Etinosa Yvonne: It’s All in My Head

The Nigerian photographer’s work is dedicated to the fostering of mental health. In addition to photographs, her multi-layered project is made up of videos, performances and sculptures. The metaphors included in the portraits emerge out of previous conversations with her protagonists.

In February of 2018, Etinosa Yvonne saw a documentary film titled “Salam Neighbor”, in which a small, Syrian refugee boy appeared. He made her think deeply about the mental state of refugees and people displaced within their own country. “After viewing the documentary, I was curious to understand how some of the survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria were coping with their new and rather unpleasant reality, with little or no psychosocial support. It was at the moment I brought out my jotter and wrote down the name of the project,” she says, remembering the beginnings of her on-going project. Initially, she had planned to work exclusively with survivors of the Boko Haram insurgency. However, following her first conversations with victims of that insurgency, it became clear to her that over the years a number of regions in Nigeria have been visited by different insurgents and groups. So, she expanded her focus to terrorism and violent conflicts. “In 2019, I collaborated with the United Nations Population Fund Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency (UNFPA) to examine the psychological impact of gender-based violence on girls and women in conflict regions. This collaboration further expanded the scope of my research. With each theme I explore in the project, I also take time to study the cause of the aforementioned atrocities, the actors, and more importantly the effects of these atrocities on the survivors, as well as their coping mechanisms, if any,” the artist explains.

Using the example of the portrait of the fishmonger Ikot-Ekpo, Yvonne explains how she introduced the metaphor into the image. “I read about the relationship of women and mothers to needles. If you take a look at the image, you will see seven needles. Five out of the seven needles have a black thread which is rolled together, one of the needles is broken while the other needle has a short thread which is not tied to the others. The five needles with the thread tied together, represent her other children who she sincerely loves and respects. The needle with the short thread represents the daughter whom she lost to a motor accident in 2020. The broken needle represents the daughter who continues to taunt and accuse her of witchcraft,” she explains. “The way that I come up with the metaphors for the people whose stories I share depends on what they say, do and express during my conversation with them. Some people can concisely tell you how they feel and how they cope, while others can’t.” The individual metaphors incite reflection, exploration and communication about the portraits, creating more openness for the mental care of victims. These are the effects that Yvonne is hopeful her work will have.

Etinosa Yvonne’s project was submitted by Sarah Leen, who is among this year’s 80 international LOBA nominators.