Nigeria, the land of plenty

"Democracy or Kleptocracy" by Jelili Atiku The end of a Saturday afternoon is a propitious time for art exhibition to take place, when people are done with their shopping and other work related obligations. Besides, for outdoor set-ups the sun paints everything in gold. A performance took place on the parking lot of Kia showroom on Akin Adesola in Victoria Island, where four artists in residence at the Arthouse foundation were presenting their works (Dipo Doherty, Tyna Adebowale, Olumide Onadipe and Jelili Atiku). The performance was created by Jelili Atiku on the theme of "Democracy or Kleptocracy". He was the center of the show, dressed as a woman in a beige linen dress with high-heel shoes, an afro wig and fake breasts. Before the show began, he was sitting on a white cube while a make-up lady painted his lips in deep red. He then, at the pace of a ritual, walked slowly from the center of the parking lot to take beige linen clothes printed with "Democra...

16.30 - fun time at Elegushi Beach Harmattan is filling the air with thin particles of sand. Lagos skyline is blurred as if there was fog and sun at the same time. It is the last of day the year. Victoria Island and Ikoyi are asleep, most Lagosians are busy on the outskirt of the city to prepare the New Year celebrations, be it at Church or with their families. And the Young sleep in anticipation of the night to come. Lagos Island though is still alive, particularly the Balogun market which buzzes are usual, perhaps a little less because of no deliveries being made that day. Customers and sellers were still out and about to buy and trade goods of all sorts. 12.00 noon - gingery view at Balogun market I was looking for a hat, of the kind of Panamas. A year ago, I had got one chinese paper-made that looked nice at that time. This time, going through the market, it looked like the latest version of something similar to a Panama hat was everywhere the same (paper-made bu...

dragon cloud over Victoria Island Despite the economic difficulties: the strong and hard-to-find dollar, the falling naira, the Niger Delta Avengers successful attempt to cut down the oil production by blowing up pipelines;  Lagos goes on building-up further. New places mushroom and others disappear like the cool Seaside, which was set-up on land belonging to Lagos State and recently flattened by bull-dozers. A new place is born, sort of consolation for the amateurs of fresh air: the Eko hotel rooftop which offers breathtaking views over the ocean, the upcoming Eko Atlantik and Victoria Island. A great place which locals tend not to like because the breeze is too strong. The music is not too loud. As the night comes, city lights are filling-up the air inviting to some photographic experiment, this time round the light painting option of my new phone camera. Nestoil, the latest skyscraper in town VI colours Adetokunbo Ademola street

KM 31 is nearing, smile Saturday February 6th, 2015 was the day of the 2016 Lagos marathon. Hold on a Saturday not to collide with church service on Sunday. The event, started at 7am, ran through much of the city. It started on the Mainland at the National Stadium then went through Oshodi before coming to Third Mainland bridge, the emblematic bridge of Lagos that runs on the lagoon for over 10km and offers a view on Makoko where streets are replaced by water and house are perched on wooden pillars. From the bridge one can have a look at the skyline of the islands. Then the marathon went on through Ikoyi to the Lekki Bridge before reaching Victoria Island, going back to Ikoyi before finishing on Bar beach next to the future city of Eko Atlantic. everyone is welcome Many participants joined the run, numbers up to 20,000 could be seen on the bibs. Kenyans arrived on first and second position; an Ethiopian arrived third. The weather was hot and it probably took a toll on the run...

electric cherry blossoms on New Year's eve New Year's Eve at Bar Beach On Dec31st,14, Bar Beach, the place where meagre horses can be hired to carry beach goers to the sea side on the south of Victoria Island, was busy with preparation for a big concert hosting several of the many nigerian celebrities like  P-Square  or  D'banj , etc… The New Year's Eve concert would grace the ears of walkers-by going along Bar beach, made pedestrian area on the occasion. But obviously, a VIP area with a dedicated entrance next to the Eko Atlantic office needed to be there so that everyone could belong where one belonged. shaking it on the asphalt The good surprise was the happy mood of people coming to enjoy the music, shaking it on the asphalt and watching the firework fired from afar, somewhere on the edge on the upcoming Eko Atlantic city. fireworks are best watched on smartphones                   ...

Not walking? I landed in Lagos airport with the fear that I would probably not be allowed to walk on the streets for the rest of my stay in Nigeria. The fear of a traveller coming to a place, for the first time and who has been hearing a lot of safety warnings. Good news is, during the day it is possible to walk on the streets on the islands (Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki, etc…) but it is not advisable at night. At night things are different. The "area boys" are the likely threat. These guys roam in their neighborhood and are apparently somewhat unpredictable. Walking  Therefore my first day in Lagos was the occasion of a walk through Victoria Island starting with a short stroll on Bar Beach which was decorated with electrically blossoming cherry trees and a large stage for the New Year's Eve concert : the 2015 Lagos countdown! electrically blossoming cherry trees The rest of the walk led us through a mix of large paved streets, bordered...