Victoria Uwemedimo

Towards the end of the year, as most of the world winds down, it feels like Lagos speeds up. Between Art/Design/Fashion Weeks, and Detty December, the past couple of months have been a whirlwind of exhibitions, concerts, talks, pop-ups, owambes and less aunty-approved parties (shoutout .grouptherapy which felt like the safest, most positive, joyful & inclusive rave I’ve ever been to). The highlight of this season may have been Mama Nike calling me “our queen” at 🫠😂 Looking forward to another year of being inspired by my wild city and its incredibly talented artists, organisers & fun-makers! Happy New year, beautiful people 🎊✨

Sadiya, a Muslim tin miner, and Rejoice, a Christian stonebreaker, would never have met if not for JPRM’s work in the region. Although they are both 42 years old, both widows, both single mothers, and both survivors of violence, their religions would have kept them in different parts of the state – or, at least, in neighbouring communities with uncrossable boundaries. But, today, they share a deep bond. Their families have welcomed one another, and they spend Christmases and Sallahs together. As one talks of her painful past, the other weeps. They told me that they first met during an exercise organised by JPRM, during which they were told to pick a stranger to have a conversation with. The women’s first words to one another were: “I choose you to be my friend.” And they have stuck to that promise ever since.

I was recently sent on assignment to Jos, a city perched on the plateau between Nigeria’s Muslim North and its Christian South. Jos, and Plateau State at large, have been marred by civil unrest and conflict – often between nomadic Fulani herdsmen who are increasingly being pushed south by terrorist activity and the effects of climate change in northern states, and indigenous Christian farmers who play a crucial role in the nation’s agricultural industry. Disputes over land, resources, religion, and politics have persisted for decades in the region, culminating in deadly riots across the city in 2001. Since then, tens of thousands have been killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced.

A local organisation, the Justice Peace and Reconciliation Movement (JPRM) – supported by Dutch nonprofit Mensen met een Missie – has been working in communities to foster tolerance, understanding, and genuine coexistence. In a country sometimes marked by intense division, it was inspiring to witness stories of true friendship – relationships formed in the aftermath of extreme violence and discord.

[Shot on assignment for ]