Connected Histories: The Telegraph in Nigeria showcases how telegraph networks intersected with the economic, and sociopolitical development of Nigeria. This project draws on the thesis research of Nnamdi Nnake, a PhD Candidate in History at McMaster University, to illuminate the history of telegraph technology in Nigeria and examine how its trajectory was shaped by local factors. Through collaboration with Ingenium and Northwestern Libraries, the exhibition features real life telegraph apparatus, practice sets, and large-format images depicting various Nigerian scenes of the technology-in-use.

Central to the political structuring, colonial administration, and socioeconomic development of modern Nigeria, the telegraph was introduced to foster British imperial causes and evolved to meet interests in the commercial and private spheres. Though the telegraph symbolized colonial power, it also inspired innovation, labour, and community amongst Nigerians. Likewise, the telegraph shaped the Nigerian landscape with its materiality – wires, towers, stations – but its operations were also shaped by the Nigerian landscape. Yet, its history has largely been ignored or overshadowed by interest in other communication networks, leaving significant gaps in public and scholarly understandings of the telegraph’s links to Nigeria’s past, present and future.

The exhibition aims to bridge these gaps by showcasing the material and other dimensions of telegraphy in Nigeria, while addressing current questions of user-centric innovation, public memory, cultural heritage, and what it means for technology to come from Africa. Connected Histories resonates with modern events as communication technologies continue to shape our societies. Understanding the telegraph’s trajectories in Nigeria is essential for both maintaining accurate historical records and developing efficient large technical systems supported by well-informed policies. The exhibition not only reveals how communication networks are embedded in social, political, and ecological contexts, but also how technologies are adapted to societal needs.

Exhibition Dates: September 1, 2026 to December 4, 2026

Exhibition Reception: Thursday, September 17, 2026, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (remarks at 6 p.m.)

Department of History Thursday Speakers’ Series:
Nnamdi Nnake
Visualizing African Workers and The Telegraph in Nigeria – 1925-45

Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026 Time: 1:30–3:00 p.m.

Location: McMaster Museum of Art (MMA), lower-level gallery.

View poster.

This seminar draws on an exhibition showing throughout Fall 2026 at the McMaster Museum of Art, and the thesis research of Nnamdi Nnake, who is studying the development of the telegraph in colonial Nigeria. The paper argues for visual analysis as a tool of historical analysis and uses images from archival collections to examine the contributions of African workers to sustaining Nigeria’s telegraph networks between 1925-45. From daily operations to maintenance and repairs, this paper shows how visual analysis makes African labour, expertise and technical practices visible in ways that textual sources can not. Nnake contends that images represent more than illustrations of telegraph technology or infrastructure and reads them as historical evidence that reveals the material and social conditions under which Africans operated Nigeria’s telegraph systems. By foregrounding African workers contributions to telegraph operations, maintenance and repair, the seminar contributes to emerging histories of infrastructure, materiality, and technology-in-use while highlighting the value of visual sources for reconstructing African histories of technology.

Register here. Please note that registration is limited to 40 participants. If you register and later find that you are no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your spot to someone else. Please email hisdept@mcmaster.ca

Nnamdi Nnake is a PhD Candidate and SSHRC Doctoral Research Fellow at McMaster University, Hamilton. His research examines the history of communications technology in Africa and its intersections with material culture and the political economy. Nnake is active in the academic community and has produced peer-reviewed research for publication. He has also presented his research at several international conferences on African studies, and the history of science and technology. Nnake holds a BACSTI Fellowship with Ingenium and is a Research Assistant with Participedia.

Image Credit:

Duckworth, E. H., (British,1894-1972)
Mechanicians in the Posts and Telegraphs Workshop, Lagos
Copyright © 2026 the Melville J. Herskovits Library of African Studies, Northwestern University Libraries. Courtesy of the Melville J. Herkovits Library of African Studies E. H. Duckworth Photograph Collection, Northwestern University Libraries

Further Reading
McMaster Daily News: History PhD candidate receives fellowship to study Black Canadian telegraph workers