Presenting the Niger Delta Hell Bus! A collaboration with Lekeh Development Foundation in support of Ogoni climate activists in the Niger Delta.
I'm leaving Nigeria today so took a few photos for the road. There's still things I want to add to the bus, a speaker system on the roof, ladders, and some sort of foldable stage would be great and it need a lot more sirens and lights (so it looks like a real Nigerian bus).
Massive thanks to everyone who generously chipped into the crowdfunder to help make this version of the bus a reality, I've left the crowdfunder open until the end of the month to try and cover the bus's running costs and also to fund a Hell t-shirt giveaway to activists out here since the shirts we printed for the march were so popular.
I left it very late before I came out here to ask if anyone had any old camera equipment they could donate to the climate activists out here but I've donated my old Nikon DSLR and a Sony RX100 to Lekeh Development Foundation who will loan them out to any activists who need to document the ecological devastation out here, and also to document actions, protests and other organising events. Seen here modelled by Lekeh's director, and my wonderful host, @fridaynbani.
I'll be coming out again in the new year so if anyone has other equipment they want to donate, whether that's cameras, old smart phones, laptops or anything else that would all be useful to activists out here. It's hard to overstate the poverty on the ground here. Average wage in a service or construction job is just £40 a month so equipment like this is far beyond most people's reach.
Last photo is of Bariyerebua Ndeekor aka Bright who helped me decorate the bus, as well as helping with so much else, he's also the Niger Delta Hell Bus' driver and mechanic!
Thanks and massive respect also to all the Ogoni activists and groups who helped make this such an amazing and moving commemoration of the Ogoni Nine. It's such an incredible movement and I'm honoured to be involved in a small way in assisting their struggle.
As Ken Saro-Wiwa said, "the struggle continues, and we will win!"
