Andrew Esiebo| Verily, verily, God is
truly Alive
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| Andrew Esiebo, Nigerian photographer's last exhibition in Italy, 2012 |
“Do you know God is alive? If you
believe, then, shout a big hallelujah! I know some minds out there, as they are
watching me now on the screen, will be pondering over what I have just said. I
tell you what, ‘woe unto that man that says there is no God’,” echoes a Nigerian preacher with his
American influenced accent to the subjective viewers that are supposedly glued
on to his church cable channel very early on television.
Nigerian
born photographer, Andrew Esiebo’s latest photo exploration is indeed alive and
very full of contemporal church fraternities and their moments. It is the new
power of worship only for those who are alive with God in this modern age Christendom.
Remember
Andrew? Not the dreamer checking out. Rather, the lens man that gave us the
Barber series across seven West African countries. He is also the same photo
maverick that gave us more to salivate beyond the World Cup actions in 2010 in
South Africa. Andrew Esiebo’s list is endless. More work and gracefully alive
in his vocation.
The European
renaissance philosopher, Karl Marx, opined and affirmed that religion is the
opium of the masses. It was an
affirmation made during the renaissance. Today, Marx’s postulation may be
behind time and outdated, because, religion is no more opium for the masses,
but the rich and the middle classes are falling into the cauldron of religion.
Andrew
Esiebo’s photo essay centers on modern and mega-styled Pentecostalism that has
spread its hangers and indeed captured the mood of hitherto conservative
Christian faithful. Exclusive photographs taken from their different Velodromes
and massive church structures around the city of Lagos and most especially, the
new ‘hang
outs’ proudly located along the expressway at the various outskirts of the
megacity. The photographs are a collection of photo movements and performances
that could as well stand for behind the scenes of an African epic or
documentary film on location.
Andrew moved
with his faith to have access to all these mesmerizing and cinematic attraction
with that fervent precision between his camera movements and the various
characters and scenes that saw him moving ahead to snap those come back to life
actions of different crusades from many conventions of Pentecostal churches.
Africa is on
the rise in Christendom and Karl Marx didn’t have Africa on his mind when he
made that pronouncement. Rather, it was an
assessment
of the bourgeois and proletariat cultures at the advent of
industrialization
in Europe. Now, checking Andrew’s latest offering, God is more alive in Africa
than in Europe.
The cable
channel has dissolved the scene from the American influenced preacher to a big
congregation. While the preacher is powerfully dressed in his ivy-league suit
bought by the faithful definitely, the congregation also has a mix-sartorial
appearance for one to surely know they never lack. They exhibit that confident
pose and poise because they know they are being transmitted live to the globe.
The bigger
the church today, the more your sphere of influence as the Lord’s anointed
servant. The preacher yells at his people about
the act of
giving. He screams while telling them givers never lack with a lapel microphone
attached to his suit. Everything happens in front of an in-house production
crew with sophisticated equipment that will make many terrestrial television
stations run for their money.
God is Alive
in Nigeria vernacular means ‘God Dey.’ This is a popular parlance in the Nigerian
vernacular lexicion, especially, a common phrase among the haves-not, but
today, christendom narrow gate to heaven is for the noveau-riche that can be
stylish in giving to the growth of the gospel.
Andrew Esiebo’s command of art through the
lens is unprecendented. he is truly a dark room rat. Running conceptual images
and telling your stories may look dangerous, especially when the connection is
not there for curatorial practice. But Andrew is simply a class act! In fact,
the young, bearded photographer this time, decided to go spiritual.
Have we
forgotten a popular Nigerian televangelist that soared in the early 1980s who
was the purveyour of this present style of worship in one of his crusades,
demanded for a better offering for the Lord, because as he thundered on the
congregation, “my God is not that God of peanuts. Not a God of Ten naira
notes.” We still remember him?
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| Andrew Esiebo |
His
mastery of the Bible chapters was legendary. He spat around his brand of
christianity in over flowing and designer robes, looking allure, to make people and worshippers knew at that
time, indeed God is truly alive. Today, there are many of his disciples that
have even taking the celebrity style to the next level, as it is written and
proclaimed by Jesus Christ to His disciples, “Whatsoever miracle I have done,
you will surely do bigger ones.”
Andrew
Esiebo is a walking lens man. While driving he is curious. His sojourn around
the world creating images on commissions and prvate assignments have given him
the broad knowledge of creative writing, a unique and important aspect in
conceptual photography. “Sniffing around is so important to me as imagination
creeps into one’s mind faster than being stone cold in a place,” he once
stated.
The preacher
is still alive on his cable platform encouraging viewers and worshippers not to
forget to always sow their seed. “This is the time, he reels.Pay your tithes,
do not steal from God. If you don’t sow
then, what do you reap?” He continues, “Remember the way Jesus was asked in the
Bible, ‘should we pay Caesar?’ Don’t forget Jesus response, “ show me a coin,
and the question He asked, please viewers don’t switch off this channel yet, as
I am about to pray for you, the preacher begs, Jesus responded and said give to
Caesar what is Caesar’s and…..cut!….power disconnect!
All photographs
courtesy Andrew Esiebo
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