"Cocktail," by Namsa Leuba

I can remember, back in 2010, taking a cab to the Civic Center on Victoria Island where I toured one small room with a handful of photos fixed to the walls and a smattering of vendors on hand selling jewelry, books and crafts. There were a few localebrities on hand, like Ade Bantu, but not much fuss apart from that.

Fast forward to 2014 and LagosPhoto has grown in size, scope and international influence. This year the festival runs from October 25 - November 26 and includes exhibitions, workshops, artist presentations, discussions, and "large scale outdoor prints displayed throughout the city with the aim of reclaiming public spaces and engaging the general public with multifaceted stories of Africa."

I look forward to checking it out. Visit LagosPhoto on Facebook for more info and view Okayplayer's Top 10 LagosPhotos. --AL.

still battling jet lag and hungry for a bit of lagos in new york, i walked in the doors of s.o.b.'s last night eager to hear music from seun kuti's new brian eno-produced album, from africa with fury: rise.

wearing jeans and little makeup, i parked myself inconspicuously halfway between the bar and the stage, immediately spotting kunle ade--king sunny ade's son--whom i've never actually seen out at an event with 'normal' people. he gave me a hug and obligatory kiss on the cheek, before sliding away to mix and mingle. soon the crowd started pouring in and i glimpsed a few more friends--an academic; a drummer; a dancer; a photographer who covered the africa aspire ball with me, at the national museum of african art, during obama's inauguration--as well as a few brooklyn mainstays whom i haven't seen in ages--namely, ngozi odita of harriets alter ego.

it had been four years since i first saw seun kuti & egypt 80 perform at s.o.b.'s.

i was 25 then, writing for the african magazine. showed up with my notebook wearing a gold tube dress and plenty makeup, was paparazzied to death while dancing, and stayed till the last patrons had already left. i wasn't the shy, silent type as i found seun to be then--though he was also uber-talented, energetic, and mesmerizing to watch. i loved the way he defered to his band members on their solos, leaving centerstage to stand somewhere near the back. and how he paid homage to his late father, starting his set off with a fela tune and displaying a 'fela lives' back tat proudly.

seun has changed a lot in four years. now balding, he was high most of the night and gazed at the audience through half-opened eyelids. in spite of all that, or maybe because of it, i loved his performance--the dancing, the stripping down to his bareback from a business shirt, the preaching about politics, revolution and government. he opened the first set with fela's zombie before launching into songs from his album. preached about marijuana, sex, and politics--'what is the u.s. doing in libya? it's because of the economy. they know libya doesn't have the corporations to rebuild the country after they're done bombing. just wait, the contracts are coming.'--to a rapt crowd of fans.

i danced all the way to the end of the second set before jet lag hit me, leaving still hungry for lagos, tho temporarily sated. on the subway ride home, i thot about my fascination with seun. it stems from the fact that we're roughly the same age. and in the past four years, he has made a significant transition that is largely governed by age: he doesn't give a damn what anybody else thinks anymore. he is making music his way, performing his way, living his way. he isn't shy anymore; he is liberated. i saw so much of fela in him--in a way that both awed and worried me.

all of this to say. i am looking forward to seeing seun in another four years, to seeing him sell a lot of records. a free black man is a dangerous and powerful thing.

read my african magazine review from four years ago here. --AL.

i always enjoy watching theater in lagos because nigerians have a natural flair for drama.

in honor of wole soyinka's 77th birthday, renegade theater presents the fifth annual season of wole soyinka at terra kulture. i braved a torrential downpour to see the strong breed a couple of sundays ago, and next sunday the troupe will be performing camwood on the leaves. the cast did not disappoint--altho, for some reason, i found the helpless, scapegoated characters of ifada and the schoolgirl more compelling than the main ones. maybe that has something to do with my psychology.

festival director/producer wole oguntokun announced that he will be participating in the world shakespeare festival in london next year, an event leading up to the 2012 olympics featuring 38 plays in 38 languages. he plans to adapt the winter's tale into a yoruba drama complete with sango and ogun.

it's great to see wole recognized on a global stage, both for his own sake and for nigeria. he's an immensely talented individual. the show sounds like a can't miss--of course, you would have to speak yoruba to enjoy it! --AL.

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had a great time at the architectural identities exhibit, curated by white space lagos founder and architect papa omotayo. inspired and enlightened by omotayo's (subversive) vision and thinking about how architecture can redefine how lagosians view themselves as individuals and a whole. just had to share this conceptual tidbit from one of his storyboards, the bamboo experiments. --AL.

"The need for security has become over the years one of the dominating features that have defined the organisation, planning and visual aesthetic of buildings everywhere, in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

The idea is that an open house allows for a greater possibility of armed robbery--an unfortunate possibility and reality we live with daily. But can this reality also be reversed by reducing our isolation and self-sufficiency? In what has been termed by some as an architecture of fear--gated communities, high fences, window bars and the reduced use of terraces and courtyards--buildings have become one dimensional boxes. The relationships between internal and external spaces that have historically defined our living experiences no longer exist.

We are sealed in.

