We have Arrived in Accra and Journey continues.

IB team at the "circle bus stop" in Accra. Photo by Ray Daniels Okeugo

Pandji’s home on Osu Badu Street is an art collector’s delight and a haven for artistic souls. Upon our arrival at the gate, we are welcome by a concert of barking dogs that cause Emeka and Chriss to race back to into the safety of Snowwhite. “A Doberman! And other dogs!” they gush excitedly. Dogs?! Some are frightened and others become upbeat. “I love dogs!” declares Unoma as she walks into Pandji’s premises with confidence. It must be true; the athletic Doberman gives her a tail wagging welcome after a few initial barks and allows Unoma to rub its nose in a tentative, then playful manner. “The trick is never to look a strange dog in the face when it approaches you. Simply stand fearlessly still, cast your eyes away and stretch your hand out slightly for it to smell. No dog will attack you except it is maniacally groomed” Unoma asserted. As someone who has always loved dogs only in their harmless puppyhood, I am impressed how so easy, through this simple information, to cross the invisible borders of fear and befriend any dog.

We enter. We do our introductions, meet the house members. Nana, Pandji’s brother is an artist who owns a gallery on the ground floor. He urges us to come soon to explore his art and space. I glean beautiful creations from the gallery as we mount the steps. We move upstairs and into the house. The floor is made of solid wood panels, the walls inside of redbrick. Traditional African masks hang on the wall of the sitting room. Soon we learn that this house runs a no-shoes policy even in the bathroom! What? No shoes? No slippers, even? Hypochondriac alarms begin to ring, but it is needless. Pandji’s shoefree floors are as clean as clean comes-even more so the bathroom. The décor is arty and minimalist in a gruff masculine way. Nothing is standing anywhere that isn’t functionally needed.

"Finding Rest Series" a continuation of Uche Okpa-Iroha's project at Panji's house in Accra

Some of us fall immediately into conversation with the easy-going Pandji about our journey and an adventurer of some sort himself, he gives us the highs and lows of the Abidjan and Burkina routes but says he finds the Burkina option more artistically satisfying. He is full of praises for the late Thomas Sankara for his positive influence on Burkina Faso, and Africa within his short tenure as leader.

It turns out that Pandji is the free-spirited producer of “Cos ov moni”, a recently released movie shot in Accra in which Wanluv the Kubolov, the half Ghanaian , half Romanian musician featured. Posters of this work adorn the street just before the boutique of Mudi, the popular Nigerian dressmaker who serves the sartorial tastes of some of Ghana’s leaders. Wanluv, the helpful and friendly Tacitus K. Yabani, (Tacitus for short), the dark and smiley Mosquito who claims to speak Chinese, and the diminutive Motia are all members of a musical band produced by Panji’s company, Luu Vision Productions.

We also meet Hasira, who occupies a wing of the Osu Badu Road house with his wife and children. Hasira is an African-American who came visiting to Africa 10 years ago and immediately took to Accra and made it home. His daughter, a home schooled teenager recently earned high points and a space at the prestigious School of Dance run by Debbie Allen in California based on her local dance repertoire all learnt from right inside Accra here. A positive heart-warming story. Hasira says has had rough experiences at the border too, including waiting at the Togo end for all of 16 hours ‘cos ov moni” or on account of his unwillingness to give it! We are glad not to have experienced this sort of long drawn outlandish delay, but we recall our return journey at the same frontier in 2009 where some officials tried real hard to intimidate a certain gentleman who had arrived with the stream of traders, through shameless shouts, vicious eye-opening, rude finger pointing - all be‘cos ov moni”. The bedlam was enormous and we could hardly get a word in edgewise that they pleeeeaaase, look at our passports and let us through. When their superior officer came to check the cause of the bedlam and noticed our tired faces and cameras as we stood in the corner, we were let through immediately by the graft-wresting duo who gasped in Frenchified English, Journalistes? Journalistes? You should have said so!, as they ushered us with frightened kindness across the counter.’ We remember and laugh.

We fellowship late into the night with some of these wonderful, people, till our bodies demand a rest.

By Adenike Ojeikere

IB Team now in Lomé

IB team in front of the Independence Square in Lome, Togo. Photo by the Togolese artist Pierre Segoh

Hotel Ghis gives us the much needed solace and a chance to collate our photos and compose our thoughts. It is becoming something of a home away from home for us, an invisible border on the Lome- Togo stretch that says ‘comfort is here’, and we are always willing to cross it into welcoming arms. Even our harried tempers and smoldering fumes of grievances from a few of us at the Suya (charcoal-roasted strips of beef) spot are assuaged by the anointing of hospitality at the Ghis Palace.

