Lagos Mainland, packed and spread

satellite view, Ikeja

Stay where you are

In Lagos people tend to stick around where they live. Traffic may be one reason, the expanse of the city another and the fact that there is no key attraction able to draw crowds in the evening or on week-ends from one end of the city to the other. Very few parks, no square where people would feel happy to spend some time hanging around. The only big migration is work or religion related.
Security also plays a role. Today streets are safe on the islands and increasingly in mainland's neighbourhoods during the day. At night, it is a matter of bad luck but stories of attacks are still in the news in some areas; the area boys are still alive and potentially dangerous. As a result, streets are not considered as an area one should expect to spend too much time on, except of course, for those running a business there: plenty of activity takes place on the streets, from water carriers, gas and airtime sellers, hairdressers, shoe repair, fruit and and vegetable sellers, restaurants, etc... These ones seem to live on safely.
But trust is not there among fellow Nigerians so properties are walled and gated.

packed and spread

On the mainland though, space is used up, houses are packed against one another, providing from the sky an impression of giant computer motherboard stuffed with corrugated-iron transistors and microchips, streets are like veins

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Egbe festival in Oyo: celebrating the duality of the living and the spirits

Ladies in pink from the northern procession The Yoruba traditional festival of Egbe Alaso Osun celebrates the celestial community of humanity a nd marks the communion of the world of the living and the “spiritual realm” (the world of the Spirits). During the day, celebrations consists in processions coming from two compounds and going to the palace of Alaafin before returning where they originated. The night before until early morning hours, sacrifices and offerings of food, among other things, are made throughout the town to feed the Spirits. We participated to a procession from the compound o f Ile Adedeji. The procession came from the North towards the palace of the Alaafin to pay him homage and it was joined by another one coming from the South. Both converged at the roundabout in front of the palace walls. The processions where essentially composed of women. The colour code of the southern one was pink while the northern one was blue and brown. ladies in blue from ...

The Ogiamien family in Benin City: about wood and history

Roland Ogiamien in his wood-carving workshop Wood Roland Ogiamien is a renown wood carver. He is now retired in his home town of Benin City and is now in his 80s. We met him in his simple workshop, a barn opened on the surrounding greenery. A part of the studio is used to store wood pieces and make sure they are well dried. He is using a collection of german ustensils to carve and polish the wood. He spent most of his career working out of Lagos before relocating to Benin. Roland was explaining that the wood he uses today is different that the one he worked on in his early days. Ebony has become rare and wood carvers have had to switch to other types of wood. Traditional heritage is a large part of his inspiration which he translates on wood with his own particular style, exploring various techniques for the finish of his pieces. Roland Ogiamien and two of his favourite masks History Ogiamien is the name of an important royal family in Benin Kingdom. Towards the end of the ...

the Alaafin of Oyo: the traditional ruler of the Yoruba

the Alaafin of Oyo and a few wives From the origin of the Yorubas to the Alaafin Olodumare is the name of the Supreme being in Yoruba language. He created the Universe and all divinities (Irunmole), to whom he had delegated His powers on the creation of the earth and the humanity. Obatala was the first divinity to be created and had the responsibility to complete the creation of the earth and to mold the humans. Obatala in turn created Oduduwa, who the first human being living on the earth and the progenitor of all Yorubas. Oduduwa had one son called Akanbi, who got several sons, the last of which, called Oranyan is the ancestor of the Alaafin of Oyo. The Alaafin of Oyo is the traditional ruler of all Yorubas as he is blood-related to Oduduwa. In contrast the Ooni of Ife is a priest in charge of serving Oduduwa by taking care of the left spiritual property. He is therefore a spiritual ruler of the Yorubas and not blood-related to the Yoruba progenitor. the...

Nigeria, the land of plenty

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