1

When I saw this bike next to the car, I thought about how when there was no civilisation in Africa, if you had a bike, then you were doing well. Life is a kind of rotation. Things are always changing. Ten years ago there were things that were important that are out of action or not used so much now. Even in the seventies there were big cars in Nigeria, but for a long time there were no cars or they were too costly for the average man and the bike was very valuable. We are no longer living living in this old mentality. There's been a lot of progress.


2


This is in the middle of Piazza Della Republica, at the traffic lights taking you across. People are waiting for the lights to allow them go. When the traffic light is red, you have to wait. But, you see most times when it is red, people still go and it is dangerous. So if you beat the traffic lights, whatever happens, you do at your own risk. You are taking a risk. Anything can happen. Nobody else can be held responsible for anything that happens because you refused to obey the instructions.
So the people are in a rush, so they're not looking at whether the light is at green or red, they just want to get through. So if you look at the general situation in life, everybody's always in a rush, most people want to get things in a hurry. They're not willing to follow the normal procedure, in the way that you are supposed to. When you try to get things in a rush, you just make a mess of everything. We, as human beings, we have to wait, just obey these little instructions, it's as simple as when the light is red, you have to wait and when it's green you go, there's no harm in it, just try to relax.


3

This is where you buy and sell at the market. A place of buying and selling at a cheaper rate, anyway. Cheaper than in the stores. Here everybody wants to get everything in a more economical way. Italians go there too, everybody can go there and anyway it's not a crime to want to save costs so why be ashamed. If you decide to go there, it's your choice.
For me I don't like to stay in Porta Palazzo. It's the wrong zone. I don't like it because you can be apprehended by the police for anything and you don't know anything about it. The reason that I come to Porta Palazzo is that I'm coming to the market to buy things that I cannot get near to my house. Apart from that I don't have anything doing here because it's the wrong zone. The belief of the Italians is that every wrong deed that done in Italy is done in Porta Palazzo, which is actually true. And eventually you are going along, you are innocent, you haven't done anything and somebody has just done something wrong, if they believe it's a black man, you'll be apprehended.
Do you know people that's happened to?
Yeah, you know. You can just be going along and get embarrassed by the police or whatever they call themselves and you don't know anything. In every society there are the good and the evil and when the evil surpasses the good then they think everybody's evil. Now when a black man is involved in a dirty deed they belief of the Italians is that every black man is involved in a dirty deed. In Italy we have responsible Italians and we have notorious Italians, so it is in everywhere, but they are not saying anything about that. In such a case you stay clear from such areas because in the next ten minutes, you'll see a van for the Police or whatever. They can come into the market and ask your document or passport and you can be deported just because of that. You don't know what is going on.

4


Via Milano. This building is an office. This is what they call the ÔVigili' in Italian. This is the office. They're in charge of traffic control. They control you. There are different sections of the Vigili. There's a fire section and a traffic section. The officers are always in blue or black and with white caps. I took it from a distance as usually I try to avoid contact with any kind of police.
I've never had any problems with the police because I do everything possible to stay clean, because the most important thing in life is that; If you know the law - and nobody's above the law - If you know the law, don't do anything against the law. It doesn't mean that you're a fool. Now the rule is that you shouldn't go stealing. Don't go selling drugs - which some people are involved in - and if you avoid this level there is no reason for the police van will look for you. And if you are not a drug man, then don't go to the zone that sells drugs, because there is no way you are going to prove that you are innocent.

5

This is Via Garibaldi. It's a popular street in Torino. It's always very busy, especially on a Saturday. It's where people can buy some expensive clothes, a nice suit, and shoes.


6

If you look at this building, it's tall, it's independent - by itself it's not depending on others around it for support. In life it's necessary that we don't have to depend on others always, let us just depend on ourselves. Employ self dependence then nobody tells you what to do and what you are not to do. If you look at the building, it's fine, it's nice. It's nicely structured. It's a nice structure to me anyway. What I discovered for myself is that as a human we have to be self dependent and be able to be creative and productive. That's what I think about this and it's beautiful in my eyes.


