To create a solid base for my project, I needed it to not just stand for something but for the works to be created and disseminated by some sort of collective, group or organisation, this is how the idea for Kya’ofu came into being. Kyauta, Ofe, N’efu(these are the words for free in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo) – altered into Kyofu/ Kya'ofu - This will be the name of the organisation behind the campaigns. 

This tactic has altered the way I look at the creation of my work, I am now to embody this fictionalised organisation and ask myself how such an organisation would create and share their ideas, I must consider questions such as what work would a collective of this size produce, and how could they get the word out there? What future are they fighting towards?

I begin leaning away from the religious and leaning towards the cultural, it is difficult to formulate a true pan-Nigerian identity, as every country developed out of colonial power grabs with no care of the many indigenous people residing on the land, struggles with a dual identity of culture and state can attest to, it is still a worthwhile exploration. I look at cultural symbols like our masquarades, our clothing or just the shared pain of it all.

Thumbnail sketches of Kya’ofu posters.