PHOTOGRAPHIC NARRATIVE OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN URBANSPACE: LAGOS, NIGERIA #END SARS SÀGA IN FOCUS

Abstract

Researches on visual arts and the urban spaces have engaged the role of art as a form of tourism, investment possibilities, cultural preservation and wealth accumulation especially in Lagos, Nigeria. However, little scholarly focus has been paid to the engagement of photographic representation of
activism, protest and socio-political questioning in urban space. This article x-rays the photographic narratives of 2020 #End SARS protests in an attempt to expose police brutality, corruption, extortion and compromise in urban spaces, especially in Lagos, South-West Nigeria, which is seen
to be cancerous to social transformation. The study is qualitative in nature situated within the context of visual semiotic theory to engage polysemous visual representation rooted within connotative meaning to interrogate socio-political issues in Nigeria. Purposive sampling technique was employed in the selection of the photographic depiction analysed, with the criteria for selection being socio-political themes. The study argues that photograph has the potential to chronicle dreadful experiences and the threat to the fundamental human rights of the people in communal urban spaces and advocate for social transformation. Photographic imagery is a productive tool of documenting experiences that disconnect people from their freedom and helps advocate for social change.