Nigeria, the land of plenty

traffic man with tuxedo and wheels The streets of Lagos have their heroes, popular faces playing a role to help improve conflict situations or make traffic more fluid. These heroes can be on official duty or self-appointed. They also perform their activities with dedication to earn the appreciation of commuters who will dash them money or food. This possibly explains why the said heroes are sticking up to their outdoor jobs and are happy to face the tropical heat and the humidity of the rainy season. Lagosians look at them with affection because those street heroes are perceived to solve problems that either the government is not able to tackle or they are exemplary in their conduct. They are also a face, someone that can be identified and interacted with. They are useful do-gooders in the jungle of the city. On the official front, an elderly police lady has been monitoring the traffic light junction on Falomo bridge (leaving Victoria Island in the direction of Ikoyi). She has be...

glowing in the rain There are days when nature appears to conspire against an established program. One such day happened recently, I had an appointment at 11am on the Mainland, in Mushin. At 9.30am the wind started to blow heavily, ridding trees of old and shaky leaves. Palm trees, too, were loosing their branches and one had to be careful not to be hit by them. Plastic bags were flying high. The sky was darkening rapidly, making one wonder if the sun had an eclipse. Then the rain started pouring heavily erasing the skyline from the horizon. This went on for a while but I did not want to miss my appointment. Somehow I managed to get onto the car, soaked from the short span of time being away from my umbrella. The road progressively filled with water as gutters could not handle the amount of water delivered by the storm. Thunder joined the party too. Lightnings pierced the clouds and preceded the thunder by a few seconds. Traffic was not too thick, most people had wisely postponed ...

Phil Omodamwen explaining the process of bronze casting Bronze casting belongs to a millenary tradition in the Kingdom of Benin. Bronze casters are part of a guild and the rule of primogeniture applies to the inheritance of the role (the eldest son will take over from his father when the latter dies). The first record found of a guild was under Oba Oguola (1280-1295). Bronze casters are called Isama and used to be royal court artists exclusively. Their production was reserved for the royal household. They would craft ornamental and ceremonial objects. It was a way to record important historical events. The knowledge of the Isama was secretly guarded within the guild, women would not be permitted to learn the bronze casting technique in order to prevent their husband, not part of the guild, from learning it. The Omodamwen family started as Isama around 1500 AD under the reign of Oba Esigie. At the end of 19th century, the British looted many treasures from the ...

High Chief Arala of Benin Kingdom, Prince S.B. Omo Lawal Osula At the intersection of two potholed market streets in the heart of Benin City, somewhere along Lagos street, stood three marquees. Two of them were covering rows of plastic chairs and a plastic table for special guests. The third one was covering a wooden stage with numerous microphone booms. A band was getting ready to play. The setup was facing the house of the Arala, a High Chief of Benin City. In front of the house painted in orange was a wooden bank on which traditional percussionists would seat later on. Seated guests were waiting for the Arala himself. The Arala had come out, dressed in a salmon-pink suit and red loafers, to welcome us personally upon our arrival while we parked next to the marquees. He is a man of small stature but fit and lively for his age (he is in his mid seventies). The Arala runs an NGO to help international organisations fund rural education projects around Benin city. The NGO s...

Prof. (Sir) Victor Uwaifo playing Joromi Benin City is famous for its millenary culture that can be traced back to the beginning of the 10th century AD with a dynasty of about 30 rulers called Ogisos. They were followed by the Obas, that have been ruling until today. The city is famous for its bronze casting tradition and also for its music. Prof. Victor Uwaifo is one of the musical legends of Nigeria. He was the first African to win a Record Golden Disc in Africa with a music title called Joromi back in 1966. He spearheaded Highlife music in his own way and represented Nigeria at Festac, Black and Arts festival, in 1977 in Lagos. Music has always occupied a large part of his life but Prof. is also known to be a man of many talents. He was a good sportsman and he diversified his career by studying arts and sculpture in particular. He has taught for years at Uniben (the University of Benin City) and obtained a PhD in that field in the late 1990s. Victor Uwaifo representing...