Rise
for
Bayelsa
by Arteh Odjidja
Part of an exhibition by guest curators Leeds International African Arts Festival.
Rise for Bayelsa is a global campaign that aims to highlight the environmental and human damage caused by multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Frequent oil spills and gas flaring in the oil rich delta have caused untold damage to the environment and to the people of Bayelsa State. The campaign seeks to amplify the unheard voices of those most affected.
In 2018 and 2019, London based photographer Arteh Odjidja joined the award winning Aequitas team on an assignment to Nigeria, travelling to the southern state of Bayelsa to capture and document the environmental and human impact of countless oil spills.
The campaign was launched in March 2019 by the then Governor of Bayelsa State, Henry Seriake Dickson, to give a voice to the people of Bayelsa and to shed light on the damage caused by the oil industry in the region.
About The Artist
Arteh Odjidja is a London-based photographer and educator whose work explores identity, representation and social experience. Drawing on his West African heritage and training at the University of the Arts London (LCC), he creates socially engaged, project-led portraiture and fine art photography. His work has been exhibited at Tate Modern, The British Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Photography, and he teaches internationally as an Akademie tutor for Leica Camera AG.
