George Osodi, Nigerian, born 1974
De Money, 2009
This is one image from a series of photographs by Osodi called “De Money,” an exhibition detailing the back-breaking labor of workers in their steady search for “gold” or “de money.” I thought this particular photo was a startling example of the paradoxical nature of the mining industry in Africa; as Rotinwa aptly puts it, there’s “deprivation amidst plenty.” Locals in the Niger Delta are sitting on a wealth of resources, but are forced to work at the vicious bidding of mining corporations who strip the landscape of their natural beauty and trap residents in a vicious cycle of poverty and pollution. In his shockingly frank photojournalism, Osodi leaves little to the viewer’s imagination, but is still able to convey the strength of human resilience and determination in the face of capitalism and corruption. In short, Osodi treats his subjects as survivors, not victims. Label by Tara Vasanth