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Noble Conversations
We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones | A Noble Conversation with Omoregie Osakpolor
In this episode, we sit down with Omoregie Osakpolor, a documentary photographer and filmmaker whose storytelling offers a profound commentary on the intricate weave of societal fabrics.
He shares insights from his latest work, "We Speak Their Names in Hushed Tones," illustrating the perils and emotional turmoil that family members experience due to the lack of communication with loved ones (some for about 6 years) who migrate from Nigeria to Europe using the Mediterranean Sea. These loved ones are often killed by aquatic predators, detained for illegal migration, or taken as victims of human trafficking and very few of them actually make it to their destination. Because their loved ones have no idea where they are, they keep hoping to hear from them. This leads to grief, leaving a void filled with unanswered prayers and endless waiting.
Omoregie's work has been displayed at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, TX. He is also a recipient of multiple international awards including the Fashola Photography Foundation Prize.
So in this episode of Noble Conversations we will be featuring Omorigi. Omorigi is a storyteller, he's a filmmaker, he's a creative, but I think what he does is put an interesting twist on creative, because it's less about himself and more about what's going on around him. He uses filmmaking as an avenue to pretty much just tell the world about what's going on and through a creative aspect, and I think that's very beautiful because it takes the self out of art and I think once someone does that, once someone does it in a way that is really really well like it just goes crazy.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because he even likened him.
Speaker 3:He likened artists to medical doctors. It says that medical doctors diagnose problems or health issues with people, while artists diagnose uh problems or issues in society. I think that's just something that's very profound yeah, so, and, particularly speaking, he addresses things.
Speaker 1:Uh, he addresses this social and cultural injustice, as well as other things such as like migration, which is a crazy thing as well. You know, I'm saying he also did. Uh, he also has like a piece out. You know, yeah, he also has some pieces out regarding that and, quite honestly, opened up my eyes to a lot of things I probably didn't really consider. You know, I probably didn't even think of. I think what he did was open up a conversation that I didn't even think was really happening for real.
Speaker 3:You know, I mean, there are two things that come to mind as you say that. Right, one of them is his work. I think it's called.
Speaker 3:Uh, we speak their names in harsh tones yeah, so basically, it's a story of irregular migration occurring um in nigeria, where you have people in search of a better life right leaving their homes and attempting to go to Europe through the Mediterranean Sea. But there are three main things that happen when people you know attempt to use that route. One is they either get killed by aquatic predators. Two, they get detained by the Libyan government for illegal migration right. And then, three, they could also be taken as victims of human trafficking. And I think he tells that story in such a way that it highlights what's going on in Nigeria, yes, but it also highlights a larger story of immigration, because people migrate for different reasons Social, financial, security reasons and so he wants to make a conversation around migration something that is normal for people to talk about, but also addresses difficulties as it relates to immigration in different regions of the world, whether that's in the West East Africa everywhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I think that's really really smooth.
Speaker 2:I think it goes without saying that his work is recognized.
Speaker 1:I know you mentioned that he was just in Austin, here South by Southwest, south by Southwest yeah. Out in Amsterdam. He's receiving grants to fund his artwork and all that stuff, and I don't know. I think that's crazy. There's also an RX Prize finalist. Yeah, I don't know, I think that's crazy. There's also an RX Prize finalist. Yeah, rx.
Speaker 1:Prize I'm not sure if I'm saying that right. Yeah, there's the Feshola Photography Foundation Prize for his film Grey, nomination for Edwin George Prize for Photography at Future Africa Awards in 2017. So this man's been on a roll, it seems, since he picked up a camera.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I, I mean he's also been featured at like cnn, cnn, africa bbc, and, you know, I think, um, his work really speaks for itself. I mean, he has another project he's working on now called uh nation forgotten. So basically it's a story of Nigerians who have retired, whether it's voluntary or forcefully retired, but have not been receiving their pensions for decades, I think in hundreds of billions of naira, which is equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars, and so he tells his story through photography, showing how this has affected the livelihoods of people. And so I think he's a phenomenal artist and, you know, definitely excited to have this conversation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, yeah, noble conversation, noble conversation, exactly, exactly.
