Lagos, Nigeria – For two unforgettable days, the serene yet struggling coastal community of Akodo-Ise came alive as it played host to The Current – a groundbreaking visual exhibition that immersed visitors in the climate realities facing Lagos’ most vulnerable populations. Held on 4th and 5th April, the event drew people from far and wide—artists, activists, journalists, policymakers, and curious locals—all converging to witness the power of storytelling through images. It offered a deeply immersive exploration of the environmental crises facing Africa’s largest coastal city.
Curated by Adebote Mayowa, Nigeria’s topmost Environmental/Climate documentary photographer and climate advocate, The Current transformed the backyard of the traditional ruler’s palace (Mr Shittu Lateef Temitope) into a striking climate storytelling park. In a burst of creativity and cultural relevance, Mayowa and his team ingeniously mounted photo displays on locally made canoes and hung powerful images on the remains of coconut trees, forming a landscape where art and environmental consciousness met.
“The climate crisis is not a distant threat,” said Mayowa. “For communities in Lagos, it’s happening now—loud and visible and through this exhibition, we wanted to strip away the abstraction and show the urgency of the moment.”
As guests wandered through dilapidated buildings, they found themselves fully immersed in the experience. Striking photographs, placed intentionally along broken walls and between narrow pathways, offered glimpses into the daily struggles of communities living with rising seas, eroding coastlines, and frequent flooding. The immersive storytelling continued in the seating area, where fiber canoes served as benches, giving attendees a sense of place while remaining visually symbolic of the community’s deep ties to water and fishing. The event wasn’t just about viewing images—it was about connecting with them. One of the exhibition’s most talked-about features was the “Sip and Paint” experience, where guests engaged in live painting sessions while sipping freshly tapped palm wine under the shade of coconut trees. This offered a creative way for visitors to internalize the climate narratives and express their own reflections through art.
As part of its broader goal to inspire action and build resilience, The Current also included two impactful workshops:
• A Community Training on Climate Resilience, where locals were educated on adaptation strategies to protect their homes and livelihoods from environmental threats.
• A Photojournalism Workshop for Young People, designed to equip the next generation of storytellers with skills to document their realities and raise their voices without waiting for outside journalists. The session was led by Mayowa and fellow visual storytellers, fostering a new wave of youth-led climate advocacy.
The exhibition was graced by representatives from key environmental agencies, including the Lagos State Ministry of Environment, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), and the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, among others. These institutions engaged deeply with the stories and voices presented at the event, leading to vital conversations on climate policy and community inclusion. Significantly, advocacy from the exhibition led to calls for the inclusion of Akodo-Ise in Lagos State’s upcoming tree-planting program, which aims to establish natural buffers along coastal lines. This breakthrough highlights the tangible impact that art and community storytelling can have in shaping environmental policy and action. Feedback from attendees revealed a shared sentiment: that The Current offers not just awareness but a call to action. “This exhibition reminds us that climate action is no longer optional, We cannot continue to overlook the communities being left behind.” said Mrs Yetunde Atoyebi representing the Mr. Tunde Ajayi, the Managing Director of LASEPA, “The Current” has been officially endorsed as a Decade Activity under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. The Exhibition was supported by Extreme Hangout, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, International Climate Change Development Initiative amongst other partners. The Current is only the beginning. With its success in Akodo-Ise, plans are already in motion to scale the exhibition into a national visual advocacy tour, eventually culminating at COP30 in Balem, Brazil, where selected works will be presented on the global stage. The team is also preparing for the upcoming “30 in 30” campaign—a bold documentary project capturing the voices and images of Nigeria’s most climate-vulnerable coastal communities.