Words on Wheels
Wole Hammond | Abuja | Nigeria
As a photographer, I am inspired by everyday life and the simple stories I see all around me. I adopt a documentary approach to my photography - highlighting life and issues through images – and preserving candid moments in frames for life.
‘Words on Wheels’ explores the interesting intersection of transportation and visual communication. I have always been intrigued by the culture of drivers using their vehicles to pass messages to the public. This body of work celebrates the creativity and thought behind these written expressions which cut across matters of self-identity, religious beliefs, personal experiences, idiosyncrasies on societal issues. It explores how these drivers utilize their vehicles (Keke NAPEP) for artistic and cultural expressions and the underlying desire for unconventional means of self-expression. Younger internet-savvy people utilize social media to express themselves, while the generation of older Keke drivers are not tweeting and sharing on social media, the words and statements on their tricycles are means of expressing their ideas.
This visual narrative attempts to portray the dignity in labor, prompt us to pay attention to little details that reveal the personalities and philosophies of people around us – even our drivers, and celebrate the creativity of our drivers.
Captions
01 "Jesus Welcomes You"
I believe in Christ Jesus and these words serve as a welcome message to every passenger who boards my Keke. It is also a means of sharing the gospel.
- Peter, Abuja - Nigeria.
02 'Family Man'
I have been a Keke driver for over 9 years and I have used this same inscription - Family Man - for every tricycle I ever drove. This inscription serves as a message to myself and other road users, that family comes first. Every day I drive through the streets, I have it at the back of my mind that my wife and children look forward to me returning in the evening. For this reason, I drive carefully and always avoid anything that could put my safety in jeopardy. The caption also attracts passengers who often board my Keke saying, “since you are family man, you must be a responsible driver”.
- Kindness, Abuja - Nigeria.
03 "Face your life, man must wack"
Life is full of ups and downs and everyone will experience challenges. At a point in my life, a couple of years ago, I experience done of the lowest points in my life. I lost most of the things I had, it was tough as I could barely feed. I got my first tricycle under a hire purchase agreement and had to endure. I braced up and worked with all diligence - I face my own life, now I dey wack.
*To wack (Nigerian Pidgin) means to eat.
- Onyekachi, Abuja - Nigeria.
04 "Bakinka Alekun"
Bakinka Alekun, Hausa (A popular language in West Africa). This phrase means Keep your mouth shut. My message to folks is to remain mute whenever they have nothing meaningful to say. Often, people are quick to discredit others and say things that add no value to lives, my little piece of advice to such people is to keep quiet.
- Mohammed, Abuja - Nigeria.
05 "Ojochenemi"
Ojochenemi, a name in Igala language (North Central, Nigeria) translates to 'God is with me'. The intention of having this name on my tricycle is to remind myself that I can navigate everyday life with God on my side.
- Ojochenemi, Abuja - Nigeria.
06 - "Allah tsole idon makiya"
Allah tsole idon makiya (Hausa - a popular language in West Africa). This phrase means 'God should remove the bad eyes'. My wish towards opposition is an aggressive one. I hope that God takes away the evil eyes of the enemies who do not want me to prosper in my doings.
- Ahmed, Abuja - Nigeria.
07 - '2Pack'
"Inspired by the legendary rapper, I adopted this nickname. I loved how 2Pac Amaru Shakur stood for something, was vocal about issues around him, and made music that outlived him. While I am not an artist, as I commute daily I resonate with some of these ideas and I think society will be a better place if we all stood for what is right."
- Abdulazeez, Abuja - Nigeria.
08 - "Niga Rosey, the new star"
"Niga Rosey is my stage name. I have not been able to bankroll my music career, so I transport people to meet my daily needs. I love music, especially hip-hop and afro-beats and I am inspired by Phyno and Wizkid. I am trying to save some money to record the few tracks I have been working on and I know that one day, I will emerge as a new star in the industry"
- Nonso, Abuja - Nigeria.
Production Credits
Photographer: Wole Hammond
about the artist
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