Nigeria, the land of plenty

secret dance from Q-Dance Back in the 1960s, Broad street in Lagos Island, a few meters away from Nigeria's Central Bank and the Lagos Stock Exchange, was a fine address. Fast forward to 2018, Broad street is a hip street for street parties, the latest of which is called Dance Gathering 2018. It happened along the walls of the former prison yard, now called Freedom Park which has been redeveloped into a leisure park in 2010. The area feels like it did not change much over the past 50 years, albeit the wrinkles of time, heat and humidity. For instance, the building of the National Archives that has been exposing archive files through an open roof for a number of years has only recently finally been emptied. The party started very quietly around 4pm. Like all parties or functions here, the opening time is the time for organisers to start organising (or at least getting to get things going) and by no means the beginning of the show. The street had been partitioned in several ...

Va-Bene on a crusade for tolerance and respect Long deep red artificial fingernails were busy setting up earrings with sparkling shades of white and red, as if they were incrusted with diamonds and rubies. As soon as it was done, it was time for make-up to be applied. Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, alias crazinisT_artisT on Instagram, a Ghanaian contemporary art performer, was holding his iPhone as a mirror to apply a blue pencil on the contour of his eyes and lips. He would then add a pinch of pink gloss at the center of his lips which he would rub expertly to create a gradation of colors. Va-Bene talked with conviction about his imminent performance at the Iwaya Community Art Festival (ICAF Lagos 2017). His eyes were sending flashes, as he spoke, while two hair assistants were undoing his braids to turn them into woolly pompons. Va-Bene with make-up He was getting dressed-up in an open corner room on the first floor of an construction building over...