7


In Piazza Statuto there's this office for the bus drivers to change. If you look at the building, nothing is permanent. The driver changes, the bus changes, the journey you are taking is not permanent. When I have the occasion, maybe I go to McDonalds, or go to one of the Chinese restaurants - I go to Piazza Statuto. Piazza Statuto is very close to Porta Susa. A little walk from Porta Susa..just a little walk from Piazza Statuto.
And do you have McDonalds in Nigeria?
Yeah, in big cities not every city.
Did you like going there in Nigeria?
Going to McDonalds in Nigeria, no. I don't go. What I normally do in my country to relax is to take a walk, just go outside. Going to restaurants, I don't go to McDonalds, or others, I'm not used to this system. I believe in travelling.


8

This is a garden in Piazza Statuto. As I'm waiting for political asylum and am not allowed to work in the meantime, I like to walk around the city and meet friends in some of the gardens in Torino. This is where you can make an appointment and wait for somebody. If we choose to go there just now, we can relax there and talk and be free.
Do you feel bored that there's nothing for you to do?
Yeah. The reason why I wanted to come to Europe is to find a greener pasture, to get something to do for yourself, for your future and maybe you'll be able to lay your hands on what you intend to do. I would have loved to go to work every other day but not on Sundays. Sunday's just a relaxation day and Saturdays'. Normally week days its boring anyway to stay at home without doing anything for the day but you don't have anything to do about it. You can not help the situation. Then if you look for some odd job to do and if you are lucky you get one.
What kind of jobs can you find?
You can not actually tell. Somebody can call you to help with the apartment downstairs. Maybe someone wants to move in or somebody wants to move out. Maybe they need someone to help. Even in the market square, if you are lucky, you can get some work there.
Do you get this through friends or do you know of some people you have to speak to É..?
I don't have any contact of anybody.
I guess you're not officially you're not supposed to work so they can't offer you anything. That's quite difficult isn't it, to be in this position of not having any money kind of thing?
Yeah, not having anything but you are spending, that's dangerous. Even though you have something in the bank and you are spending enough. So, It's difficult.

9

This garden is quite different. This one is for children. People bring their kids, loved ones here to play. There's no grass in this one but still it's good for relaxation and any kind of interaction with other people. I go to church every Sunday. After I usually go with a friend of mine from Nigeria, from the same church, we just take a walk at times and go to relax in some of the different parks.
Do you have Italian friends here too?
I don't think so. I don't have Italian friends as such. Was that very important for you when you arrived to find the church? Yeah, it was very important for me. Because I'm a Christian and I wouldn't like to be in a place where I cannot worship God, where I cannot go to church so, the first thing I looked for was accommodation and a place I can worship God.
Are there more foreigners in this church than Italians?
Yeah there's other foreigners. We have Congo, Ghanians and others, Nigerians, Sierra Leonian, whichever country you can name they have foreigners.
How do you get on with the other Africans here?
The moment you leave Africa and cross the water to Europe any black man is more or less your brother. Yes, it's normal because this time we are not talking about nationality. If you look at it the blacks here are very few. So when you come in contact with a black man that is responsible, you can talk to him very freely.
If an Italian man happens to go to America found anybody from Europe, even like Spanish people he feels like that he's at home. The same way. So when we are leaving Africa and you get to Europe and you come across anybody who's a black man, you can be free.

10


This is Via Giacomo Matteo, There's a Catholic bookshop here. I'm a Christian and here you can get any information you need about the Roman Catholic religion.

11


Opposite Puorta Nuova train station, there's another garden. when you go to places where you sit down and talk people come to you who have different experiences and you hear and learn from that. You learn from the past mistakes to avoid the future one. If something similar has happened to somebody the next thing you have to do is that you have to avoid it. If you don't avoid it, you might be a victim the next time. So that is that.


12


This is a view onto Puota Nuova train station.
Do you go to that area around Porta Nuova much, the San Salvario?
No I don't. I don't use the places round there.
Cos some of the other Africans that I spoke to say they always spend a lot of time near San Salvario.
Because they're very close. Just look at the location. If I'm going to Porta Palazzo, maybe I'll take a pullman, a bus, but if I'm going to Porta Nuova, I'll take 2 or 3 buses so it would be very difficult for me, I would prefer to go the easy way.


13


This is inside Puorta Nuova station. The word here is Ôinformation'. Every information that you need should be here.


14


This is the bridge at the start of Via Bologna. Apart from the snow, if you look at the trees you can see that there's a change in season. You can see that the picture was taken in the winter because of the shedding of leaves. And this bridge, I would have loved to have taken it closer, but the tram I was waiting for already arrived so I didn't have time. By the bridge you get a different set of birds. They're always there, different types of pigeons. They live their lives freely there.