Refreshed and positive-minded, we launch yet again onto the road. The beach is to our left, cool and welcoming. We spot landmarks that are now becoming more familiar. Cameras are clicking away but for some of us not so close to the windows, things are moving in a rapid blur. No matter, from the blur, art shall come! Memories and reminiscences of our 2009 journey swish around the bus, like a cool drink in glass as our bus meanders its way around the streets of Lome towards the Lome Accra border.

Pierre Segoh, a friend of Emeka’s, a Togolese artist joins us at a roadside bukka that Amaize and Chriss have spotted. Cameras are clicking away at a huge log of pile nearby. People are drawing nigh. Chriss bowls the guys over by offering them cigarettes which they receive with gladness. The bukateria is selling okra laced heavily with uncut greens and half-cooked onions, akume, a local corn meal, pounded yam/cassava foofoo, and goat peppersoup, the fat-encumbered pieces standing like solitary islands in the sea of pepper sauce. One look at the fatty goat pieces and Lucy escapes right back to the bus to find solace in two massive mangoes she bought on the roadside. Chriss, the adventurous eater, has already wolfed down half the goat pieces in his peppersoup ( his starter) assisted by Chidinma and is now taking his foofoo laden bowl (main course)to a corner. Nike devours the ‘togo okra soup’ and pounded foofoo in a flash and races back to the bus to wipe off the unfamiliar taste with a drink of soda. Others take their turns and the foofoo becomes more expensive with each subsequent serving because an interpreter has come to lend his unsolicited services to the bukateria woman. Hmn!

We head off, looking for a detailed map of West Africa to help us better plan our journey. We drive through ‘Governmental Lome’ with its buildings that stand in intimidating official grandeur. We stop at Independence square and ask the soldiers sitting nearby if it is alright to take photos. Pas de problem, so we do. There are glossy pictures of old and new Togolese rulers in a line up at in the Square; and one couldn’t help but wonder if this honour was truly given by the people or wrested from the people by the rulers, African rulership style… and why governance in Africa is so much about the billboards of rulers in the streets. Thoughts for another day…

We drive to the artisanal quarters where we explore the area. Little Joel, son of one of the traders takes a liking to our bus and begins to clamber up and down its steps…. A little while after we move on, and in no time, we are at the Lome-Accra border. We sight the money changer that tried to fleece us the last time we came here, dressed nicely in a crisp Kenté print shirt looking really innocent. We haggle with him, just for the fun of it, to see if he has changed his ways. He behaves true to his greedy nature and tries to sell us less Cedis with more CFA. When we hit out at him with fierce yet friendly fire reminding him of his last misadventure, he remembers… but insists now that ‘me no be bad guy o, this time, I go treat you fine”. Indeed, as though a leopard ever was able to change his spots!

We leave the Togo-side in a breeze and move over to the Accra side of the border. An inexplicable sense of relief takes over even though we eventually spend well over two hours at the border. We note a group of foreigners who are on a charity road trip to South Africa for Ein Herz für Kinder; so announced their t-shirts. They have secured four little Kia cars kitted to the hilt for safari travel and are doing their border clearance. We are excited to see fellow pilgrims doing something akin to our project, so we (two of us) attempt to strike up a conversation to share experiences but they are stand-offish and one of them doesn’t even acknowledge a simple civil greeting from one of us. Talk about the uncharitable doing a roadtrip for charity!

A pleasant mannered Ghanaian gentleman, and customs official, Kizito Jibanyite soon wipes off the sour taste of the Germans’ rudeness. Whilst we conduct the clearance, we express our surprise about the needless bottlenecks West Africans have to face as they pass move across borders, and seek his opinion on the safety issues in travelling through Cote d’Ivoire. He takes time to explain the pros and cons of West Africa’s colonial experience and the spinoffs that have impacted on the free movement of Africans across borders, and assures us that the conflict in Cote d’ Ivoire is in abeyance and the roads safe to travel. He wishes us a safe journey and we are impressed yet again at the civility of Ghanaian officials at the border. We clear ourselves and our vehicle and enter Ketu South in Ghana a short while after. The sun is going home to roost, throwing reflective shine upon the solitary pools of water hedged around by grass on both sides of the road. It looks like a beautiful wasteland. I remember the poet, TS Elliot and the Wasteland…

The road seems just the same and in some parts, appears to have worsened in condition, until we discover that the road is being expanded and rebuilt from further up, towards Ketu. Ghanaian efficiency seems at work again. We head up the straight road to Tema, past Lakleviobu, Nogokpo, Kikor, Agbozume. A sign warns: ‘Don’t drive tired, break the drive and stay alive’. I thank God that we have been breaking our drive with stops in capital cities to make pictures, interact and network.

