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| flower power: roadside covered sewer bordered by plant nurseries |
Disclaimer: today we will talk about nature in the city with electoral campaign posters popping up in the landscape like mushrooms of various colour and size. The point is not to discuss the merit of political parties but merely the esthetic and the tone of its advertising. Nigerians should decide for themselves whom they wish to vote for, I have no opinion on the matter. I have just been told that political parties do not really follow the split between right and left, as it is the case in many other countries, it is rather linked to connections of tribes or extended areas.
Saturday morning, traffic is very thin in Ikoyi; perfect time to go out and explore. There are many plant nurseries gracing the roadside with an air of giant garden. A nice contrast to Victoria Island. Some are selling only plants, other have a selection of pots.
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| why women should earn less than men |
Presidential election campaign: Buhari vs Jonathan
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| the proponents of the next presidential elections: Jonathan vs Buhari |
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| Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (GEJ) : a star and stripes |
The traditional dimension of the hat transpires in the election
ads to appeal to the sense of loyalty towards the extended « clan »
that the party represents.
In Nigeria the campaign is largely led around « change ». This is
mainly as a result of Boko Haram’s strengthening in the North East of the
country, where they committed a number of large scale atrocities without being
contained by the nigerian army and of a huge divide between the ultra-rich and
the numerous poor, people aspire to change which has been sported by both the
APC (All Progressive Congress : opposition party led for the presidential
election by Muhammadu Buhari, who was previously president for a short while in the 80’s)
and the PDP ( People Democratic Party led by the current president Goodluck
Ebele Jonathan aka GEZ in some ads).
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| thou shall not fear to repeat |
The APC is therefore using such messages as « we will
defeat Boko Haram » (if we are elected) or « free and effective
healthcare for all » to embody a promise of change. The pair Buhari/
Osinbajo is calling themselves « the winning team, the game
changer ».
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| Changing for the game changers |
Whether they will be in a position to hold on to their promises
if elected remains to be seen.
My favourite billboard is the one with GEZ
claiming that if he is re-elected there will be « change not for a few but
for all » which is quite a feat for an outgoing president which other
supporters are displaying as the candidate of « continuity ». I may
miss something in the argument.
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| the current president promising "true change but for all" if he is reelected |
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| true change… for continuity |
Second best is the heaven inspired look of
Ambode, APC candidate for Lagos who offers to the onlookers « Bank on me,
I will treasure your vote », no risk of broken promises here :-) !
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| smart promise |
Lastly an original video ad about the twitter hashtag « ♯ iHaveDecided » from APC to get change
Besides the promises, the
opposition is likely to have many backers on the election as people are not
pleased with Boko Haram and the living standard of the average man. One of them is my
driver who is undergoing a complicated period with his wife who was very ill, alledgedly of
typhoïd fever, while pregnant which
caused him to borrow a lot of money to pay for her hospital fees.
Art scene
Amidst the focus on electoral ads under the blazing sun, I
entered a sandy street called Maitama Sule where an art space/ music place/
restaurant is located and called
Bogobiri house.
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| be wise, accept Jesus now |
The Art gallery is a sort of labyrinth with various paintings along the way. Ending up on a terrace where
a guy was assembling pieces of raw wood together with iron wires to form a sort of wooden
carpet, I landed in the place where « God is in control of this
business ».
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| God is in control |
Probably under his guidance, two guys where watching a reaggae
performance on a large screen TV. Coming down through a narrow spiraling
staircase, I ended up in a psychedelic
corridor painted in blue-green colors, before reaching the street and
its scorching sun.
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| psychedelic background |
A derelict Mercedes Benz covered with dust served as an
advertising wall – it would not easily move. One burial and a concert were
advertised under the dust.
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| vintage advertising material |
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| vintage advertising material 2 |
Snapper
On the Falomo bridge, a guy saw me « snapping » a
picture of the lagoon and suspiciously asked what I was snapping and why I was
snapping. I told him I was snapping the landscape which did not convince
him, so in effort to rephrase I ended up saying it was because it is beautiful
which caused him to roar in laughter. Probably still not convincing but he had
not expected such an answer !
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| snap of a "beautiful" landscape |
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| business opportunity at a crossroad |
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