In this interview with ARUKAINO UMUKORO, Okhai Ojeikere talks about some of his life’s experiences and photography career spanning over six decades
When were you born and how was it like growing up?
I was born on June 10, 1930. I was born in a small village in Owan East Local Government Area of Edo State. There was no much excitement in the village. But it was quite interesting and enjoyable all the same. We were with our parents in our locality. We had parents who tried to pass on the value of life to us and made sure we abided by it. I grew up in the village and attended primary school there until 1948. I left the village in March, 1949, for Ibadan, Oyo State, to pursue a viable career. I lived there with my uncle, Mr. Robert Ihegbe, who was a tailor. I wanted to learn tailoring from him. Later, my father died. So I went to Abakaliki to live with my elder sister, who was married to a police officer. He wanted me to join the Force, but I refused. I told him I didn’t want to become a policeman, but wanted to learn a trade as an apprentice.
How did you get into photography?
It was by accident. Before then, I had already started work as a labourer in a farm. I didn’t know anything about photography. My sister’s husband died in April 1950. He was buried there and my sister and every member of the family had to return home to the village. Then, it became clear that I was on my own. A business tycoon, who was one of her husband’s friends, gave me a room in his house, free of charge. We had a couple as neighbours. They called me ‘small boy.’ The man’s wife was the one who encouraged me to buy a camera and learn photography and told her husband, who was a photographer in Enugu before they came to Abakaliki.
Also, I tried joining the Nigerian Army, all to no avail. They said I was too young then. On my way back from the recruitment centre in Enugu, I bought my first camera for £2. I didn’t know what to do with it. Her husband asked me why I bought the camera. I told him I wanted to know how to use it. So he taught me. I had only two lessons for a few hours; the first day, he taught me how to use the camera, the second day he taught me how to develop the film. There was no more meeting after then. He also showed me where to buy films in the town. I didn’t return to the farm after then. I wanted to learn more about photography, but then, there was no one to teach me. I didn’t have the opportunity of professional training. That was in 1950. I have been a photographer since then.
How were your first experiences as a photographer like?
I took my first pictures of some elderly men drinking burukutu, a local type of wine. All the pictures I took were okay, except one or two shots that I cut out a part of one’s arm. When I got home, even the man was so surprised that, at first, he didn’t believe me when I told him this was my first time of taking pictures. He said he had apprentices who learnt for six months and couldn’t take pictures as I did, having learnt for only a few hours.
I made six shillings in less than one hour for taking those pictures. My labourer work earned me one shilling a day. At the place where I took those old people drinking burukutu, I met some Europeans who were mining lead in the town and they asked me to develop some pictures for them afterwards. I later went back to the village and took pictures of my school mates who celebrated their coming of age. I also went to some schools around to take pictures during their sports events.
How was your work experience?
I started as a darkroom assistant in 1954 at the Ministry of Information in Ibadan. That was the first time I saw other photographers at work, as well as modern cameras and electricity being used for printing pictures and seeing a real dark room. I worked in the Ministry of Information for seven years and resigned in 1961. Right from time, I had established my own studio, ‘Foto Ojeikere’, which started in a one-room.
In 1961, I became a studio photographer, under Steve Rhodes, for Television House, Ibadan. Although I didn’t have certificates and testimonials like the other applicants, I was the only applicant who brought samples of his previous work and I was employed. I took about 20 of my large prints there. I worked there for three years. Then, I worked in the creative arts studio at West Africa Publicity, Lagos. I worked there for 12 years. There were many defining moments for me during these periods which built my career. At every stage, God provided the opportunities.
You’ve travelled around the world holding photography exhibitions; you were honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2011 Nigeria Photography Award. How did you feel about having your works recognised?
I just feel great. Before then, I had already received an international award, from Bangladesh, although I didn’t know them and they didn’t know me. But they knew my works.
You’ve done several photography projects, including one which documented different Nigerian hairstyles.
Yes. Incidentally, that is the area people know because that is the area which has been exposed. That project exposed my work to the international community. Hairstyles are continuous. I took some last week. I had the dummy of Nigerian hairstyles book with me for over 30 years. I approached many publishers who agreed it was publishable and profitable material, but they didn’t have resources or sponsors.
God decided that it was time for it to be exposed. In 1998, I met a curator from France who came to Lagos and was collecting artworks throughout Africa, especially through the French speaking countries. They told him about me in Nigeria. Then I had done exhibitions at the Goethe Institute, French Cultural Centre and German Cultural Centre. To cut the long story short, we discussed modalities and later signed a contract agreement, after I had consulted with my lawyer. After 18 months, I was invited to France for the book launch and extensive exhibition. On the opening day, 3,000 guests were present. I travelled with my wife and one of my sons, Amaize. He is also a photographer and my personal assistant. He supported me throughout the project. We stayed in France for 10 days. It was wonderful. That was how that project on Nigerian hairstyles came to being. After it was published in 2000, I realised that I had a lot of treasure.
What are some of your other projects?
I have a project on the Nigerian child, with over 2,000 images dating as far back as from 1960 till date. I have images on architecture, which dates back to the 60s also till date. I have completed projects on portraiture, with over 2,000 images. No project is ever completed as long as life continues, there is always addition; I have projects on music and dance as a whole. I have projects on 12 subjects, including marriages across Nigeria. I have over 2,000 images on the way we dress, the way we eat, type of food we eat, agriculture and so on. Then, I have more than a million images on nature, sky cape, landscape, dams, waterfalls, trees, flowers, everything nature. I have so many images that no person knows about.
How proud do you feel that one of your sons followed your footsteps?