Awalavi comes to sight and soon we reach the customs checkpoint at Dabale, cross the Lower Volta Bridge, hit Sokpa and on, on, on, and on we drive through Tema, straight into Accra where we are received warmly, kindly and fraternally by a Panji Anoff, a friend of Unoma’s brother and artistic director of Pedgin Music and Luu Vision Productions, whom she called up just a few minutes away from Accra, and his wonderful brethren- Nana, Wanlov the Kubulov, Hasira, Tacitus, Mosquito, and the lovely Twi Sistren named Sexy Motia. These blessed people literally evacuate the comfort of their living space to accommodate our travel weary selves at virtually no notice and we cannot but be truly grateful to them and God, as we have been so much blesed. Exciting details coming soon… watch this space!

Images from Cotonou

"Why The Tie?" by Chidinma Nnorom

"Here comes Snow White" by Lucy Azubuike

"Here is Wole - Here is the Audience" at the "Espace Tchif in Cotonou. Photo by Amaize Ojeikere

"No harrassment" by Adenike Ojeikere

"Phantom" by Ray Daniels Okeugo

"Making Head or Tail of food" by Unoma Giese

"White Cross" by Emeka Okereke. village near Agatogbo on the highway between Grand Popo and Hillaconji.

"Untiled photo" by Charles Okereke. Cotonou.

"Untitled" by Charles Okereke. Tokpa Xoxo, cotonou.

"Finding Rest" by Uche Okpa-Iroha. Central City of Cotonou

"Finding Rest" one of Uche Okpa's conceptual creations he sets out to explore during this trip. Central city of Cotonou.

"Shine Shine Bobo". Near Seme Border Cotonou. Photo: Emeka Okereke

Images from Lomé

"Untitled 2" by Charles Okereke. Lomé, Togo.

"Untitled" by Charles Okereke. Lome, Togo

"Iseku" by Ray Daniels Okeugo

"Payer avant de Manger" by Ray Daniels Okeugo. Bld du 13 Janvier, Lome

"Finding Rest Series" by Uche Okpa Iroha. Ave. du 13 Janvier, Lomé.

"The sky and The Earth Underneath" by Amaize Ojeikere

"Clusters-Crack" by Amaize Ojeikere

"Strength In Numbers" by Emeka Okereke

"Lakpo" by Emeka Okereke

"Bus in Flight" by Emeka Okereke

"Highway Concern" by Chidnma Nnorom

"Ghis Chic" by Adenike Ojeikere

"We Said It" by Lucy Azubuike

"No Shaking" by Lucy Azubuike

IB Team arrives in Cotonou by Adenike Ojeikere

IB 2010 team at the "Salon Africain du Design" in Cotonou,Benin just few minutes after their arrival. Photo by Van Der Belen of Artisttik Africa magazine

10 of us… you know our names already. We arrive in trickles, Chriss and Unoma first, and others gradually after. We rustle the stately quietude of Thorborn Street, site of Frame Shop Extra , our agreed meeting point. We laugh, we hug, we greet, we change into our swanking new tees, we paste our posters, ‘ginger the ginger plays in the bus, we stow our luggage and photo gears. Curious passerbys, regular Lagosians, draw near, in unuttered wonder- even Mrs Opral Benson, the famed Iya Oge of Lagos herself, draws near the gate near where we are packed, giving us a matured lookover from a safe distance as she makes phone calls from her office premises, Questions? Questions?? From the passersby heading to work this usual Lagos morning. Who are we, what is happening, where are we headed? Questions? Questions??We explain our mission, hand them a postcard or poster, ask them to follow us on www.invisible-borders.blogspot.com- as you are doing now. We set off, pick up Uche from the Egbeda end for Uche.

