I visited Jigawa, Northern Nigeria, mid 2018 for my National youth service. It was far from home and I was expected to stay for a year in a land were I barely knew anyone talk more of speaking their language.
PS: According to my sources, “Baki” means “foreigner or stranger”, in Hausa (Northern-Nigerian language).
At the time, I felt withdrawn from society and moving to the North as a Lagosian required a lot of adjusting.
The images were taken at the orientation camp in the nomadic town of Fanisau, Jigawa. I got to explore a bit of the culture in terms of fashion, food which I loved and the scenery of which I still dream about.
Some of the images in this series are of styles which are almost extinct in other parts of the nation. Local food processing styles for meals like “akara” are slowly going out of fashion as modernism has rendered the food making process to modern day kitchens and restaurants.
My mental health at the time wasn’t great and these images helped me get through. I guess we can all relate to that awkward time in life when everything comes to a sudden pause keeping you still enough to offload your burdens which fuel your road to being better.
