went to buy a tank forthe water but when we got back, the children in the leprosy colony had thrownstones into the borehole that we dug and everything was condemned. I came backdejected and asked myself who sent me to do this.

My team members and family members were there to continuepushing and for me not to stop half way. They gave me words of advice that inorder to get the rose you must pass through the thorns, and in order to achievesomething you must have been hurt along the way. It was at an exhibition we hadat the French International School. That were able to raise a N140,000 in orderto re-sink the borehole and commissioned it. 

My advice to upcomingartists

They should endeavor to have a particular genre of art they are concerned with. Let’s be disciplined, try and look for how you can be defined in your own genre of art – be it as a wedding, sports, or environmental photographer. Pick a subject that would be advancing humanity, because the moment you put energy to that particular subject you would do great in it. But first discover your passion, then put your energy into it in other to be defined in whatever you do. For passion brings wealth and inspiration.

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