Fusion of Life/Clusters interest, Chriss’s focus is migration, Lucy said her angle remained invisible to her for the moment, Unoma will focus on “Women, Water, Waste and Food. Chidinma will focus on People and the Environment, Dan was said his ideas were still stewing, Emeka’s intent is “In between the Signs” and Nike’s ideas are wrapped in the muse of silence…

We go past the Agbara junction, sight incoming cars carrying on forced conversations with the ‘grey uniformed men’. We are glad not to be in their path just yet. We anticipate the journey in our patriotic Ford Van: all white, with black tinted windows lined with strips of Nigerian green. We christen it SnowWhite. No Black Maria’s this time. Amen!

The road to Seme is no longer crater-ridden; the make-up kit of the Lagos State government has reached here. Glistening black asphalt has filled the yawning pockmarks on the face of the road…even the road to the Cemetary in the outskirts of Badagry is ‘finding rest’! 

The coast is near. I glimpse a small body of water surrounded by conspiring palm trees. The waters are sedate, but it allows a mild ruffle by the wind. We go past Hamonica Galleria, past a place declaring itself as ‘Port Vegas’. The trees become less conspiratorial, permitting the open embrace of the sea. Grey uniformed officials distort the rhythm of view; Hmmnn! I site the sea, its furthermost reaches a distant mist. A hut there, a shack here, and some palm trees draw near the road in a showy display of vanity. They needn’t have bothered; their leaves are sunburnt to a yellowed green.

We are at the Seme border now with the throng of people, going, coming, selling, and the border officials watching, questioning, checking. The sun is blazing hot outside. Emeka, Dan, Uche and Chriss are our Border Liaison Officers. They disappear with passports and documents into the long mauve-brown building to our right. The group’s resolve is to pay only official fees- not a penny more. We wait. Unoma is sitting quietly, Chidinma is drinking in the scene, Lucy is driving a hard bargain with the biscuit seller, Charles is watching. Amaize is in going in and out of a snooze, Nike is scribbling stuff in a jotter and the Nigerian Customs is welcoming travelers, informing them about port administration and processes, urging them not to patronize touts, in English, Ibo, Yoruba Egun and Pidgin English, in a played back message! We notice the innovation and commend the effort.

The guys arrive in about an hour (a fraction of the time we spent in here 2009) asking for posters and postcards to give to the border personnel. Chriss then regales us with their experience at the fees office. They had made it clear that we must receive receipts for every transaction at al borders for accountability to our sponsors and even the ECOWAS Secretariat in Abuja. This information had forced the hand of would be extortionists, willy-nilly. We are in stitches: ‘no more falling mugu at the border!’ declares Charles, aka Charlie Opo. Things then move on to the ridiculous: Chriss receives a surprising text message from Zain on his MTN line alerting him that his message box is full, and requesting him to edit off old text messages! More laughter erupts and as it subsides, we settle into private silences contemplating what awaits us in Cotonou…

Cotonou Chronicles
Salon du Design

After a courtesy visit to the French Cultural Centre, where we meet with Geraldine Denza a staff of the Centre and a friend of the group, we set off to the Chinese Commercial Centre site of the Salon Du Design Art Exposition. One of us remarks on the aggressive incursion of the Chinese into the African countries. Conversation then streams around this. Simon Njami is right at the door as we enter! We receive a warm welcome. We had been together at the Bamako Biennale in November during the IB2009 trip. We explore the space. Jose Marie Crespin has lovely beadwork on display beautifully strung together from fishbone, stones, sea-shells, brass, native chalk, coral, and gold, silver. Aisa Dioune has ethnic chic bags, furniture, drapes throw pillows made from the loveliest woven fabrics. She makes brisk business as the women throng her space for a piece of beauty. Dominique Kouassi’s designs paintings and metal works display. Cameroonian Njoya Njimah Ahmodou has an awesome collection of traditional and classical-contemporary art from Congo, Zaire, Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Mali, and Cameroon on display in four stands. Asked about the acquisition process, he called it, ‘terribly difficult work’ but artistically rewarding. Serge A.T. Mikpon aka “Aston” has fabricated an intriguing 24piece set of objet d’art evolved from throw-away item, bound together by wires and metal: a pole vaulter, drummer, guitarist, violinist, two emergency rescue workers carrying a patient, a turtle, a mask and other ‘creatures’ made from disused spoons, helmet, drinking straws, slippers, plastic receptacles, toothbrushes, flask and every imaginable ‘rubbish’ one can imagine. We make pictures, do our first line on this trip, and befriend fellow photographers, artists and culture workers and then, Kajero, our guide, leads us to a refreshing meal laced a short distance from the road.

