Photographing Missions in Africa: Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria. One of the largest cities in the world.

Moving on from Ghana, I flew to Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria and also the largest in Africa. Nigeria itself, with more than 200 million people, is the most populous country on the continent. At the time I was there the population was 50% Christian and 50% Muslim, however the Muslims have carried on an intensive campaign of persecution so that the population is now divided 60/40 in favor of the Muslims.

I spent some time in Lagos, walking around and making photographs. On one street I saw a large mosque with a number of men sitting outside. As I raised my camera to make a photograph, I saw that I was getting some very unfriendly looks. Discretion being the better part of valor, I decided I didn't really need that photo after all and walked away.

Examining a patient in the Church of God hospital at Abak.

 The next day the National Overseer for the Church of God took me to the church's mission compound in the town of Abak, in Ibom province, where they had a hospital, a worship center, and other facilities.

 

A church service in Nigeria

On Sunday I went to the mission church, where I made this picture. As always, I worked very quietly, so most of the worshipers ignored me -- except for a young boy whose sideways glance lifts the picture out of the ordinary.

 

One afternoon I watched some kids playing soccer on the mission grounds. This boy on the right, with his intense, take-no-prisoners expression reminded me of the great Nigerian basketball player Hakeem Olajuwon, who played for the University of Houston and then for 18 seasons in the NBA.

 

  Sunset beams. After evening Chapel. Church of God hospital, Abak.

 The sun sets quickly in the tropics, and as I approached the hospital chapel, the beams were traveling horizontally across the ground and splashing against the wall of the chapel. I had a 100-300mm Tokina lens on my Olympus OM2n camera. I did not usually shoot in auto-exposure mode, but there was no time to do anything but raise the camera, zoom in, focus, shoot, and pray. I made three exposures at f4, 1/15 second at 300mm on Fujichrome 100D film before the light faded. Two were sharp. This one was the best.

 If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Text and photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2026.  

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography   film photography    Olympus OM2n cameras    Fujichrome 10D0 film     Nigeria    Africa     Church of God World Missions    Christianity in Nigeria    Muslim persecution    Tokina lenses

The People of Ghana

Young Christian couple with baby.

The people I met in Ghana were friendly and welcoming, with the exception of one officious young man I met in a public park in Kumasi. I was walking around making pictures of various things that caught my eye when he approached me and demanded to know what I was doing. "Just making some pictures," I replied. "Who authorized you to do this?" he demanded. "Nobody," I said. "I'm just making some photographs."

After a brief but not very friendly conversation, he left. Presumably to find someone to arrest me. I left too. In the opposite direction. Fortunately, I never saw him again. 

 There were kids everywhere, all clamoring for me to take their picture. 

Two children playing under a tree outside the clinic at Kumasi.

 One day we went to the town of Aflao, in the extreme southeastern corner of Ghana, right against the border with Togo. The church in Aflao is actually built on the beach.

Deaf-mute woman, Aflao. Notice that even though she's poor, her femininity demands a pretty headscarf.
 

In Aflao, I met Dann Devine, who is an evangelist for the Church of God.
 

This young man in rural Ghana spends his days guarding his family's  two goats. In a poor country they are a valuable resource.

A minister in training at the Church's Bible School, Kumasi.

All photographs made with Olympus OM film cameras and various Olympus Zuiko lenses on Fujichrome 100D film and scanned with a Konica-Minolta 5400 scanner.

 If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Text and photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2026.  

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography   film photography    Olympus OM film cameras      Konica-Minolta DiMage 5400 scanner    Fujichrome 10D0 film    Olympus Zuiko Lenses   Ghana     Africa     Church of God World Missions    Kumasi     Accra   The Gold Coast    Aflao    Christianity in Ghana

Photographing Missions in Africa: Ghana

 

Little Ghanaian girl surprised by the tall westerner pointing his camera at her.

 

In 1989 Church of God World Missions sent me to Africa to document their work in three countries -- Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia. I spent about a week in each country making photographs and gathering information.

My first stop was in Ghana, where, because of an error by the World Missions Department I waited in the airport hotel for two days before the National Overseer (equivalent to a bishop) showed up and took me to his home in Kumasi. The next morning we loaded into his Toyota Land Cruiser and set out to see what the church was doing in his country. 

Nurse Victoria Bade-Boakye examines a baby in the Church of God Clinic at Essianimpong as the mother looks on.

The Republic of Ghana is a smallish country in west Africa. Its area of 92,497 square miles  stretches from the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean to tropical rainforests in the north. With more than 35 million inhabitants, it is the 13th most populous country in Africa. The largest city is Accra, which is also the capitol. 

Women carrying their burdens the traditional way. It's great for the posture!

 

 

Ghana is a country of diverse ethnic and religious groups. Those claiming Christianity constitute 71 percent of the population, while Islam claims 20 percent.

Mosque at Kumasi. In Africa, the dark shadow of Islam is always a threat.

 

Ghana was a British Colony known as The Gold Coast for many years. In 1957, under the leadership of Kwame Nkruma, Ghana became the first colony in sub-Saharan Africa to achieve independence. It became a leader in the de-colonization movement.

The features of this Ghanaian boy bear a striking resemblance to those of Kwame Nkruma, the first president of Ghana.

 

 

All photos were made with Olympus OM film cameras on Fujichrome 100D film and scanned with a Konica-Minolta 5400 scanner.

 

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Text and photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2026.  

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography   film photography    Olympus OM film cameras      Konica-Minolta DiMage 5400 scanner    Fujichrome 10D0 film    Ghana     Africa     Church of God World Missions    Kumasi     Accra   The Gold Coast

Everybody Wants to Live a Long Time, but Nobody Wants to Be Old

here

 Man with pipe. Kumasi, Ghana.

Less than one month before my 89th birthday, old age is announcing its imminent arrival. My fall at Potter's Falls in 2024 (you can read about it here) caused nerve damage affecting my hips legs, and feet. It has greatly limited my walking, in particular, which affects my photography. I can walk as needed, but not far, and it isn't much fun. I hate that! When we were younger Louise and I often took our children on long walks. I miss those days.

The nerve damage also affects my balance. I've had a few falls,but nothing serious so far. 

Honestly, though, I can't blame the fall for all my aging troubles. In February, 2023, we moved from our 5th wheel travel trailer pulled by a honkin' big Ram 3500 dually into a townhome in Knoxville. My life is much more sedentary, and that's my fault.

Louise rocks on, with occasional very painful back spasms interspersed with occasional good days. Today is one of them, so she went shopping.

Other than that, I've been scanning slides from my Africa file for upcoming posts about Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia. My old Konica-Minolta DiMage 5400 scanner (now there's a mouthful!) makes beautiful scans, but it is slow, slow, slow --15-20 minutes per scan.

How do you like my Ghanain man with his pipe? More good stuff coming on Wednesday, I hope. His picture was made with an Olympus OM film camera and Fujichrome 100 film.

 

If you like my pictures, visit my online gallery at https://davejenkins.pixels.com/  

Click on the link at left for information about ordering original signed prints from the Rock City Barns book.

Signed copies of my book Backroads and Byways of Georgia are available. The price is $22.95 plus $4.95 shipping. My PayPal address is djphoto@vol.com (which is also my email). Or you can mail a check to 8943 Wesley Place, Knoxville, TN 37922. Include your address and tell me how you would like your book inscribed.

Text and photographs copyright David B. Jenkins 2026.  

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.

Tags:   photography   film photography    Olympus OM filmcameras      Konica-Minolta DiMage 5400 scanner    Ghana Fujichrome 100 film    Ghana