Born out of my reflections on a series of nationwide blackout that took place in Nigeria in 2021, with a closer zoom on Lagos, this project is an attempt to document what happens when "power" is taken away from the people. The central theme is “Night” when the absence of electricity is most common and evident in the city. I use darkness as metaphor for the gloom, tensions and insecurity concerns in some of the most notorious neighbourhoods in mainland Lagos. "When Nepa Takes Light" is a conscious attempt to photograph the thriving spirits of the people in the face of constant black-outs and their effort to take back "power" while refusing to succumb to the inactivity that the absence of electricity commands.
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Obscura TWT commissioned 138 photographers from around the world to take a visual time stamp of the 21st century. Cities, towns, farms, landscapes, communities, people and events that will tell the story of our world for centuries to come. An ode to the 20th century project, The Family of man, by legendary curator Edward Steichen for the MoMA exhibition, The World Today uses the technology of NFTs to create a permanent record through the blockchain of our world. All photographers were assigned to generate new work that will first be seen as NFT through a custom smart contract. With this great project we envision a new photography scene that will be marked by this giant community effort to benefit hundreds of established and emerging artists from around the world. See more at twt.obscura.io
![Pedestrians crossing the road at Palm Avenue, Mushin.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/4e673969-3fc3-4ddc-8d30-512498b653d5/1/1/Adewale_Victor_1.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Pedestrians crossing the road at Palm Avenue, Mushin.
![A street with most houses experiencing black-out.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/43d33dcf-15be-4cc2-b8f8-4bf3345ef336/1/1/Adewale_Victor_2.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A street with most houses experiencing black-out.
![Motorcycles speed past a house experiencing black-out](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/c04872bd-49cd-4455-b607-4ed29d8ac998/1/1/Adewale_Victor_4.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Motorcycles speed past a house experiencing black-out
![Black-out in a two storey building dotted on the ground floor with light from generator set.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/39dfd4a4-139d-47ba-818e-52922569d7ea/1/1/Adewale_Victor_5.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Black-out in a two storey building dotted on the ground floor with light from generator set.
![A building experiencing black out. The building behind and beside it reflect light powered by generator sets.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/ec67d260-d8a2-45ef-9a9e-c38d5e86d602/1/1/Adewale_Victor_6.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A building experiencing black out. The building behind and beside it reflect light powered by generator sets.
![A small group of people presumed by me to be christians, gather to pray with a candle and phone torch as light source.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/6c309b5c-e639-470f-8636-e50c9bc50979/1/1/Adewale_Victor_7.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A small group of people presumed by me to be christians, gather to pray with a candle and phone torch as light source.
![A Taxi Park at Fatai Atere Junction, Mushin](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/cd6b35a8-2240-4ffb-980f-a6e7d369dd11/1/1/Adewale_Victor_8.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A Taxi Park at Fatai Atere Junction, Mushin
![A man and his motorcycle adorned with colorful lights.](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/1a61ce0c-989e-4987-89b6-267c9f858525/1/1/Adewale_Victor_9.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A man and his motorcycle adorned with colorful lights.
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/25c6b51c-d49f-41fe-bbda-948608ae18a7/1/1/Adewale_Victor_48.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Inside a make-shift hospital known as "Faith Home". A maternity home run by a pentecostal church in Lagos.
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/14d07283-9bae-4060-9073-a5439606568a/1/1/Adewale_Victor_85.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
A woman remains under the rain during a church outdoor crusade.
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/5d3fb462-d25b-473d-b3a9-e678b1ff7b0c/1/1/Adewale_Victor_99.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Cross section of the men's section at a pentecostal church crusade in The Apostolic church headquarters, Lagos.
![](https://format.creatorcdn.com/0bb46a2c-9e99-4c7f-85f0-139de79a4ce4/0/0/0/0,0,3643,2429,3643,1200/0-0-0/6d8f208d-eeac-4aa8-89d2-99eb0cb293d9/1/1/Adewale_Victor_6.jpg?fjkss=exp=2040519679~hmac=0f90bc8731d9f31f83d9ea2bc418c23062d6eff3bf551d8d77f0d90771db9f4f)
Two women sit outside a mini grocery shop