My interview by a Dallas Texas USA based Magazine http://www.obaasema.com/index.htm
Hushed tones fall over the room as guests take their seats. Legs are crossed, red-soled stilettos bob up and down as the lighting is dimmed and all eyes focus on the only visible light. Nigerian photographer, Tyna Ezenma, readies herself at her tripod to capture the first model to take the runway. She is at Fashion Week in New York, September 2009, and with seemingly endless energy, she invokes the ability to virtually make time stand still. Her view of the world and how photography fits into it is quite poignant.
“The awareness of the importance of photography in the African society is so disappointing. Most people here have not come to realize that photography is an Art, and that people actually studied it as a course. As a female African in a profession dominated by men, I have to work extra hard to prove myself relevant,” remarks Ezenma. Her quest for excellence in this area has certainly been worth the sacrifice.
While in South Korea, relevance was not an issue especially when she had her first photography exhibition. She was the only female and the only black person in the group; this certainly made the experience special, she admits.
“As a female it has been difficult “squatting” at some events to take photographs.” But being a minority has its advantages. When you find unique angles with which no other photographer might have thought about, you stand out. So the obstacles can become the sole inspiration for finding one’s niche.”
And many have taken note:Several accolades including three international photography awards in the U.S. as well as published works by the International Library of Photography. While in Korea for a year, her work was featured as part of a group exhibition in Ulsan, South Korea, in November of 2007. (more…)
I woke up early this morning too stressed and worried that i could not go back to sleep. Yes i do get like this on very rare occasions but the stress in this country is getting at me, well if you must know am in Nigeria right now. A country where the president is very sick and its a big secret among his people while his seat is left in vacuum. The cabinet members do as they want like sheep without a shepherd,where a bank MD can be caught with very huge amount of dollars without an official covering letter.Where state governor loot state funds at will and nobody blinks about it. Where you put your money in a bank and can not collect it probably because the bank manager has given out people’s money as loan to his friends and relative, where the bank managers live like kings. Where i can’t sleep now because my money in the bank and can not be returned to me which i need it urgently if you must know again am not asking the bank for a loan but my personal investment. Where you can’t be paid for services rendered and you can’t do anything about it. Where they value cheap services instead of quality ones, price comes before asking for quality of services. Where marriage vows means nothing anymore, infidelity has become the order of the day. Where divorce is a normal everyday thing caused by cheating husbands and wives,okay i know that happens every where in the world but then it is not the tradition of this country. Where gay people have taken over as if it is normal for a man or boy to behave and act as a female and nobody is saying or doing anything about it.Keeping quiet doesn’t make things go away.A place where kidnapping or should i say adult-napping if there is an word like that have become a common occurrence ransoms are paid in millions of naira still the culprit go scot free. Where government negotiates with kidnappers and murderers and promise them amnesty instead of arresting and punishing them to teach others a lesson. Come to think of it where do these guys in the Niger delta region get their guns from? am thinking that they must have heavy backers, all these ranting will come as a surprise considering the fact that i dislike politics so much but i think there should a great change in the way things are done here. We keep talking everyday without doing anything about it,can we keep quiet for a second and think about how to bring about these changes we keep talking about? You guys know how i hate packing and moving but am so much looking forward to a move right now. I sit in traffic for hours everyday it is very painful i don’t make proper use of my own allocated 24 hours in a day. Photography has become boring because am asked to do the same things over and over again so when can someone or some people allow me to be my creative self? I started taking photographs at events at least to see different setting and people but that also is becoming boring too you see almost the same faces,comedians,performers everywhere i need something fresh and new.Where journalists publish or should i say don’t publish certain things about certain people for the fear of not either losing their jobs or even their lives.This is the only place one side of a story is published without investigating and finding out from the other side what really happened. Am so sick of reading papers where people talk about themselves as if they are a kind of demi god, if you use first class ticket to travel and sat at the first class lounge is that suppose to be news? Who cares where or what you went through to buy a dress that you can not wear more than once in public? Who cares if you have blings on you handset these are news in this country while serious issues from common people are not heard anywhere. I have stayed one year here and i think am an authority on the topic of fake people who only wants to be your friend based on what you have and not on who you really are. People who look right into your eyes and lies about every thing under the sun,they promise you heaven on earth,where people with genuine ideas can’t bring it to life because of lack of sponsors while stupid, useless,copied ideas get all the raves. If i have to move today i will gladly do it because am sick and tired of all these nonsense going around me it is more painful because i don’t really know how to bring a change,i tried as a person affecting one life at a time but it is not enough in a country with a whole lots of people. Where parents compare their good sons who haven’t made money yet to some criminals pushing them to become 419ers,drug pushers and so on. Am sick and tired of a country where criminals and ex-convicts can take governmental positions,where you can bribe your way out of anything $15million as bribe to sweep a case under the carpets yet i can’t be paid my small hard earned money that i lodged in the bank? Where federal land allocations are given to the same people who already owns the country,where the criminally rich get richer and the masses can barely feed despite working so hard all day. Where real journalists are beaten and roughed handled by bank officers and police officers for taking photographs of protesters.people do take photographs in Iraq everyday am i correct? Where you live in fear. Where everyone claims to be religious and evil abound everywhere.Where every dick,tom and harry has an NGO just to enrich themselves. I am having serious headache right now and i need to go to the bank as soon as they open their doors.