Speaker 3:One of the things I saw, one of the quotes I saw from your previous interview I think it was your channel's tv, uh was which I'll just go ahead and read. It says a photographer is like a medical doctor to society you diagnose society's ailments. By doing that, you're trying to cure society's sickness. So tell us more like as a photographer, visual storyteller, like what sickness are you trying to cure?
Speaker 2:you know, I don't okay. Yeah, sickness is like, in that context, of course, like a metaphor, metaphor for like, for everything wrong with us as a people, you know, as humans, especially youths, and when we are like this is the part of supposed to be, when we begin to move this way, you know, that becomes like a sickness, you know. And when, um, everyone has moved this way and we create a system that basically puts some people this other way, at the bottom, that's sickness. Sickness, you know.
Speaker 2:So, like the arts, artists, in like from time immemorial, like I've always been like the watch to us, like those watchmen, rather, are the watch to us, you know, saying, you know, hey, look, there's people here.
Speaker 2:They were supposed to be, like, be with us, but why are they not here, you know, and because we uh, sometimes people, those people being there might just be like a work of some few individuals amongst all of us that we don't even know because we're all busy with ourselves. I know that busy with all that things, because, you know, and then we forget we don't even know another. So the arts has always been like, uh, artists have always pointed us to the right parts that we should go as a society and and and as humans. You know so generally, whether, like you, you, you accept it or not, it's just what it is. You know, art is responsible for basically how we see the world and how you see the next human being and, yes, to a large extent, how you see yourself it has music the music, you listen to the films, you watch the photographs.
Speaker 2:You see you. You look at the ads the ads you see on billboards as you move around for day-to-day life, the ads you listen to on the radio, and all that. Those are like works of artists, like the designs, the architecture, the architectural, like buildings, and all that you see in your cities, and all that, the influence that you behave, and now you see the world, now you see the next person. So, yeah, so that's actually what I meant by when I said, uh, arts as photographers or whatever, what are your? This photography or any art form you choose to use to express yourself, you're basically doing the same thing, you know, which is, of course, diagnosing society of its sickness and pointing it out for treatment.
Speaker 1:I think that's actually very profound. I feel like when I started to first get into creativity and creative ways of expression and so on and so forth, a lot of people would express and talk about art just from the lens of self. A lot of it would be self-expressive. You know what I'm saying? Art is an expression of self, an expression of this, but I think you're probably the first person to me to actually hit it on the head from that different perspective, as if creatives they're like the watchers you know what I'm saying and stuff like that. They highlight problems and diagnose problems within society to expose it in such a way, to you know, as to bring it into the limelight in a way. And I think that's very profound and I think that's something that's most definitely seen within your work.
Speaker 3:So it's like you see something in society and you're like, okay, what's like something's wrong here, let's fix it. Um, I really, I really like that approach. Also, you mentioned film, um shortly, as one one, uh, aspect of artistic expression. So, um, the work that I think you you were in austin for recently was we speak their names in hushed tones. Um, and I think it's a virtual reality film focused on highlighting the plight of family members who have loved ones that you know suffered from issues as a result of irregular migration. I think one of the things you mentioned that usually happens when people leave through the Mediterranean Sea to Europe is it's either they get, you know, taken or killed by aquatic predators, or, you know, they're detained by the Libyan government or human trafficking, and very few actually make it to their land of destination right. So for you creating we Speak their Names in Horsetones, what's the story behind that? What inspired you to tell that story of those families?
Speaker 2:We Speak their Names in Horsetones is a documentary project. It's kind of a multidisciplinary documentary project. This is the first time I'm basically going to be experimenting with different kinds of art forms all fused into one. You know photography, installation and virtual reality, you know, and it's a story about, uh, migration, but taught from the point of view of family members this time around.
Speaker 2:So it looks at, um, um, irregular migration, you know, from the point of view of family members left behind, family members who have lost communication with their relatives, who were trying to migrate to Europe through, of course, through regular routes, and at some point the laws tortured them.
