Fisayo Soyombo Launches Migrant Photography Exhibit in Lagos

Fisayo Soyombo, an investigative journalist and founder of the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, opened his first photography exhibition titled ‘Desserts from the Desert’ on Monday night at Alliance Française de Lagos, Ikoyi. The exhibition serves as a visual record of his challenging journey through the Sahara to document the experiences of African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

Soyombo spent 47 days traveling from Kano through Zinder, Agadez, and Dirkou in the Niger Republic, and then through al Gatrun and Sabha to Tripoli, Libya. His work reveals accounts of death, starvation, rape, physical assault, abduction, torture, and modern-day enslavement faced by migrants from Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, South Sudan, Eritrea, and Somalia.

The event, which began at 6 p.m., was attended by media executives, civil society leaders, and public figures, including Sir Ademola Osinubi and Dr Adeyeye Joseph. Soyombo called on government agencies to combat trafficking and restore hope for citizens.