The Big Exodus: A Forgotten Story of Nigerian Refugees in Ghana, 1983

For decades, I have spoken about history in the long term. It’s impossible to understand the For decades, I have spoken about history in the long term. It’s impossible to understand the world today by focusing only on the short term.

Photographers of my generation, those who documented the history of the world, especially the history of others, worked in a time when photographers were rare in what was called the “Third World.”

Today, these forgotten reports are gathering dust in the archives of the agencies that survived. These images no longer have commercial value, and digitizing them costs money. In the West, one story replaces another: Lebanon, Nigeria, Angola… It’s distant, and often misunderstood.

However, I strive to make these images, accumulated over decades, accessible, because they also belong to the people they depict. I have already done significant work with Albania and Iran. Other projects are ready: my decades in Afghanistan, in Mongolia… The challenge is, of course, finding funding.

So when @joewackle , a young Ghanaian, contacted me to talk about the story of Nigerian refugees, I was particularly happy. This forgotten story is a key moment in Ghana’s history, just as the liberation of Paris is for us in France.

No one will do this work for us. It’s up to us to highlight these stories, to tell them in the present, and to share them with the countries directly involved. It’s a laborious task, with no financial reward. It has simply become History, with a capital H.

I

Here is my modest contribution to this Exodus, for which I received a World Press Photo. You’ll also find the team that conducted the interview.

#joewackle

@cmacam_setdesigner

@daniel.thalmas

@melvax.tv

@Charles_dengpheng

few images among thousand

**January 26-30, 1983: Benin**

**TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GHANAIANS CROSS THE BENIN-TOGO BORDER**

An indescribable scene of confusion, panic, scuffles, and moments of joy marked the final stage of the exodus of over 100,000 Ghanaians as they crossed the border from Togo into Benin on Saturday, January 29, 1983, heading back to their homeland.

Togolese police tried in vain to contain the human tide. Exhausted and desperate, the refugees fought amongst themselves and with the police, using fists, sticks, and whips. In the chaos, many lost their possessions.

Aflao, the border crossing between Ghana and Togo, became a critical passage point. Ghanaian President Jerry Rawlings, facing this massive influx of Ghanaians expelled from Nigeria, decided to open the border to manage the situation. However, he feared that mercenaries and saboteurs might slip in among the hungry, sick, and exhausted refugees.

Ghana appealed for help from the International Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). An airlift was also considered by the Intergovernmental Committee for Migration in Geneva to respond to the emergency.

Monday, January 31, 1983, was the final deadline set by Nigerian President Shehu Shagari for all illegal immigrants to leave Nigeria. A media campaign had long been waged in Nigerian newspapers against Ghanaians, who were often favored by multinational companies operating in Nigeria because they were not involved in tribal affiliations.

In response to the humanitarian crisis, Presidents Mathieu Kérékou of Benin and Gnassingbé Eyadéma of Togo jointly announced the opening of their borders to facilitate the refugees’ passage. President Kérékou personally visited the Togolese border, where he met with President Eyadéma to oversee the crossing of the first truck loaded with Ghanaian refugees.

This massive and chaotic exodus became a significant event in the region’s history, highlighting the complex dynamics of migration and the political tensions in West Africa during a time of great economic and political instability.

Cela fait des décennies que je parle de l’histoire sur le temps long 

Il est impossible de comprendre le monde actuel  en se limitant au court terme. 

Les photographes de ma génération, ceux qui ont enregistré l’histoire du monde et en particulier celle des autres, travaillaient à une époque où, dans ce qu’on appelait “le tiers monde”, les photographes étaient rares.

Aujourd’hui, ces reportages oubliés dorment dans les tiroirs des agences qui ont survécu. Ces images n’ont plus de valeur commerciale, et les numériser coûte de l’argent. En Occident, une histoire en chasse une autre : le Liban, le Nigeria, l’Angola… c’est loin, et souvent incompris.

Pourtant, je m’efforce de rendre accessibles ces images accumulées au fil des décennies, car elles appartiennent aussi aux peuples qui y sont représentés. J’ai déjà mené un important travail avec l’Albanie et l’Iran. D’autres projets sont prêts : mes décennies en Afghanistan, en Mongolie… La difficulté reste de trouver un financement.

Alors, quand XX, un jeune Ghanéen, m’a contacté pour parler de l’histoire des réfugiés du Nigeria, j’ai été particulièrement heureux. Cette histoire oubliée est un moment clé de l’histoire du Ghana, tout comme la libération de Paris l’est pour nous en France.

Personne ne fera ce travail à notre place. C’est à nous de mettre en lumière ces récits, de les raconter au présent, et de les partager avec les pays directement concernés. C’est un travail laborieux, sans récompense financière. C’est simplement devenu de l’Histoire, avec un grand H.

Je vous recommande au passage un livre qui vient de sortir : *Mésopotamie* d’Olivier Guez. Depuis des décennies, j’insiste sur l’importance de cette histoire, celle de la fin de l’empire ottoman. On ne peut comprendre le monde actuel sans s’y intéresser. N’oublions pas qu’un tiers de l’humanité vivait autrefois sous le plus grand empire de tous les temps : l’Empire britannique.

Voici donc ma modeste contribution à cet Exodus, pour lequel j’ai reçu un World Press Photo. Vous trouverez également l’équipe qui a réalisé l’interview.