Over the weekend, I was party to a conversation which covered proof as existence. The adage ‘if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?’ Comes to mind. In that regard, the validation of existence of individuals analyzing Nigerian transport decor is a belief I am invested in. The intentionality and history of transport decoration in Nigeria is rich and the few, particularly non-classed individuals are my priority. However I find myself facing the weirdest conundrum, the space is filled with more non-Nigerians than usual (somewhat expected). Given the general focus on survival, this sort of documentation (at the time) exists within a certain level of privilege. Similarly where access and proximity may be open to non-classed individuals, whose space this is, information and technological access is often not present. 

Every other day, I stumble on the work of non-black people doing amazing work covering Nigerian transportation decor. It is disheartening that Nigerians are few and in-between. 

*pre-amble done*

Attached are pictures taken between 2006 – 2015 in Northern Nigeria. It follows Mike Blyth, a mission pediatrician in Jos, and his journey documenting various interactions with people, environment and society at large. I am grateful for these pictures and an insight into experiences I may never find myself in. His blog covering personal opinions and accounts of his time in Nigeria (1991 – 2015) can be found here