Nigeria, the land of plenty

throwing nets in circle It is dark, 4AM perhaps. Wooden boats leave Makoko, paddling towards the lagoon. First, they pass under the Third Mainland Bridge, then head towards the middle of the water expanse that separates the Lekki peninsula from the Mainland. Groups of ten boats go fishing together. Each boat carries two people, sometimes three if a younger one joins to observe, learn and help sort out the fishes from the net when it comes out of the water. The person sitting at the back has the responsibility to direct the boat and keep its balance when the one at the front stands and throws the net with a gyrating movement. pulling the nets The fishermen are wearing long sleeves and usually trousers. The wind in the middle of the lagoon can be chilly and one is rapidly wet from the contact with waves and bringing up the net. The fishing routine comes as follows: the group of ten boats decides in which area where they hope to catch fish. They form a circle, wide enough to be a...

running on the bridge or fishing in the lagoon Feb 11th saw the 2017 edition of the Lagos Marathon. Kenyans won as usual, flown especially for the occasion. The whole town was pretty much brought to a halt on the morning of the event, with streets being closed unapologetically and cars being left to accumulate and wait until the moment would come to lift the road blocks. Somehow, this brought an air of peace to the city in the absence of the roar of vehicles. I enjoyed a particular program that morning, took my bicycle and went to catch a boat to visit Makoko from which one could see the crowd of marathonians running on the length of the Third Mainland Bridge. welcome to Small World "once upon a time" In the evening, came the new edition of Small World, a charity run by international women living in Lagos. The recession was showing its teeth compared to the previous year with less countries operating a food-stall, but overall it was a very good evening. The ...

Cycologists riding the bridge early morning The Third Mainland Bridge is 11.8km long. It spreads over the lagoon along the Mainland shore of Makoko and Lagos University (Unilag). It is a highway above the water. Below the lagoon lives. Fishermen go about their routine to catch fishes with nets or collect them from the enclosures set in the middle of the lagoon, anchored on old tyres and wooden poles. The nets are white like a veil. The bridge is a highway with three or four lanes in each direction. It carries an impressive number of vehicles every day, especially during week days, to transport all the workers to and from the islands as well as goods. The name of the bridge inspires an element of fear in the subconscious of Lagosians. A few years ago it used to be the place where armed robbers would come and pillage passing cars, possibly hurting or killing people in the process. Its length makes it an impractical place to get help if something happens, if a tyre bursts, ...