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| 2014 Invisible Borders Road Trip ends in style |
By ADA DIKE
The road trip project of
the Invisible Borders has ended in a memorable way. This was revealed in a
statement made available to Newswatch Times by
Invisible Borders Trans-African Project’s Artistic Director, Emeka Okereke who stated that: “We have concluded the Invisible Borders Road Trip: Lagos to Sarajevo, the 5th edition of the road trip project. We officially ended the project on 31st October, but the actual journey lasted from 2nd of June to 20th of October (142 days), using the rest of the time to clear up administrative chores. In essence we were able to achieve this project within the time frame set out for it.”
Invisible Borders Trans-African Project’s Artistic Director, Emeka Okereke who stated that: “We have concluded the Invisible Borders Road Trip: Lagos to Sarajevo, the 5th edition of the road trip project. We officially ended the project on 31st October, but the actual journey lasted from 2nd of June to 20th of October (142 days), using the rest of the time to clear up administrative chores. In essence we were able to achieve this project within the time frame set out for it.”
Okereke further said that nine
artists and one non-artist participant traveled from Lagos to Amsterdam from June
2, 2014 to September 25, 2014, after which six participants dropped out, but the
four remaining participants continued the journey all the way to Sarajevo
ending on October 24, 2014.
“This road trip is
yet another initiative of Invisible Borders that came with all the challenges
and frustrations that a project of such magnitude can present. But most
importantly was that we had unforgettable encounters and worked with amazing
partners across almost 20 countries. When we began the road trip, we had only
20 percent chance of succeeding based on the realities on ground. It would not
have been possible without the invaluable support of our partners and many
individuals we met on the way.
“A big thank you to the
following institutions: Nikon Nigeria, Institut Français Paris; Alliance
Française Lagos, Goethe Institut Lagos, Spanish Agency for Culture and
Development (AECID); Bogobiri, Lagos; Goethe Institut Accra, Foundation for
Contemporary Arts, Ghana; Nima Muhimanchi Art (NMA) Accra; Studio Aboudia,
Abidjan; Galerie Cecile Fakoury, Abidjan; Galerie Medina, Bamako; Les Petites
Pierres, Dakar; Galerie Zienart, Nouakchott; Appartement 22, Rabat; Casa
Invisible, Malaga; Galerie La Factoria, Madrid; No Photo Agency, Madrid; La
Dispersa, Barcelona; Prince Claus Funds Amsterdam; Lots Of People Design Studio
Amsterdam, Akademie Der Künste Welte, Cologne; Savvy Art Space, Berlin;
Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna; Urbanize Festival, Vienna and Sarajevo
Centre for Contemporary Arts, Sarajevo.
“And wonderful
individuals: Jude Anogwih, Kabir Aregbesola, Derek Dunne, Irene
Wong, Victor Ehikamenor, Christine Deuve, Marc-André
Schmachtel, Mr. and Mrs. Odunsi, Professor Awam Amkpa, Oliver
Enwuonwu, Ajuluchukwu Obi, Ato Anan, Kianga Ford, Aboudia, Roland Angaman,
Angel, Igo Diarra, Oumou Traore, Mantchini Traore, Maya Varichon, Mohammed
Gomis, Marie, Helene Pereira, Dulce Abraham Altass, Isabel Fiadero, Mohammed
Idoumou, Amy Sow, Saleh Lo, Javier Moreno, Juan Valbena, Thaís Lea, Fariba
Derakhshani, Peter Schieffele, Bonaventure Sow-Ndikung, Saskia Köbschall, Anna
Jäger, Marie Kirchner, Carola Rümper, Sedjroh
Mensah, Sarah, Elke Rauth, Aida Hajro, Betânia Ramos
Schröder, Lucie Touya, Akinbode Akinbiyi and the selfless volunteers
of Invisible Borders: Robin Riskin, Marina Reina Guindo, Yeehui
Tan, Corinne Appadoo, Emmanuel Iduma and Jumoke Sanwo.
“We also say thank you
to the many great people who donated to the project through our
crowd-funding campaign as well as those who chose to remain anonymous. Every
bit of your cent kept us on the road a day more.
The
Invisible Borders 2014 Road Trip app remains online as an archive of
the road trip. It continues to be available for download as
Apple iOS and Android versions for smartphones and tablets. Here is
the link for desktop: app.invisible-borders.com.
W here do we go from
here? You will hear from us soon.”
“Invisible Borders, which began in Nigeria has evolved to include participants from Ghana, Mozambique, Cameroon and so on. We began as photographers, but some of us later became writers. The idea we are trying to propagate is not limited to Africa. The relationship between Africa and Europe is much more horizontal so this road trip aims to address that. We focus on encounter and interaction in this year’s trip. In the past four years, we got stuck at borders, but this time, we tried to make it more interactive and defined. We had exhibition in Amsterdam last time and will have some exhibitions this time,” said Okereke.
“Invisible Borders, which began in Nigeria has evolved to include participants from Ghana, Mozambique, Cameroon and so on. We began as photographers, but some of us later became writers. The idea we are trying to propagate is not limited to Africa. The relationship between Africa and Europe is much more horizontal so this road trip aims to address that. We focus on encounter and interaction in this year’s trip. In the past four years, we got stuck at borders, but this time, we tried to make it more interactive and defined. We had exhibition in Amsterdam last time and will have some exhibitions this time,” said Okereke.
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