IB 2010 team at the Salon Africain du Design with Simon Njami

Espace Tchif

After a breakfast at a road side “quick service restaurant” Rafiy Okefolahan, a photographer at the French Cultural Centre Cotonou whom we had met at the Bamako Biennale, the pleasant Fabiola Dadoi – an authentic African Romanian or Romanian African, if you like- with Kajero, lead us to Rue face Cine Vog where Espace Tchif stands solidly in artistic glory. Art and modern Africanity ooze from Espace Tchif, an artistic space that is boldy crossing invisible borders drawn by colonialism and asserting its independence from the herd mentality. It is where Kajero works. Espace Tchif is a privately run cultural centre featuring an exhibition space, theatre, bar and administrative offices, akin to Terra Kulture in Lagos. Its gatekeepers are heroic world icons like Leoplold Sedar Senghor, Che Guvera, Amilcar Cabral, Ogyesefo Kwame Nkrumah, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and others whose blue-toned pictures adorn the gates. When they let you in, you encounter Fela in his youthful aura, then a little later Kongi himself, Nobel Laurete Wole Soyinka, stares at you with feline fierceness from across the wall of the open air theatre. You are in great company that gets even better when you met the Chief who is Tchif, an unapologetic and positive representation of ‘I’m black and proud’. What was the inspiration for this lovely place? A need to put Africa in African Art, rather than the dictates of non-African art patrons and culture workers, he says. Espace Tchif is his way of finding his own artistic independence and being a contributor in the emergence and evolution of artistic independence of other emergent African artists. Today, the musician Dibi Dobo is holding a press briefing at Espace Tchif to announce his new work to the world.

‘Kaka Beach’
Karejo leads us, (we are joined by Morris, and friends), to a poor settlement by the beach right behind the white and whitewashed building of Cotonou Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Industry is truly happening in the slum settlement- a collage of wooden shacks with rusty roof work. The women of this place are smoking mackerel in dozens which will then be hawked around the town. Lucy and Nike buy 8 pieces for two thousand CFA and hope it makes some difference in this woman’s economy. We meander through the settlement meeting all manner of people: some are friendly, some hostile, some simply want ‘largent l’argent (money) even for a picture of their puppies! Behind this settlement which I jocularly named the Kaka Beach Resort is the vibrant beach, its turquoise waters playing ‘catch-me’ with ‘beachcombers’. Many beachcombers are actually; pardon me, s-it bombers. Kaka is the local word for excrement. There is no sewage system in this poor settlement so the inhabitants, both young and old defecate right on the beachside. The beachside is also their refuse dump- a two-pronged insult to the otherwise beautiful waters. The irony is that the white buildings of the Commerce building, all spick and span, form the foreground, or background depending on where you stand, this environmental disaster. On our part, we simply make pictures, trying to draw out the beauty in the beast. They tell the story much more than a thousand words…

"Fish Tail" by Ray Daniels-Okeugo.

Foundation Zinsou

From Kaka Beach, we go to the market and then head for rarefied ambience of the Foundation Zinsou where the exhibition Le Recreation is holding. Here we meet Aston again; his work Le Diplomate (2009) is on display. The diplomat’s body is made from discarded water-hose, a broken chair leg serves as his tie, a broken plastic receptacle his hat, and other odds and ends complete the get up. Bruce Clarke’s ‘Mante (2004) and Memoire Vivre (2005) are also on display. Dominique Zinkpe’s (2009)installation showing handprints and foot prints which then blend into his mounted painting on the wall is quite interesting to see; as is the late George Lilanga’s Sans Titre.( 2002) whose works are of the Jean Piggozi Collection. Lilanga has crossed the invisible border of mortality but his works remains immortal. Here again, we encounter Tchif’s Qui Vevra Verra (2009), a bold installation featuring a transparent mannequin whose torso is filled with literal junk. Mill wraps, coffecans, cigarette packs, haircomb and broken phones. His arms are metal, trousers cement/metal, he wears an oxygen mask and is revving away on a silver bike. An opaque shopping bag hangs from his handle bars but is made to seem transparent. Inside the bag are groceries amidst which is hidden a gun! Upstairs, Tchif’s painting Le parcour des margouillat (The Lizard’s Path) are on display along with other wonderful works by other artists.

