Nigeria, the land of plenty

Afropolitan style It rained gently the whole evening, not enough to discourage the crowd from gathering at Freedom Park to listen to an eclectic mix of nigerian singers and musicians. That was a blessing after seeing the sky tormented by distant lightnings, it was probably pouring a few kilometers away. Afropolitan Vibes is a monthly live music concert gathering of nigerian musicians and singers from all musical styles: Afro-beat/ hip hop/ pop and highlife. Adunni and Nefretiti The party has become very popular over the years, people are still coming en-masse despite the recent steep price increase of the entry tickets. The increase has helped improve the quality of sound as a result of more money being spent on the sound system. The show started with Bantu, 2 Nigerian - German brothers, who powered the evening. They invited Musiliu Haruna Ishola, famous for singing Apala music which originated in the 1930s as wake-up call during ramadan in yoruba land, a joyful call for bre...

Lagos Island, the old business center Back to the 70's what is striking about Lagos Island is the amount of ageing concrete buildings worn out by the heat, the salt and the humidity. It was probably at its peak in the late 60s or 70s. The streets are generally one-way and narrow, full of bustle and traffic during the day. Life is everywhere on the street, even late at night. Government offices are still partly there. The Central Bank building towers it. Lagos Island is actually the link between Mainland, Ikoyi and Victoria Island. Freedom park, the old prison The old prison was turned into an event space called "freedom park" accessed from prison street. This is a popular hangout place for middle-class Nigerians and foreigners. It is hosting a monthly edition of Afropolitan Vibes, an evening when local bands come and play. This year, it hosted the Lagos Jazz Festival , which is displaying local bands playing all sorts of music with a possible jazzy ...

Freedom park, the jail turned into a happening place Lagos jazz festival 2015 Among the nice things happening in Lagos, there is the Jazz festival, which took place this year at Freedom Park in Lagos Island, on the premises of a former jail. The rugged walls still hold the place together; inside the large courtyard is planted with trees, flowers and concrete. Three stages happening to play simultaneously at times, each one trying to hide the noise of the others. Stage number 2 of "jazz in the mega city!" The program, split over 3 days, went crescendo from amateur to professional and from mainstream and traditional music to real jazz on the last day. Nearly all artists were from Nigeria, except a group from South Africa which left one wonder why it had been invited. The vast space was far from full perhaps as a result of entry fees (though modest), fuel scarcity and perhaps lack of advertising. What is more jazz is perhaps very abstract to local taste.  ...