As Nigeria’s centenary anniversary
approaches, Google Nigeria has kicked off an initiative called 100k
Naija in the bid to document Nigeria’s history in the last one hundred
years, through iconic pictures.
The initiative kicked off on October
25, with a Photo Day event attended by a group of professional
photographers from Lagos Photo Walk, where they were encouraged by Google to
harness the power of the web to tell Nigeria’s story through iconic
photographs.
Speaking at the event at the
Oriental hotel, Victoria Island, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s Communications
and Public Affairs Manager, Anglophone West Africa, said that the 100k
Naija project will help document Nigeria’s history and capture
memorable and characterful moments about Nigerian themes such as Governance,
Lifestyle, Fashion, Nostalgia, Places of Interest, History, Only in Naija
Moments, and more.
He added that the centenary
photographs have to be “one hundred percent Nigerian” for them to qualify for
the 100k Naija project. “Our target is to get 100,000 iconic
pictures of Nigeria’s history on a specially dedicated 100K Naija Google+
page at the end of the project,” he stated.
Kola-Ogunlade gave examples of
iconic photographs, stating that such pictures could tell stories ranging
from history and politics to arts and culture, from important personalities to
everyday life. For example, photographs could include those from pre- and
post-colonial rule, the Nigerian civil war, various coups that took place,
independence, architecture, vehicles, old currencies, musicians and
celebrities, amongst others.
Lanre Aina, from Google’s Business
Development team, said that with the evolution of the web, Google products have
created opportunities for photographers to increase awareness about their work
locally and internationally. “For instance, you can edit photos on
Google+ and influence your work visibility on Google search,” he explained.
Also speaking at the event, a
Commercial Solicitor, Sogo Oyelami spoke about Intellectual Rights, stating
that it is important that photographers file for copyright notification to
protect their works. He encouraged them to seek legal counsel, and become
familiar with governing laws and jurisdiction of the country. He stated: “All
these will improve and standardize the practice of the photography profession
in Nigeria.”
Reacting to Google’s 100k
Naija project, photographer Femi Coker commended the initiative and
stated that the project will help Nigerians appreciate their own history. “I am
eager to be a part of this project and I’m positive that the iconic pictures
will remind Nigerians of those memorable events in the last 100 years that has
kept Nigerians united in diversity,” he said.
All photos for the project are to be
shared using the #100k Naija hashtag, with a brief description
on the dedicated 100k Naija Google+ page.
