The Centre for Contemporary Art, Lagos (CCA Lagos) hosted a pre-programme screening of Ofem Ubi’s Back on Home Soil on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as part of the programming surrounding the exhibition Ka ọ dị mgbe anyị g’afu ozo (Until We Meet Again).
The screening brought together members of the public, artists, and members of the creative community for an afternoon of film, reflection, and conversation around themes of memory, family, loss, and grief.
Back on Home Soil (2023), a 15-minute film by artist and filmmaker Ofem Ubi, explores the relationship between home, memory, family history, and the experience of returning. Set in Ikom, Cross River State, the film considers what can be brought back when an artist leaves home to develop their craft and the forces that continue to call them home.
At the centre of the film is Ubi’s engagement with his family history and his grandfather’s handwritten records documenting generations of family life. Following the loss of his grandmother, these records become a point of departure for reflecting on memory, ancestry, community, and the ways personal histories are preserved and passed on.
The screening resonated with the broader concerns of Ka ọ dị mgbe anyị g’afu ozo (Until We Meet Again), a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring grief and the different ways loss is experienced, remembered, and expressed.
Exploring the Many Dimensions of Grief
One of the works presented during the programme reflects on the complex emotional and physical dimensions of grief. A handwritten collection of words and phrases records experiences ranging from sadness, hollowness, loneliness, uncertainty, betrayal, rejection, guilt, numbness, pain, silence, and fear to physical sensations such as cold, heat, weight, and a sore throat.
Together, these expressions point to grief as an experience that is neither linear nor easily defined. It can manifest through the body, memory, relationships, silence, and everyday experiences, while also altering how individuals relate to themselves and the world around them.
The screening of Back on Home Soil added another perspective to these conversations, foregrounding the role of memory, family archives, storytelling, and place in navigating loss.
Continuing the Conversation
The pre-programme screening forms part of CCA Lagos’s ongoing public engagement around Ka ọ dị mgbe anyị g’afu ozo (Until We Meet Again). Through film, visual art, performance, and other forms of artistic expression, the exhibition and its accompanying programmes create spaces for audiences to encounter different perspectives on grief, remembrance, absence, and healing.
CCA Lagos continues to welcome audiences to engage with the exhibition and its accompanying programmes as the conversation around grief, memory, and loss unfolds.
Ka ọ dị mgbe anyị g’afu ozo (Until We Meet Again) is a multidisciplinary exhibition presented by CCA Lagos.
