LEMONADE FROM LEMONS


At 21, I took freelance gigs as a newbie photographer; the money from which was swallowed up by my aged mother's medical bills. Frustrated, I had planned to quit.

It was on one of such days returning from my hustle that I ran into a group of EndSARS protesters. For the love of photography and not wanting to let the moment slide, I quickly dug into my bag, got my camera and captured as many frames as I could.

Later that night in my small room, I switched on my broken laptop and buried myself into editing the pictures; it was all I could do to keep my passion for photography alive and distract myself from the misery that had become my life.

1:39am, I was done. Like I'll always do, I logged into my Unsplash account and uploaded the freshly edited images. I had set up the account chiefly to earn passive income but it now only served as my portfolio with zero earnings.

I also decided to share the pictures to my social media accounts. 'Perhaps,' I thought, 'it will be my small way of supporting the struggle.'

Selecting four of the best images, I shared them across twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #WeShootToKeepMemoriesAliveNotToKillDreams and #ForFemi

Femi Adewale like most hardworking Nigerian young men was a victim of police brutality during his NYSC days. My first love.

If any good came out of the EndSARS protest, it would be an Instagram notification three months after the dust of the protest had settled and a new scandal had replaced the infamous tollgate massacre. It was a DM from MC TokinMachine; a popular Nigerian Skitmaker. One of the pictures I had shared captured him hauling into a megaphone with a stained Nigerian flag raised in one hand.

He offered me a paid role as his personal photographer which marked the beginning of a new chapter for me.

"I'm Amina Maikori" I announced "today I'm 25 and excited to unveil my brand AM'Details a 21st Century photography outfit revolutionizing the creative landscape across Africa." The crowd thundered in applause.

Photo Credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-wearing-a-face-mask-with-the-word-soro-soke-written-on-it-5ibsX1Ewh7M

Comments

  1. Anonymous2 March 2024 at 10:44

    It's an inspiring story. Thanks for sharing it with us. May we stand for truth and justice.

    ReplyDelete

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