In Adelaja’s Behind the Viewfinder, Lagos Island wears poetic colours

BOOK TITLE: BEHIND THE VIEWFINDER
AUTHOR: TEMILADE ADELAJA
PUBLISHER: KDP
ISSN: 9798320105703
REVIEWER: AKEEM LASISI

Not long ago, Lagos Island became a subject of controversy following the release of ‘Gangs of Lagos’, a film by Jade Osiberu. Reason: the movie features Eyo, the city’s legendary masquerade, in a controversial role, thus sparking the anger of its custodians and fans. While some liberals also argued that the filmmaker was entitled to her creative freedom, the debate has since died down. However, Lagos Island is back in literature – but in a grand and poetically superlative way. This is courtesy of Temilade Adelaja, who celebrates the iconic area in Behind the Viewfinder: Stories and Poems of Vision and Capture, her new book of photographs, poetry, and stories.
In one of the works titled COLORS OF LAGOS ISLAND, she presents an inspiring photograph and a suave poem centring on the city’s star community, in a way suggesting that beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder but also in the skill of she who holds the camera and the pen.  Adelaja writes:

   In Lagos Island, where buildings rise tall,
   A rainbow of colours adorns them all.
   From vibrant reds to shades of blue,
   Each hue adds charm to the city's view.
 
   Colourful structures, a vibrant display,
   Under the sun's bright and golden ray.
   Shadows dance, as light cascades,
   Creating a scene that never fades.

What else does a community want from a poet!
COLORS OF LAGOS ISLAND, indeed, signposts the infectious passion and skills that the author, who is also a photographer, invested in curating Behind the Viewfinder, which offers some 39 photographs, 17 stories and 12 poems showcasing the fluidity in her writing prowess. In the innovative collection, she explores what is called a thematised approach. She further makes the triple genres simultaneously dialogue with the reader. In the same package, she appeals to the audience’s visual, mental, and emotional faculties.  Exploiting her thematic calling, she becomes a literary reporter in the book. Yet, she does so from the perception of a cognoscenti and an engaging one, bringing out what ordinary mortals will not see in all the phenomena she reflects upon. Besides, she plays the news-behind-the news game just as she imbues popular subjects with new meanings – and angry questions in some cases.

Interestingly, Lagos enjoys ample coverage in the book, making it difficult to say it is a travel writing and mixture of poetry as she embeds her photographs with literature—this thematic progression requires talent in visual and written art. For instance, through her lens and phone, Adelaja tells the story of a fish seller whose essence she sees beyond just feeding the populace. As far as the photographer-poet is concerned, he is a kind of rallying point, with an indication that there is a lesson to learn from his fate:

   So let us honour the dried fish seller's trade,
   For the flavours they bring, for the stories conveyed.
   In Lagos market, where the air is alive,
   The dried fish seller thrives, their spirit revived.

To the traditional Lagosian, fish sellers are like the postman to the western world. Their job brings joy to the locals as fish is the most desired meat in their native meals – and this is a culture that Adelaja successfully illuminates in the poem. Other Lagos-centred poems and stories in Behind the Viewfinder include: SIESTA IN MAKOKO, CASTING THE NET, MARKETPLACE, AND SILENT SENTINELS, with the last two pieces focusing on Mile 12 Market and Makoko respectively. While Adelaja’s poems have the capacity to arrest anyone, the expansive captions/stories she punctuates the publication with also brings out her strength in prose. The stories that accompany the photos – where poems are not featured – are generally deep, fluid, and compelling. Of course, she is so ambitious in the work that she traverses the cultural, religious, socio-economic, and political landscapes of the country. 

This she does in MY HOUSE IS A BOAT (in which the speaker of the poem ironically  finds peace in flooding), CHIBOK GIRLS BENEATH THE BRIDGE (showcasing an emotional image of the abducted schoolgirls, as she caught under Falomo Bridge, Lagos), GUARDS OF THE EMIR (a tribute to the ever energetic mortals who guard northern monarchs) and ENUGU MOTHER (the photo and story that invoke the energy of the African woman who labours to ensure her family meal is ready).

Another that readily caught this reviewer’s attention was POLITICAL DISCOURSE (an ENDSARS story) and THE LIAR OF THE PEOPLE which particularly symbolise the fierce critic in Adelaja. In THE LIAR OF THE PEOPLE, for instance, she captures a moment a politician is, as usual, feeding the crowd with rosy lies. She then notes in the caption of the photograph: “With a sense of responsibility, I will use my art to reveal the truth, spark conversations, and inspire change. Ultimately, my work will serve as a poignant reminder to remain vigilant, think critically, and seek truth amidst the allure of political campaigns, paving the way for a more aware and informed society.”

Such a positive rebellion is foregrounded in what passes for Adelaja’s literary manifesto, as contained in the preface to the book.  Explaining that the inspiration to Behind the Viewfinder: Stories and Poems of Vision and Capture stemmed from the experiences she has had while filming or shooting images for her personal archive or commissioned work, she stresses that, as a photographer, achieving the perfect shot often hinges on her current perception of the scene and the story she believes it can convey.

“… I firmly believe in the power of storytelling. It allows me to delve into my creativity and offer readers my interpretation of events. I term this approach "thematized literature," a method of engaging both readers and a wider audience who encounter my artistic work,” she writes.
 
By commendable standards, therefore, Adelaja has launched a voice that is too compelling to neglect in the Nigerian literary industry. While it is important that she continually refine her craft as it is the standard, there are some grey lines that need to be polished. Her voice is tender, her diction is friendly yet rich and arresting. She has also come out as a very disciplined and stylistically patient writer based on how she ensures all her verses are rhyme-scheme compliant. In subsequent editions or works, she can further help the reader by ensuring she establish the locations she took all her photos. Well, one can understand it as a matter of approach or style since it is a mix of images and literature. As a matter of fact, she identifies the settings in many of the works but leaves it out in some – including STREET FOOTBALL. Establishing the location will make the consumer’s experience more rounded and could fuel a desire for readers to visit. Well, since the result of good work is more and a better one, one can also not wait to see Adelaja expand her rich literary horizon by moving the works presented in Behind the Viewfinder into the video/film realm.

Akeem Lasisi is a popular journalist whose interest in the arts geared his journalism career and was winner of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) and Cadbury Poetry Prize for the year 2000 with Iremoje. A well-known performance poet and journalist with The Comet Newspaper, Punch and Lasisi is a prominent contributor the development of cultural literature in the Nigeria art sector.