By Valentine Amanze, Online Editor
Nigerian artist, Olufela Omomkeko, has supported the ongoing battle against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic with his artistic work.
He has carefully arranged fresh peppers on wooden boards hanging in a bare room.
Instead of providing spice in a meal, he wanted them to encourage people to obey measures that would stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
His pieces, comprising of red, yellow and green peppers mounted on boards and tomatoes hanging from nets, will rot during the lifespan of the exhibition in Lagos.
The decay, according to him, reflected the food wasted during lockdowns last year.
The 30-year-old artist had told Reuters: “I created this art space as a reflection of the scarcity… and numerous challenges that we experienced at the early stage of the pandemic.”
Lockdowns were imposed from late March until early May last year in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, and the capital, Abuja.
The restrictions, coupled with a ban on nationwide interstate travel, disrupted supply chains which led to widespread hunger, while food rotted in fields or at depots.
“I don’t want us to go back to that stage again and my only advice is for the masses to use their face masks just to avoid another lockdown,” he said.
He feared that the authorities might enforce more restrictions as the country grappled with a second wave of COVID-19 infections that has seen the number of cases rise sharply in recent weeks.
Public health officials have repeatedly warned that Nigerians are failing to heed guidance on observing social distancing and wearing masks. Many opt to wear masks around their chin, rather than over their mouth and nose.
Omomkeko hoped that the sight of his rotting peppers, oozing liquids and giving off a pungent smell, would provide a visceral warning of what might happen if safety advice was ignored.
“I’m not wasting this material,” he said. “I’m using it to raise the consciousness of the masses.”