I don’t really know how to start this without sounding jealous or threatened,i will have to say it anyway. I went to a party on Friday night in our estate,sitting beside our table were these group of women one of them was so loud and dancing in a very unladylike way twisting as if she was a pole dancer,it would have been bearable had she been pretty,young and not too fat with flabby pot belly with a behind that were begging for mercy to be released out of it’s misery of being squashed into tight pair of orange jeans.At a stage it was so obvious that she was after my husband and what did i do? well! nothing, i just allowed her to fool herself,i went to the dance floor leaving my husband behind and she was all over him i watched from where i was wondering how bold and aggressively desperate can an old woman be after another woman’s husband.This is not the first time that i have to encounter these kind of behavior from women who are meant to be responsible citizens of this country.On Sunday again on our way back from a fashion show we stopped at this eatery place in our Estate to grab something to eat we decided to sit outdoors you know to breath in natural cool air. Two guys and a lady were seated opposite us,sadly the shameless lady was married to one of the unfortunate guys.The way the seats were positioned she was in direct view of my husband while i was backing her,i noticed that my husband was trying as much as possible to avoid looking in that direction that was what made me to turn lo and behold she was flashing him okay for those of that don’t understand what flashing means she wore this short skirt and her legs were apart that i could see her black pant that is if she was wearing any but i saw black anyway. She kept opening and closing her legs, i then asked my husband why the woman was behaving that way in front of her husband.Next time i checked she crossed her legs in a way that all her thighs were visible then she put her legs down again and kept opening and closing it,i was watching her while checking my husband at a time i asked him if i should go tell the woman to open her legs more for him he became defensive by saying that i was the one that called his attention to the woman and if i that was the truth, did i say he should not remove his eyes from those fat thighs again? We got our check paid but he was reluctant to just leave he asked for an extra bottle of small stout that was when it dawned on me that he was getting a kick out of the whole show. I allowed him without saying a word about it again until we left.We got home and i watched TV till about 1.00am while allowing him enough time to fantasize because i know that he is not definitely getting anything from me. Here women go after men shamelessly,while the men are no saints either they go after anything in skirt or gown,some of them stoop so low to making out with their nannies and domestic helps. I think i should get out of the house right now for my business sake.If you were in my situation concerning those shameless women what would you have done?
The popular American idol show has come to an end well that’s old news if you live somewhere else but here in Nigeria we just watched the last show last week Thursday.The two finalist were both good but i was hoping that Adam would have won,Americans preferred Chris,i sensed from Simon cowell’s reaction or should i say none reaction that he was expecting Adam to win as well.The good thing about the show is that you get to win something for being the most horrible singer during audition,for what it is worth i enjoyed this season so much because there was a lot of twist to what we are used to. I leave my house by 10 am every morning because i have to watch a Mexican soap on TV La Revancha or The revenge unless i have an urgent appointment then i will record it and watch it later. It is very annoying to see two people who are love suffering because of a stupid revenge,why is there so much hatred in this world? Guess what? AIT a Nigeria television channel on DSTV is showing a Korean movie every Sunday you all know how happy that makes me,Korean movies are my favorite movies although i can watch anything when bored.Can you imagine me watching “Meet the Spartans” an epic comedy,flipping through the channels bored and couldn’t find anything worth watching i ended up with this.Seriously is that suppose to be a funny film or what i was disgusted and angry for wasting precious time watching rubbish.Well last weekend i went to two events the Genevieve Pink Ball for breast cancer awareness and Eve2000 fashion show by Susan Eyo-Honesty the Deputy Editor in Chief, City People magazine.
Kemistry olisaemeka and some other models at the event
Mandy,Susan and Kenny
The performance by former governor of Cross Rivers state Donald Duke made my day at the pink ball.
Nigeria Next Supermodel
I have been so busy working,this morning i woke up to take stock of everything i guess because i was a little depressed.I found out that i work more than what i earn i know it is the initial sacrifice that i need to make for my business to take off,this is the 6th month since i started i wouldn’t say that i have done badly but i still feel that something is missing.maybe i should concentrate on the good things that have happened within the last six months.In the course of this business which am so passionate about i have met so many wonderful people,few nasty ones in between.I have been able to dine with government officials like governors,ministers,commissioners,celebrities which might not have been possible with this line of job.Some of them really appreciate and supports what am doing while some still need to be educated about the kind of vision i have.You all know that i love shopping and if any thing makes me to cut down on my expenditure then it is a sad case. I know that am rambling but i have to get it out of my chest maybe my husband will read this and understand that i need some money which i have not build up enough courage to ask him.Since that is out the way i did a photo shoot with the Nigeria Next Super Model,it was fun believe me the judges are going to have a tough time deciding who to crown the supermodel did i mention that i am very proud to be working with Mrs Joan Okorodudu the owner Isis modeling agency in South Africa who has been organizing this contest for some time now. The model that won the best model of the world is from her agency and also the guy that won Mr Nigeria, so you now understand why am happy to be part of this great vision you all know how much i love America Next Top Model but i heard that this one is even better.I have also wanted to be part of America Next Top Model,most of my dreams are coming to pass.You may ask so why am not so happy this morning well in a human being’s life there are times one need to think about where you are coming from,where you are now and also where you are heading to.Whenever i have this kind of feeling when i remember that the trees do not struggle to bear fruits then why should i whom God have created in his own image be worried when the birds of the earth can feed well, okay that’s different am not actually looking for money to feed but money to buy some equipments that i need in my business.Why should i worry about some equipments? will it grantee more jobs or more money? (more…)
Posted By tyna 
Mar 20, 2010 
