Grandad's Possessions- Damilola Onafuwa

There are countless stories about the items that individuals discover from the attic or garage of their Grandparents. These items range from medium format cameras, vinyl discs, old cassette players, antiques and a bunch of other things which was pivotal during their era but likely counted as outdated now.

Nigerian Photographer, Damilola Onafuwa, embarked on a journey of photographing the items that his Grandfather left behind for his children in his will after his passing. He documents possessions that some people would smile at in recognition and some items that people would look at, perplexed asking themselves ‘what is that?’

He features portraits of children holding up his Grandfather’s items in a bid of creating an interplay of the past, present and future. This Juxtaposition between the young and the old experiments the very concept of history repeating itself, like an endless cycle. Each era interludes with each other remaining relevant regardless of what century it is.

“I found really old things, tools for communication, entertainment and general living, used before evolution of technology rolled over them” explains Damilola. The items in his images range from items that were used dated from the 60’s. Vinyl discs and its player, a compass and a hand held radio containing a tv and a tape slot. Damilola seeks to explore various questions with this body of work such as; “what were the leftover utilities of our ancestors? And “are there any memories left of their lives?” These questions pose an important reckoning of constantly remembering the past influences which shapes the present and the future.

Damilola Onafuwa is a Documentary storyteller and Filmmaker based in Lagos Nigeria. He is interested in stories that create consciousness about social issues and how human cultures are formed and how they shape our perception of the world. To view the rest of his project, visit his website

Anne Alagbe, Founding Editor of No! Wahala Magazine is an independent Photo Editor and Documentary Photographer based between Abuja and London. She presently works as a Visual Communication Expert within the development space in Nigeria. Visit her website and Instagram