By Aaron Ukodie
Iconic, and pioneering photo-journalist, chronicler of historic events. places and peoples, drummer and art connoisseur, Sunmi Smart-Cole, yesterday, treated top academicians, journalists, diplomats, retired army generals, renown Lagos socialites to a feast of some of his great works.
It was one of a rare exhibition of Smart-Cole’s works of photography and photojournalism, spanning over five decades and covering several countries in Africa, Europe and the United State, at Terra Kulture Centre, in Lagos.
Except for a domestic accident that failed to dent a moment of joy for this 78 year old master of the lens, the one popularly called Sunmi had accomplishment plastered on his face and heard in his voice, as he shared experiences and received commendations from the likes of renown diplomat and former minister of foreign affairs, General Ike Nwachukwu, Socialite, the Yeye Oge of Lagos State, Mrs Opral Benson, acclaimed former governor of Cross Rivers State, Donald Duke and his wife, Onari, Art Curator, former chairman of the National Council of Arts and Culture, Frank Aig-Imoukhuede.
Frontline newspaper publisher and veteran journalist Sam Amuka Pemu was at the occasion to savour the moment in quietude and hushed chats with those of his class. So were Professor Duro Oni, former Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos. There was Mrs Jibunoh, curator and owner of Didi Museum, 91 years old Lagos socialite Mrs Funke Arthur-Worrey, Tunde Fagbile, 93 years old engineer, Chief Femi Olopade, remarkable African Guardian Harare Correspondent, Sully Abu and a host of Smart-Cole’s mentees amongst others.
There was also Professor Theo Ogunbiyi, a surgeon, also in his 90s, and Bolade Osinowo, Sunmi’s classmate, whom Sunmi acknowledged for his pranks at school, and yet exemplary life thereafter.
The guests spoke of Sunmi as a great man, friendly, diligent to his photography passion, one who changed photography to a noble art and profession, trail-blazer, iconic and a man of many parts: photographer, artist, architect, journalist, drummer and socialite.
They shared sparkling experiences with Sunmi, cracked jokes and told of how some of them got to be attached to Smart-Cole and his infectious works.
Nwachukwu in his comments described him as a chronicler of history, as one whose lens told stories of every events that happened in Nigeria for many decades, during the hey-days of the military and in the many attempts at democratic government.
He said Sunmi has become a model to the young generation of what they can do with the lens. Opral who gazed at one of the pictures of his husband, late TOS Benson, on display at the event, described Sunmi as ever young and has not changed from when she knew him.
Sunmis later testified that he knew Opral up to her home town in Moravia, and told of the many helps he has received from her and relations in Liberia.
Duke’s story was revealing and spoke of Sunmi’s attribute as a photo-journalist. It was during the draconian military era of late Sani Abacha and many Nigerians never wanted to be on the prying eyes of the Abacha’s men, so they preferred to lie low. They kept their prized possessions from the eyes of the military. Duke’s beautiful wife, Onari, was one of such possessions he never wanted the military to notice. But Sunmi, to the chagrin of Duke, splashed her picture on the front page of The Lagos Life. Duke was livid and told Sunmi so. Sunmi had to explain to Duke that he had work to do, carrying stories and pictures, as photo-journalist that would appeal to readers and sell his paper.” I use beautiful women to sell my paper”, he told Duke in a telephone conversation. Duke was livid. But they have since then become friends.
Imuokhuede, who incidentally was the person that copyrighted Sunmi’s work, gave him so many national and international platforms to show his works, had another story to share Sunmi’s passion as Editor of the then Lagos Life. The art curator was poet of a kind then. He wrote poetry in Pidgin English. To announce this peculiar poetic style and license, and popularize how the locals pronounced poetry, Sunmi had to create a section in Lagos Life known as Poeti. Imuokhuede’s poems were used as guinea-pig.
Sunmi’s photos on display include one that depicted the war against indiscipline (WAI), when the military sought to enforce order on our bus stops and roads, as they forced people to be on the queue while waiting to board the bus. There were also pictures that spoke of the uncomplimentary extortionist attitude of the police. Pictures that tell of the intractable lack in the land in the midst of plenty also dotted the walls.
Also on display were photos of the many world leaders that Sunmi’s lens had caught and several Lagos socialites, captains of industry and the idiosyncrasies of the past years.
Sunmi, now 78, is aware that his times of recording history through the hard copy photography, described by some as analogue, was fast going away, giving way to a new era of digital photography and its attendant nuances of photo-shopping. He seemed to be handing over the baton to a new era, which his son, Tobi Smart-Cole was on hand to be introduced and represent.
He told the audience that the only colour photos that were on display at the exhibition were taken by Tobi, who clicked away, at the event to record the moments.
Sunmi told of his life battles and near encounters with death in the course of his works. One remarkable occasion was when he was on a trip to Kaduna alongside Mrs Abike Dabiri, on the entourage of Gen Ibrahim Banbangida. When one of their bus tires got burst the Babangida military escorts thought it was a gun shot from the bus. They came after the vehicle and nearly got it run over by a trailer. They missed being crushed at that point.