Speaker 2:Ever since, they've not heard from them and they still believe that they'll come back someday to them and they're somewhere, that someday they'll come back home. So the work explores the psychological effects the absence is having on these families back home in the adult states. I started from adult states doesn't mean that, so I say something about adult states and all that. When you there's a lot of young people. It's not peculiar to the states, though, but what is called to the States, though, you know, but what is called research basically shows statistics, shows that, okay, like you will find a lot of young people that are trying to like go over to Europe through regular routes and all that you know. So the works have basically like exposed that, that that effect that you know that the absence is having on those families back home.
Speaker 2:You know, some of them have gone about six, seven years not hearing from their loved ones, you know, and they still hope. So the work tries to explore. You know how that's actually like, affecting their mental health and all that because it is not um, um something, because they don't, they don't really come out, because they can't actually, um, seek legal means to look for this, um, yeah, these missing relatives, you know. You know this mission is because, for fear of either be stigmatized or being persecuted, you know, because it's actually like against the law in Nigeria for you to um, knowingly, you know, partake in the trafficking of your, your child or your relative. You know it's against the law, so when you're caught you're persecuted. But however, you know, however, most of these young people leave without even telling their families, you know, they just get there somewhere and then they'll call this is where I am now. I need money to pay and then get on this boat and get into Europe and all that. So that's it is for most of the family members, you know. So, for fear of whether I'll be persecuted or stigmatized or they don't get to speak out, so they just basically um, um, grief in, in isolation, you know, in isolation, you know, and in isolation.
Speaker 2:So, because you know what this does, when, um, you don't have closure, it's like an open wound, like the heart. That's how the heart is, when the heart is, when the heart, yeah, when the heart is actually like has been battered, and then there is really, and there's still like no closure. It's like it's like a battered heart, is like an open wound, you know, without any kind of closure. And closure comes if you look at the stages of grief. Alright, the stages of grief is until you get to the last stage, which is acceptance, that you get closure. Without acceptance, you don't even start, you don't talk about the healing process. You know. So, for most, they haven't. They are still in them, they're still, they're still hoping. That's, that's what hope does you know, and they'll cause the. Why shouldn't they hope when there's really no evidence? No evidence, not even a cloth?
Speaker 2:you need to bring back the cloth to say, okay, this was the cloth, the cloth you wore or this was, or it like there's nothing really to say, this person is truly dead or this person is locked up somewhere, you know. So that basically gives them hope, you know, and of course, then that hope again is foiled by their religious belief. You know, they, they, they see pastors and they see visions and they see traditional like witch doctors who see visions, who see these persons are alive and this person is going to come back someday, and all that. And then they believe so much. We are pretty spiritual people as Africans, we believe so much in spirituality. We believe so much that nothing happens ordinarily and has to be true that it's spiritual and has been taught about spirituality. So because of that, there's so much of that that some of these realities will come back someday. So that's basically what the work like, explores.
Speaker 3:So one of my like goal okay. Yeah, I was just going to ask, like I don't know if you have the answer to this, but what percentage of people actually make it to their destination, of the people that travel?
Speaker 2:um, actually, I might not, I might not have all the all the like the statistics in my head right now, all right, but the treaties, right, majority of the people that are basically basically live home, all right, do not actually cross over to europe. They just they cross over to Europe. They just they, they. They end up in most in African countries, actually, in some countries, yeah Right, even though the media doesn't actually talk much about that like, the largest percentage actually don't cross over to Europe. They end up settling down in East African countries, all right, some of them. It starts by hoping that, okay, let me just stay and raise funds so I can actually be able to raise enough money to cross over, you know, but after a while they just see that we're actually living a good life here, so why basically go over there? And they just stay, you know, so we actually have a lot of like, a lot like a large percentage of people who live to actually move, like through, to move over to europe and like like, uh, ending that journey in these african countries. Sometimes some people make it to the end. They come back because better than they left, you know, um, some, of course, I of course don't make it. It's just just like it is naturally with life. Everyone will succeed. But if you look at the percentage and all that, quite a large amount of percentage actually basically make it.
