The Ghosts and Lanterns series is a story or project that started with the intention of capturing the daily/nightly lives of Nigerians; it attempts to reveal a quieter and more emotional side to Nigerians. Greatly inspired by the Fela Kuti song ‘shuffering and shmiling’, about Africans becoming so consumed by suffering/survival and how religion provides comfort in all of it. Although the song was produced about 35years ago, the problems remain alive. This is why a story like ‘Ghosts and Lanterns’ is still important. Nigerians are particularly known for being hustlers, their determination/drive is something you can see and feel if you walk by a market or a street. They are constantly pushing, walking and striving. ‘Ghosts and lanterns’ is focused on the feeling of death and hope. The constant pursuit of survival forces happiness to take a back seat and where such happiness is lost we start to question the purpose of life. We are ghosts because somehow life continues to kill us till we forget how to live. The possibility of hope and light is represented by the lanterns, no matter how dark a story may appear at first instance you can always find a lantern.
Lubee Abubakar is a 21year old photographer and soon to be barrister from Nigeria. Her journey as a photographer started 3-4years ago and her style ranges from fashion and conceptual photography to portraiture and street photography. Lubee’s passion for photography was birthed by her love for story telling and the possibility of evoking or even commanding emotions without having to say a word. For Lubee, photography creates the forum she needs to communicate her feelings and tell strong stories to people far away or near by.
