“The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands…”
Deuteronomy 2:7
During my winter break, I was fortunate enough to be a bridesmaid aka hype woman in the wedding of a dear friend in Nigeria. The trip was far too short, but after not visiting Nigeria for 13 years, I’m sure no time would have felt enough. The day before I headed back home, I took a bus, ke ke (little yellow “taxis”), and a motorcycle to make it to a local arts/craft market in Elegushi where I stumbled upon this man.
Don’t get it twisted, he was parlaying my haggling tactics like the naija pro that he is, but his art spoke for itself. I bought some cute little baskets that caught my eye for some of my friends back home, and went on my way to find something for myself. I tried to go to other vendors to see what other straw products were available, but none matched the work I had seen, so I went back and said “my friend!” And he hooked ya girl up.
I watched him making more products with his hands and the thought crossed my mind about the amazing things we are blessed to do with our hands. How grateful I am that my hands function perfectly. So many things could have gone wrong when I was being formed in the womb, and the same goes for Yusuf. He uses his God-given hands and skills to create something out of nothing. It was a beauty to behold.
My new friend Yusuf and I had a little photoshoot of him killing it at work. Lol. I hope you enjoy the shots. He was serving looks.
If you are ever in Lagos, Nigeria, look him up and tell him I sent you.
Special thanks to Ifeoma Kpaduwa for riding out with me that day.
Osose Oboh is a medical student, visual storyteller, content creator, and advocate for minorities pursuing careers in medicine. She went to UCLA obtaining her B.S. in Biology before going to the University of Southern California for her MPH with a focus on Global Health Leadership. Following the completion of a postbac program at Charles R. Drew University, she matriculated into Michigan State University College of Human Medicine! In addition to her medical career pursuits, Osose has been working as a freelance photographer for seven years, and has shot her own visual art projects in addition to weddings, graduations, fashion and lifestyle photography, and her favorite, travel photography. She plans on combining her passion for photography, global/public health, and medicine in her future career.
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