Well fed on fine art, we take our leave and go across borders to Togo where the boys at the border give us the usual welcome and we play our ECOWAS is-awaiting-our -receipts trump card. As indeed they are. (Ahem!) But not before saying thank you to our friends at the Cotonou French Cultural Centre whose fraternity we are grateful to have enjoyed.

Oiuda, Cocotomey, Grand Popo, Agoue, Agoivoudou, and so on… and then we arrive Lome and head for the plush rooms of the Hotel Ghis Place, for a well deserved rest.

Invisible Borders 2010, another journey of courage by Nigerian photographers

The team of Invisible Borders 2010 are ready to take off for this year's edition. It has been quite a struggle, especially considering that we only had 5 months after the trip in 2009 to organise for this one. Our plan was to move on to a bigger agenda, so unlike the first trip, we decided to call for support and sponsorship from various organisations, but with a firm resolution never to allow this vision be affected by the shot-comings of the funding organisations. We are very grateful for those organisation who answered our call, the value of your support can never be over- emphasized.

As for those who could not contribute, we hope you see the need to do so in 2011 or 2012. But whatever happens, this vision will continue to be alive.

I want to use this opportunity to thank these brave Nigerian artists (Amaize Ojeikere, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Uche James-Iroha, Lucy Azubuike, Charles Okereke, Uche Okpa-Iroha, Chidimma Nnorom, Emeka Okereke, Adenike Ojeikere, Unoma Geise and Chriss Aghana Nwobu)who despite the internal challenges on our profession, were able to severe themselves from the daily hustle and bustle to partake in this vision. I personally believe that you do this not because of what you will gain today, but for the foresight that you have of today's tomorrow. Even at that, you all have gone a step further to not just dreaming, but to be the ones who will make sure that dream becomes tangible. I am excited, happy and honoured to be making this trip with you all. It will be as much fun as can be possible while our cameras will not stop short of whatever sweetens our eyes, mind and emotions.

We take off on the 27th of April 2010. This is the first posting on this blog which will be hosting this trip. We will keep everyone up to date with this blog.We are traveling in a 14-seater ford van, so we regret that there is a limit to how many people can join us on this trip :), but at the end of each day in the journey, we will be bringing a handful of images and texts through this blog so that you could also feel as if you are in this journey with us.

Thank you and Let's go there!

Emeka Okereke.

Invisible Borders 2010 - Lagos to Dakar

The 2nd edition of “Invisible Borders” is set to kick off. IB 2010 sees 11 Nigerian photographers and a film maker on a road trip from Lagos passing through Cotonou, Lomé, Accra, Abidjan, Bamako and finally arriving in Dakar. This year’s trip is anchored to the Biennale of Contemporary African Art of Dakar (Dak’Art 2010) scheduled to take place from the 7th of May to the 7th of June 2010. The IB team begins the journey on the 23rd of April and is scheduled to be back in Lagos by 18th of May 2010.

One good thing about the previous journey in 2009 was that throughout its length, we were confronted with all the insufficiencies and unforeseen challenges that comes with such a spontaneous venture – we made note of them. Therefore this year’s phase provides the opportunity to elaborate on a progress already began in 2009. There will be much more emphasis on the journey and its processes than the final destination. Therefore we will spend 2 days in each major city to work with two indigenous photographers from a given city. This way, we would create tangible networks between photographers in every of the cities, while discovering their country through their input. As usual, Adenike Ojeikere and Unoma Geise would be writing all throughout the trip, and these writings and selected images will appear in our blog in real time as the journey. Chuka Ejorh will be in charge of the documentary film and video interviews. The rest of the participants are : Amaize Ojeikere, Ray Daniels Okeugo, Uche James-Iroha, Lucy Azubuike, Charles Okereke, Uche Okpa-Iroha, Chidimma Nnorom, Emeka Okereke and Chriss Aghana Nwobu.

This journey will be tedious, the road is hard and far, there will be lots of unforeseen circumstances, but we will be consoled by each click of our cameras and by the faces of a every good persons we encounter. As a team, we will support each other and together, face the challenges every mile of the way! This is photography beyond borders!

For more info on IB 2010, visit our blog: www.invisible-borders.blogspot.com. If you want to follow the journey, please remember to subscribe as a member on the blog.

Sponsors so far are: Culturesfrance, Alliance Française Lagos and Heinrich Boll Foundation Lagos.