GLENNA GORDON / Freelance
LECTURE - HOUSE OF LITERATURE - SATURDAY 10th OF JUNE1930
What can a picture of a pink toothbrush tell us about a mother's mourning?
When nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by the terrorist organisation Boko Haram in Nigeria, the photographer Glenna Gordon wanted to share their story in a way that everyone could understand. The series about the kidnapped school girls is one of many projects Glenna has photographed in Nigeria. By focusing on one country over a longer period of time Glenna have been able to shine light on the horrifying stories as well as those more peculiar. At Dok:17 she will share stories from her travels through Nigeria, from south to north and back again.
Glenna Gordon (b. 1981) is American and has worked for years in West Africa. She reports regularly from the region for, among others, The New York Times and Time Magazine. Gordon received a World Press Photo award, the world’s most prestigious photo competition, for her coverage of the kidnapped schoolgirls.
Dourcas Yakubu is 16 years old. Her parents describe her as shy girl who loved eating tuwo (a local dish). She's one of more than 200 girls who were kidnapped from a school in Chibok in Borno State on April 15 by Boko Haram, a terrorist group in northern Nigeria. Schools in the area had been shut down due to Boko Haram attacks, but the girls had returned to sit their final exams. Photo by Glenna Gordon
Rabi Talle in the courtyard of her office in the Ministry of Information in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Her next book is called "Victim of Love." Photo by Glenna Gordon
A bride at a wedding in Kano, Northern Nigeria, stands apart from the guests. Male guests and female guests seldom mix in the conservative Islamic norther part of Nigeria. Photo by Glenna Gordon