Funmi Iyanda documents subsidy removal protests
Funmi Iyanda interviews Tunde Kelani @Lagos fuel protest
Media professional Fumi Iyanda is taking a stand against the removal of fuel subsidies in Nigeria and filming the anti fuel subsidy removal movement as it unfolds. On her documentation site ChopCassava.com she explains why in the article below
I marched first and foremost as a citizen but by evening the image of my very angry self had circulated on major news networks and my creative partner , Chris Dada had called from London to ask a very important question “So why are you not documenting this? We are filmmakers we must document and editorialize history”. He got on the plane. By the next day we were filming as l was meeting with different heads of civil society and labour groups.
It was clear that something had shifted in the Nigerian consciousness, which requires a different sort of documentation. Our challenge was, shall we just stand back and document or shall we have an opinion. Should we editorialize history as it unfolds?
The answer came as we watched Segun Aganga, the minister of Trade and Investment proclaim that the government will be importing 1600 diesel engine buses as palliatives for the subsidy removal. Coming out of the mouth of Aganga, it had a definite Marie Antoinette feel. It speaks of the extreme disconnect of government that a man so well educated, founder of the Nigerian leadership Institute would make such an irrational, unconsciously callous statement without irony.
The Nigeria government was clearly telling its citizens “let them eat cake” Curiously president Jonathan had some months ago, on national TV and perhaps in anticipation of this moment advised Nigerians to start eating cassava bread!
In Nigeria chop means to eat can also mean to eat with immoral or criminal greed.
ChopCassava.com is therefore an editorial documentation of the people’s protest as it unfolds as well as a revelation of many layers of disconnect between power and people
Funmi Iyanda
January 8th 2012
Visit http://chopcassava.com
Shortlink:
Posted by Pamela
on January 14, 2012. Filed under Uncategorized.
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