Speaker 2:There's a need for us to basically understand ourselves, understand the need. Why do people move? Why do people move? I don't think that has been. I think the media is really not the mainstream media especially, is really not doing justice to it. You know, yeah, for reasons, you know, of course, for reasons obvious to everyone. You know, you know that creates some kind of fear about migrants coming over to want to take over jobs, take over our jobs, take over our distance, stuff, like that, you know. So, you know, all we really need is like people coming, people like like coming over to there's a, there's a really never really been like this. There's this fear, like the mystery that creates. You know so, for me, like I want to use the work to like, basically for us to like have discussions on migration, you know, and ask ourselves, okay, why do people move? You know.
Speaker 2:And then, of course, but this time around, I want you to see beyond those statistics, beyond those nameless faces and orange-vested black bodies and black people and Arabs and Asians and then you see on TV and all that, and then look at their names and see them as people. They have families back home. Just like you, they had aspirations and they wanted to, like they left home to make home better, you know. So these are like just like you. They have dreams and all that and of course, that is actually okay to move.
Speaker 2:So what we need, the problem actually is safe passage. You know, no human should be told you can't go beyond here. This is where you can go, this is where you can go to All right In God, in God's own earth. So you can. Basically what we need is like countries like Western countries, basically like create safe passage of humans, you know, but of course, through the visa policies, make traveling safer and cheaper, you know, and then you won't have people going through that route.
Speaker 2:Even if you have all your money today, like you really want, like even if you want to, as somebody coming from Nigeria, for instance, even if you have something genuine to come do over there and all that, the process is still very tedious and it's created in a way that it is meant to frustrate you, you know. So when you're frustrated, when, even when you have the money, it is still difficult, all right, and then there's a cheaper option. So what? What? What are you left? What are you going to do? So so the whole, the whole thing is basically for both falls down, falls on on the table of the Western government, the EU. Of course. It's happening too in America with the whole Mexican crossings and all that, and of course, we all need to know that migration is natural. It's as old as man and a lot of Americans, do you know, a lot of young Americans, are migrating from America right now, but it is not it is not news.
Speaker 2:It is not news because, of course, it's America. I was in Portugal recently, sometime last year, and although I like to find a lot, of, a lot of Americans in those Portuguese villages buying properties and all that and they are buying properties there in Southern Europe, they're living, moving to, they're all moving to Europe it doesn't make the news, but it's the same thing. People leave for different reasons. Man moves when he doesn't feel, when he feels this place is going to be, when he doesn't feel safe anymore, when he feels that his children will not have, would not actually. Or, for instance, oh my, I don't want to start raising a family yet. Put my child in school and the next like, I'll be somewhere working, and then the next thing I've seen on TV, my child has been shot by some young guy with a gun. You know.
Speaker 1:So for that reason.
Speaker 2:I don't think I want to raise my family in America. I, a lot of them, are moving. I've seen a lot of them. I've seen like a lot of Americans moving to Europe. It's not making the news why it's America. You know it becomes a problem when you want to move as a black person, you know so. The visa process is so cubasome. Even as an artist, as an artist, even as an artist, even when I have something that I want to go to somewhere, you tell me I can't go because I need to prove this, I need to prove that, I need to prove this, I need to do that and all that. So, yeah, so the problem is like it's a policy problem that falls on the table of the Western government. You know so, of course. So my goal is I want to take a walk around and have discussions, especially with young people, because I so much believe in the power of young people, you know, to demand change.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we wholeheartedly agree with you. We wholeheartedly agree with you. One thing that we place emphasis on with Noble Conversations is reconciling and reconnecting those within the diaspora with the home country. And so you mentioned something about migration and you mentioned something about why do people want to leave, and I, I, I've done I often ask myself the question why don't people want to go back? You know, um, and I just, I, I really do, I really do resonate with you when you also mention that you just want to have that discourse and get those conversations. Thank you,