CURATOR'S STATEMENT
Christey Carwile

Most of us are quite familiar with the typical representations of Africa—the wild, untamed safari landscapes untouched by civilization, the unclothed African performing ‘tribal’ rituals in a timeless world. Although my training in anthropology had warned me of the dangers of these misconceptions, these were the images I inadvertently carried with me when I decided to travel to Nigeria to begin my dissertation research. When I arrived in Lagos, however, I found myself seeking out these images in the midst of power lines, traffic jams and the hectic movements of city life. It was at this moment, that I realized how misinformed I had been about the present day reality of African countries like Nigeria and I felt a sense of urgency to better inform others of this reality. Dr. McCall and I have put this exhibit together in an attempt to provide a more accurate representation of the everyday realities of modern Nigerian life. The images you will encounter are our effort to present viewers with an Other Africa, one that radically confronts the common western representations of and assumptions about Africa.