In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, many Nigerians left home in search of a better life. It began with the political elite and the educated middle class, and soon everyone wanted out. By the time democracy was restored in 1999, almost 90,000 doctors had emigrated to the UK and USA, along with similar numbers of other professionals and their families.
Those who leave seldom forget those who remain. Those who remain do not forget those who have left. The psychological weight never dissipates entirely.
What does it mean to remain here in this place in November 2023, 40 years after the first exodus began? The Hands that Remain was an interactive installation that presented an archive of those left behind, in the home we are still building. It asked strangers, friends and relatives to acknowledge what it means to remain, and visitors what it means to hope.
