The issue of carnage is not alien to Jos, Nigeria, Africa or the rest of the world. History is laden with them, and the horrendous events that characterise them seem to stretch beyond racial, religious, geographical or sexual borders. But then there are exceptional ones that have shocked humankind, that have become the epitome of grim headlines on many tabloids and the bane of peaceful co-existence among ethnic groups, religious, sociocultural, political affiliations and nations all around the world. The carnage in Jos, since its inception in 2002, exhibits its own brand of uniqueness. Although there have been many reasons behind its causes, and also many versions of these gruesome occurrences, one thing remains obvious, and that is the ever increasing death toll of innocent lives of the indigenous and visitors, as well as the lackadaisical approach of the federal government in resolving the crises.
I took this shot, which I titled "
Cracks on a Wounded Wailing Wall", while I was in Jos (situated in Plateau State, Nigeria) and came across the ruins of a building that was destroyed during one of these crises. I felt that they were vestiges to the trauma behind these ordeals. In this particular wreckage, i attempted to initiate a seemingly endless journey through the window of the camera lens into the external window of the building that reveals a winding line of sight towards the heart of the crisis. In this visual context, the window assumes a metaphorical denotation which describes the subliminal pathway that transcends the physical; one that divulges a seeming omniscient route to the unseen. The telltale cracks are scars silently screaming out the pains the occupants may have experienced when the incident occurred; the physical, emotional and psychological wounds they may have incurred then. I am convinced, and i believe many will agree with me, that there is more to these conflicts that meet the eye. Understanding them and defining them realistically will take us a long way in resolving them.