Any parent will be happy about that because there are many professionals who have children and none of them took after their father. But I’m very lucky and blessed that one of my sons is a professional photographer; every member of my family are photographers, but he is a professional. All my children have cameras, including my grandsons.
What is the difference between your young days and now in terms of parental upbringing and teaching of life’s values?
Everything has changed. The extended family setting has been removed from the Nigerian life; it is not as it used to be. In those days, any person that had relationship with you was your brother or your sister. But these days, you talk about cousins, first, second and third, fifth cousins, distant cousins; that was not so in those days. There was nothing like uncle or aunty. But now, it is not so. I think the values of those days are better than what we have now. Everybody was everybody’s keeper. But now, everybody is to himself, which is not good enough and is not African.
Tell us about your family.
I am particularly very grateful to God for me and my family. We have 100 per cent cooperation and family unity. I have only one wife and my children are from the same woman. We have been married for over 60 years, by the grace of God, and we have never had any misunderstanding. We also thank God who gave us children and none of them gives us any cause to regret. We are blessed with a girl and four boys; all of them are graduates and happily married, except for the youngest that is yet to be married. I have grandchildren. They came to spend the long vacation with us recently. I have been particularly very lucky. All my children are very successful. My life and that of my wife have been very successful.
What are your regrets?
I have nothing to regret. God has just been wonderful to me and my family. I have no regrets.
Can you pick a particular achievement you are most thankful of?
It’s the gift of children. The usual ups and downs of life were there, but it was nothing to distract us, hurt us or make us feel unhappy. It has been very wonderful.
How did you meet your wife?
That was a long time ago. We are from the same region, locality and clan. Fortunately, I happened to stay in her father’s house because of the relationship I had with them. One of her elder brothers was married to my in-law. Photographers need a lot of water, but in my area, water was a very scarce commodity. However, there was water in her area, just flowing across the street. Also, I had an aunty there. I was also going to their house because of the good relationship we had with her family. Her elder brother took interest in me and introduced me to their father, who also took interest in me. When I wanted additional accommodation, they gladly gave me a room in their house. So we were staying together. There were about 12 girls of her age in the big compound. Her father, who was a chief, got married to seven wives. She also had three uncles, with their wives and children, all in the same compound. As a chief, her father had his apartment and it was only her mother, who was staying with him in his palace. Others lived around the courtyard.
My wife was one of the favourites of her parents, especially her father. And in a house with so many housewives, there were bound to be quarrels. But her mother always kept her peace every time and never joined the quarrels. I took notice of that. Then I said to myself, if this woman (my mother-in-law) was not quarrelsome, then her daughter may not be quarrelsome. And the marriage came out as I expected. We have never quarrelled since we got married in 1959. We had our first child when I clocked 30 and she was 18.
You’ve been married for over 50 years now. What’s the secret of your successful marriage?
To start with, it is divine grace and the blessing of God. It is God who gives you endurance and tolerance. You don’t create any of these by yourself. Apart from that, I don’t like quarrel, because my parents were very quarrelsome and I used to run away from the house all day because of that. But when I stayed at my wife’s place then, I now saw a woman and her husband who do not quarrel. I felt very comfortable relating with them. Our marriage has been successful. We have a very happy and contented home. If people come back to this world, I wish God will make me marry her all over again, because our relationship has been very wonderful.
What advice would you give to young people about marriage?
Marriage is based on three main principles: love, tolerance and endurance. Those are the anchors of married life. If you do not love your wife, or you cannot tolerate her or endure, then you are a failure. These three things are not difficult to achieve. It becomes a problem when one of the parties cannot endure or tolerate the other. That is the principle of life, give and take. Also avoid losing your temper because you may never find it when you want it. If you lose it, you may lose it forever and that may not be good for you.
What’s your favourite food?
Pounded yam is my favourite. I can eat it with any kind of soup. Because of her caring attitude and good food, I find it very difficult to eat outside. There is nothing that would interest me more than what she cooks.
You still work and take photographs at 83. What is the secret?
It is because God has been very kind to us, to me in particular. Thanks to the family too, and my wife has been taking good care of me as she has been doing right from when we started over 50 years ago up till today. There are some men who don’t see eye-to-eye with their wives. It does not make sense. I eat my three-square meal every day. I eat the right meal at the right time. Also, I hate quarrel, to the point when I got married, I told my wife immediately about my dos and don’ts, that I didn’t like quarrel and nagging. I have never tasted beer or cigarette in my life.
Can you mention some of your contemporaries and friends?
Steve Rhodes, my boss at the Television House; Segun Olusola, was my very good friend. We were together at the Television House and when I was leaving, he was the only person who gave me a send-off, a dinner in his house for me and my wife. Mr. Ogunbanwo has been my very good friend since 1961. I have so many good friends, including my colleagues in photography, Tam Fioforio, Don Barber, Sunmi Smart-Cole, and others.
What keeps you agile and youthful?
It is divine grace and good family care. But some people of our age do not have good family care. I don’t have problem with my wife or children. I’m a free thinker, I’m not very religious, but my mind is at rest. I don’t begrudge anybody. There is no space in my mind for grudges. I’m at peace with myself and with everybody. That does not mean I do not offend people, but I never do it purposely. I try to be at peace with everybody. Don’t think negatively, quarrel or keep malice.
Do you do any exercise or like a particular sport?
I do a lot of exercise by moving up and down. In the morning, when I wake up, I do slight stretches; I used to play some native music those days.
Apart from photography, what are your other hobbies and interests?
I like meeting people, talking with and advising them. I like advising people a lot, especially the younger ones.