Culture

Interpreting Africa’s Visible, and Invisible, Borders

In the eighth “Invisible Borders” road trip, a group of African artists and writers send dispatches from the continent’s cities and border towns.
In Okereke's "Dream Chamber," a man makes alternative use of a wait station in Enugu, Nigeria.Emeka Okereke

“Traveling from West Africa to Europe is easier than doing this trip we are trying to do,” explains Emeka Okereke. The 38-year-old Nigerian visual artist and writer is referring to the logistical challenges of his latest Invisible Borders Trans-African Road Trip.

Last week, Okereke and a dozen emerging African artists set off overland in a single van from Lagos, Nigeria, to Maputo, Mozambique, planning to traverse nearly 7,000 miles and nine countries, in 95 days. Sponsored by GoPro, Leica, and Open Society Foundations, and organized by Okereke’s Invisible Borders Trans-African Photographers Organization, this road trip is the eighth he has produced since 2009.