The renowned English photographer that is Oli Hillyer-Riley has proudly announced his latest body of work, ‘No Wahala’, a photographic book that captures the unique young surf community of Tarkwa Bay, Lagos, Nigeria.
The story begins in the spring of 2019 after Oli found himself in Nigeria to work on Vans’ Weird Waves, a program that champions the rawest and most genuine surf communities from around the globe. It was there in Lagos that he and his colleagues found Tarkwa Bay, an area in which the youth have little but find great satisfaction, fun and meaning in mastering the oceans’ movements.
The strong youth population at Tarkwa Bay share a small collection of surfboards that are only there due to visitors leaving them behind. Despite this, the passion for the sea remains unwavering, consequently, some of the more experienced teenage locals hope to represent Nigeria at surfing in future competitions and even at the Olympic games.
Hillyer-Riley’s ‘No Wahala’ documents this unique connection and the experiences that he shared with the boys of Tarkwa Bay. Originally, profits of the books were to go to NGO worker, John Michelletti, who oversees the progression and development of the surfers through the Tarkwa Bay surf club. However, after John informed Oli that the peaceful beachside community was violently evicted by the Nigerian Navy, priorities had to be changed.
“Right now our main priority is taking care of the kids and their families,” says John Micheletti, co-founder of the Tarkwa Bay surf club and a lifelong local. “We’re using any funds that the club had saved to provide food aid and assist with rebuilding homes, or relocating affected families where this is not possible.”
Vitally, this means that with every book sale you’re helping the people of Tarkwa Bay rebuild and strengthen their community, maybe then we can hope to see these young locals make their way to the ocean once more.
Take a look at a few images of and from the ‘No Wahala’ photographic book below, if you like what you see and you want to support the cause then make sure to head over to Oli’s website on the 5th of March to purchase a copy of the book for yourself.
