The last brick

With a few hours left in Nigeria, I lay the last brick on this wall. Others may be built in the future!

Experimental travel

As we have little to do inside this factory compound, I've decided to challenge a few guys spread around the world. The idea was to choose a starting point and take a photo in each one of these steps:

1. Choose a starting point
2. Walk in any direction for 34 to 43 paces, and then turn 180 degrees (34 is the number of the PTM participants - it is, isn't it?)
3. Continue walking in that direction until you see something grey (the usual colour of Nestlé logo in our factories)
4. Make a left turn and walk 43 to 86 paces
5. Walk in any direction until you see something that is either the number 3 or the number 4
6. Take the first left, and continue walking until you find somewhere to sit (why not to take a break?)
7. Choose any direction and walk 34 to 68 paces
8. Continue walking until you see an unusual colour, shape our texture. Turn 180 degrees
9. Keep walking in any direction until you see an archway or an unusual architectural feature
10. Head for home, but continue looking for something that catches your eye
Where directions don't match the environs, improvise!

Here are my photos...

Natural starting point: my bedside table.

The big descent to the living room.

Light switch, originally gray and made yellow by the light of the living room, and contrasting with the cold light from the kitchen.

The world seen from the kitchen window.

Temperature switch of the freezer in the kitchen: better than #3 only both #3 and #4.

An outside chair laying inside escaping the rain.

Old style minimalist kitchen equipment.

The History of Art book and it's magnificent wine colour.

The retro half globe light of the living room.

The antique lock on the way back to the bedroom.

Capacity building in the food industry

The last theme, proposed by Duba...

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim Capacity building in the food industry I, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Capacity building in the food industry II, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Capacity building in the food industry III, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Capacity building in the food industry IV, Maio 2006

Why and how to use performance indicators

The second theme coming out, proposed by Duba's assistant...

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim Why and how to use performance indicators I, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Why and how to use performance indicators II, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Why and how to use performance indicators III, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Why and how to use performance indicators IV, Maio 2006

Despair

The first theme coming up, proposed by Prince...

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Despair I, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Despair II, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Despair III, Maio 2006

Eduardo Fonseca Joaquim, Despair IV, Maio 2006

Closure experience

The world outside of the factory compound is dangerous, specially when we're carrying a reflex camera with dimensions difficult to hide. Apart from the potential assaults and aggressions, the inhabitants of Lagos are known for disliking being photographed and for reacting sometimes violently to the presence of a camera. Therefore I cannot have the pleasure of repeating experiences such as the one in Lahore. However, I wanted to record in images the closure experience in this factory compound.

During the weekends we stay at the guest house area of the compound. It's a small corner, where there are eight houses, spread out between grass gardens and covered by small but opened trees. To compensate the closure, there is a pool and a tennis court. It's not a vast or diversified space that can present several motifs. The residents are occidentals and in their free days they rest inside their houses, or they kill their time in the production line "finishing some points left from the week". The few workers that keep the place only come for small fractions of the day, they try to get unnoticed and the try keeping an European behaviour to please the "sirs". It's then a place where it is difficult to find things to take photos of. I thought I needed specific themes. I thought three themes, with four pictures per theme would be enough. But in some way they had to have a Nigerian mark.

I wandered several times around in the search for Nigerian marks, but everything looked the European way. No doubt the vegetation is different, but I'm sure the photographers of National Geographic have already documented it extensively. I had then to find another way of introducing the Nigerian factor in this work.

I then asked for the assistance of Nigerian two cooks and one helper that work in the guest houses. I asked each one of them to tell me a theme, but without referring that it would be to take photos. "A theme?", Duba asked me confused. "Yes, a theme, a topic", I complemented, without going into further details. He asked me for some time to think about it, and after some hours he handed a paper over to me where we had written "Capacity building in the food industry". I was surprised, afterwards disappointed and in the end unmotivated, because I had no clue about how was I going to photograph such a theme. But I kindly accepted it, not to reject something that the man had prepared with such a dedication. Later I concluded that Duba had probably thought that I needed a theme for the work at the factory, and in fact for that capacity is a very pertinent theme. I thought it would be highly improbable that the helper would have the same thinking, and I did the request to him in the same manner. He also asked for some time to think, and he also gave me afterwards a piece of paper, where this time was written "How and why to use performance indicators". The theme was once again important for the factory, but it became too difficult for my plans. I gently accepted again. At the third request, I added that it could be any type of theme, "related to work or not", and I insisted that Prince said the first theme that occurred to him. He told me about "Despair", and I was relieved.

The concept had been established since the beginning: I would shout about what they indicated me, and I create four photos per theme. I had then to take the themes as a challenge. I did a lot of tours around the guest houses in different days, I took hundreds of photos, I analysed them, I choose them and I retouched them, until I completed my portfolio, that I will leave here for you in three different posts, one per theme.

The King

My mate's baby.

He proudly insisted that I met him.

The future King of Agbara.

With the guidance of Jesus.