Beautiful Resistance: A portrait of queer Nigeria
Daniel Obasi is a Nigerian art director, stylist and photographer whose work is deeply aligned with advancing the scope of African narratives visually.
Beautiful Resistance: the seemingly contradictory title painted in capital letters at the start of the latest issue of Fashion Eye leaves no doubt as to the intentions of its author, the photographer Daniel Obasi.
A frequent contributor to the fashion pages of cutting–edge magazines, he turns his lens on the Nigerian city Lagos, weaving an imagined narrative that brings together political and social issues of paramount importance to him – sexuality, gender fluidity, non–conformity, political corruption, and religious fervor – all sheathed in an ornamental veneer liable to crack under the slightest pressure.
The Book is an ode to the Queer minority community in Nigeria and dedicated to young Nigerians who stood up against police brutality and political corruption.
“Beautiful Resistance is what this is…. A beautiful way to protest against the systems of power that continue to oppress and make life difficult for young Nigerians; especially minority groups.”
“For the first in a long time, in October 2020 this generation experienced a unified outcry against the government and its oppressive systems. Everyone put aside their differences and we all bonded over our shared vision of an ideal Nigeria. It was remarkably beautiful yet sorrowful to experience, because of all the lives lost fighting for that dream’’
The stories imagined within the book speak of a metaphorical and surreal Lagos heavily influenced by his perspective and experiences living and growing within the bubbling metropolis.
The book through metaphors and symbolism draws strength from cultural, political and symbolic references that represent activism and power. Although from a Lagos point of view these issues of political unrest are similarly happening all over the world, the book aims to provoke us all to think deeper on how or if art can inspire change within the political landscape globally.
The book is published by Louis Vuitton under the Fashion Eye series with a focus on Lagos city and edited by Patrick Rémy.
Available to purchase here.