Kehinde W. Erinle my mother, I received grace beyond the imaginations of men the day I came into this world through you. My mother is literarily the deity that connects me to God, the one who intercedes on my behalf. My guardian, my provider, my protector, my inspiration, my role model and the absolute love of my life. Is my mum my favorite person in the world? No because it would be an insult to put her on the same plane as the rest of world. For me, my mother exists in a completely different plane and in that plane she is omni-everything.
My mum is so beautiful, her smile is heart warming and her aura is so soothing.
My mother has the biggest and kindest of hearts. She tries to love everybody, from immediate family members to a stranger she met on the side of the road at Ikotun market. The best part is she was probably at Ikotun market trying to buy me a G-shock watch that I most likely would not wear lmao. Every-time someone does something nice for me, I attribute it to my mom. I believe I’m benefiting from the good seeds she has sown and the good deeds she has done. I’ve only spent little time with my mom in the last ten years and it hurts so much. I wish she was there in real time to guide me and watch me, because I know deep down if that was the case I’d definitely be a much better person than I am today. I still turned out okay sha so calm your titties people.
Every good moral I have, every good hygiene I have, how I treat people, my approach to life and many other characteristics that have molded me into who I am today, all started with a foundation laid by my precious mother.
Even as I continue to grow, you have continued to pour into me and my prayer is that God rewards you, protects you, blesses you and grant you good health & long life to enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Thank you mum for allowing me come into this world through you. Thank you mum for all your guidance, advice and prayers.
Thank you mum for always protecting me. Thank you for allowing me spend your money.
Thank you mum for always listening & making me feel loved.
Thank you mum for existing, your presence in this world brings me peace.
Iya Tobi mo kira fun e. Orisha bi e o si.
I LOVE YOU MUMMY.
- Ayomide
B.O.B - “Based on Believe”.
I’m just attempting to translate my feelings and experience into words.
Believe is the ability to accept that something is true with or without proof. It is the act of having faith in ones self and the capabilities of ones abilities. One of the major reasons I am where I am and who I am today is believe. I Believe in myself and my abilities, I believe in what my future holds and more importantly than anything, I believe in the future and plans that God has ordained for my life.
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
There are days when it feels like nothing is working out, days where all I can think about is all the things that have gone wrong in my journey, lost in my thoughts for hours and sometimes crying over spilled milk. In those moments where I can not physically hold on to anything tangible or even think of an accomplishment that i deem worthy enough to bring me happiness, the only thing I am able to hold on to and I can guarantee will bring me positive energy is knowing that theres light at the end of the tunnel.
Last month was really tough, I didn’t photograph, I didn’t feel like going out, I didn’t write…I just couldn’t function properly. An opportunity that seemed fruitful and could have brought about a break through came along and then the opportunity seemed to just disappear into thin air. I’m currently still processing it and part of me wants to believe that it’ll resurface but I wont hold my breath on that. What I will do though is rejoice and give thanks for Life because I believe in the promises of God.
If you’ve been struggling, feeling like everything is going to shit, doubters all around you disrupting your peace, I’d like to leave you with this from one of my fav artists (Blackmagic)
“The prophecy is about to come through, just believe and keep cool”
-ayosama
Black History month..hmmmm. Much like most of the things that concerns the African-American community and the black diaspora at large, I never knew that such a thing existed until I moved to the USA in 2012. Fast forward few years later, at which point I had become slightly aware and little bit knowledgeable on some of the things that mattered to the African-American community through some college classes and minor interactions. The big question here though was how much did I care personally? the answer is little to nothing.
It didn’t concern me… I’m Nigerian, I’m African and my dad told me that the “Akatas”(Akata; a derogatory word used by Nigerians to describe African-Americans) describe were not to be associated with, even though he was married to and has kids with one.
More time went by and I continued to learn, I became interested but only for the sake of having the knowledge. There was a disconnect and a lack of personal interest. Then came photography, I am so happy I discovered this beautiful art form. Photography has given me so much that I am grateful for and one of them is that it became my gateway to having a personal connection to Black History. There have been various discussions on the significance/insignificance of Black history month and both side have some validity. I personally think its very important to have that particular period of time where we get to heighten our voices as black people, we get to be a little more of everything……expressive, joyous, louder, prouder in all things concerning black people. It’s a month to remember, respect, pay homage and learn about our ancestors who paved the way and contributed to where we stand as a people in society today. While the past is very important , our present and all the possibilities of our future is really what excites and connects me to this month.
Honestly this one has been underwhelming, I have not felt the Black history month spirit. At first I thought maybe cause I’m in the UK and they observe it in October but no, its because there are other things currently going on around us that the world deems more important. What I know for sure though is that in the heart of those who care, it was celebrated. Thats all that matters.
I told myself I would visit some museum/gallery exhibits that were centered around Black art and while I did not completely fulfill this, I did visit some and boy were they beautiful. S/O to Alero Helena(@aleroart_ on IG) for curating a list. Here are the ones I visited;
“The Prelude” by kehinde WIley at the National Galllery.
“Between Me and You” by Photographer Bernice Mulenga (@Burneece on IG) at HOME by Ronan Mckenzie.
“so terribly far to go” & “BLK MOVEMENT” by artist Josh Woolford (@jshwlfrd on IG) at HOME by Ronan Mckenzie.
As a photographer I am obligated to myself and my audience is to tell a story, convey a message, share an emotion through my images and my hope is that just like those who came before me, during my time here I can contribute my own 2cents to the history and future of my people.
-ayosama
