Last year, a group of creatives who formed the team for Borders Within I travelled across Nigeria for 46 days, documenting all their experiences in words and images with an aim to map diversity across regions and ethnic formations in Nigeria.

This year, the team comprising Borders Within II are again embarking on another remarkable trip across the country via another route; an attempt to complete the important work begun in 2016.

In an exclusive interview with Ventures Africa, Nengi Nelson who is one of the photographers involved in this project, tells us about some of her experiences so far and how this will impact her work as an artist. She also shares her essay titled A Little Light with us.

Ventures Africa (VA): Why did you join Borders Within II?

Nengi Nelson (NN): I joined borders within because I needed to be a part of something great, in this context, something great is the opportunity to tell the Nigerian story from a Nigerian perspective, and I’m ever grateful to have been selected among the participants.

VA: What does being a part of Borders Within II mean to you?

NN: Borders within II for me is a reset button, a reset button that lets me create art from a fresh perspective and across 12 cities.

VA: How does this compare to what you often work on or do as an artist or writer?

NN: As a photographer I’ve always had interests in documenting stories/peoples’ lives. This is a more massive platform for me to do what I enjoy doing.

VA:  In your opinion, what are some of the highlights of the trip so far?

NN: Being able to insert myself into the lives of people I would have most likely never met without this trip is a reccurring highlight.

VA: What are some of the new things you’ve learned or experiences you’ve gained from the trip thus far?

NN:  As a photographer, this trip has helped me look more critically at my images and see the people I photograph as more than subjects but people with stories that must be told through said images. This trip has given me more clarity as to the kind of images I should make .

VA: How has the trip influenced or changed your interaction across the visible and invisible borders you confront as a Nigerian?

NN: So far we’ve gone across 3 cities, Ibadan, Illorin and Minna, this trip has helped counter a lot of preconceived notions I had regarding the aforementioned cities.

A Little Light

I.

In a country where the motivation for a side-hustle is money, Mrs Adepeju formally referred to as coach is something of a rarity.

Tennis is not yet popular enough in Nigeria for anyone to pay top money for professional coaching. In the ten years since she started coaching, not a lot had changed. Still she did not deter, she yelled out instructions to her frail young students, directing the game to the best of her ability.  This was a common sight on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Friday’s at the Liberty stadium in Ibadan.

Her passion for Tennis started in 86′ as a love for the outfit the professional players wore, now, 20 years later she found her self coaching a young team- mostly made of girls – in tennis.

The girls do their best to follow her instructions, but their handling of the rackets although a bit sturdy still gave them off as newbies.

Ìmọ́lẹ̀

II.

Ìmọ́lẹ̀ is the exception though, she handles the racket in a way that seems like she has centuries of experience in her hands.

I watch her play the game with so much enthusiasm and can tell that on that court nothing else mattered, what ever little troubles she may have doesn’t matter, as she played the game intensely and without care of those of us watching her.

When the chance came up, I struck up a conversation.

“How long have you been playing for?”

“It’s 3 years now since I started playing”

Ìmọ́lẹ̀ and Team mates (L-R Praise and Adura)

3 years experience had won her the trust of her team mates- team mates whom I would later find out were her younger sisters- they let her call the shots and direct the mood of the game. This, she did proudly.

III.

Among the Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria, names carry special significance.

They’re more than parts of an identity; they’re most times an evidence of the hopes and expectations most parents have for their children.

There’s an old belief and a proverb that a good name paves way for a child. For “Ìmọ́lẹ̀” whose name actually translates to “light”, tennis and the court was an introduction to a new light.

All Images in this post are photographed by Nengi Nelson at the Obafemi Awolowo/ Liberty Stadium Ibadan. The essay was originally published here.