The bamboo experiments looks at the possibilities of subverting these ideas and creating buildings and forms that challenge these prevailing notions defined by an architecture of fear. Using a material that is contextual, traditional, readily available, natural, sustainable, and also strong." -- The Bamboo Experiments, O+O Architecture + Design

today is the grand finale and exhibition of the etisalat amateur photography competition, 'lagos under the prism,' part of the lagos photo event series co-sponsored by the african artists' foundation. the show starts @ 4PM @ the civic centre in victoria island.

i'm super excited, stopped by the aaf last weekend to see the permanent exhibit that features some really great visual art and the best layout i've seen anywhere (the building itself is a work of art). they're located on raymond njoku street in ikoyi and the door's always open, even though the day i went there was little more in the way of a curator than a guy sleeping on the couch in the lounge. --AL.

"Photography is the fastest growing medium of creative expression today and in Lagos, the fastest growing mega city in Africa, virtually everyone with a camera or a camera phone is taking pictures. Participants were required to capture images that interpreted their view of the theme--'Lagos Under the Prism.' Be inspired."

went to see femi kuti @ the new afrika shrine on valentine's weekend. the band, including femi's son, played a good hour before he joined them on stage, at which point his son promptly left and they all got really serious.

it'd been ages since the last time i saw him perform, and he seemed so much older and sterner than i remembered. they say jazz musicians' brains are a lot like those of mathematicians, with intricate and complex neural pathways corresponding to the many keys and chord progressions they have to memorize. looking at him perform, the frenzied way he conducted and paced on stage, i could only imagine what must be going on in that mind of his.

here's a little clip of the performance. enjoy! --AL.

a new architecture and design exhibit, architectural identities, is opening at white space, ikoyi, lagos this friday, february 11. i don't know why this is really exciting, except that i've never actually seen a nigerian architecture and design exhibit before, and i'm highly intrigued. especially looking forward to seeing individual works by isi etomi and nkiru mokwe.

white space is an event/retail space for temporary (up to 6 weeks) installations. for more info, check the very cool white space blog. --AL.

"Do we have real open and public spaces? Is Nigerian traditional architecture completely dead or can it be adapted and worked into a 21st Century city? Architectural Identities: An Exhibition seeks to answer some of these questions and prompt you to ask more. It showcases the work of a young crop of architects and designers who are looking to redefine the design landscape in Nigeria, with intelligence and boldness."

Update: This has to be one of the most intellectually engaging exhibits I've ever seen. Ever thought about a drive-thru market, eight-level bridge, or subway in Lagos? Somebody's already designed one. Check out plans for a high-speed monorail, which have been sitting on Fashola's desk for the past 18 months. They've extended the exhibit an extra day, so you have until Sunday to get hip.

there will be a film screening of fela! on broadway at the new afrika shrine in lagos tomorrow. i have seen it twice in nyc already, but still might check out the screening just to see the response of a nigerian audience to the show. tix cost N500 and are available on site the day of the show or at the british council office in ikoyi beforehand. live performances to come later in the year. --AL.

the 12th lagos book & art festival, organized by the committee for relevant art (cora), kicks off today at the national theatre in iganmu. i had a chance to speak with journalist/cora founder toyin akinosho last weekend, and the festival is packed with readings, discussions, music and performances to engage and enlighten. you can check out the program schedule here.

it seems odd now that a fancy seminar flew me across the ocean to strategize how to "build Nigeria through values-based leadership"--or some such--when i now sit here with the generator running so loudly outside that i can't even think, let alone write, and this damned malfunctioning glo modem that i have to reconnect every two or three minutes.

there are a few basic needs that must be met as a starting point for me to write, and i am just now realizing how positively neurotic i am about them. i miss going to my air-conditioned new york public library with free wireless, continuous power and (mostly) working outlets; dropping by my women writers' workshop in brooklyn; balancing my netbook on my lap on the subway, writing my way into the city; keeping a fresh stock of carrots and crackers (dry, crunchy) when i am caught in writers block.

i keep looking for reasonable substitions for those things, but haven't quite found them yet. suffice it to say i haven't had much luck writing in lagos so far.

at times, it seems, even the flowers must have faith and courage to bloom. i actually shake my head in awe and wonder at those who are able to write here. to silence the din of this place long enough to hear their own voice. i can't believe i ever complained about new york (i certainly won't again). it has the infrastructure to sustain and support a writer's life; the learning environments and writing communities to nurture the craft; and the publishing industry and audience that make it all go round. it isn't perfect, but it almost seems so compared to here. i am finding elements of the writer's life here--let's say i'm on a hard target search--but it just seems so much harder.

perhaps i am too accustomed to my american accoutrements to be of any use here. or i can no longer hide my bitterness that, 50 years on, nigeria is still in perpetual darkness. that one must have the courage to write, live, love in spite of it. so here i am in this room in ikeja, unable to write. maybe i am too stubborn, willful, idealistic for my own good. or maybe i am not stubborn, willful, idealistic enough. --AL.

illustration by karo akpokiere
i've really been enjoying my little time in lagos. i spent way more money than i should have at the art and fashion fair at the civic centre on victoria island. the event, sponsored by the african artists foundation, showcased the best of local artists and artisans, and was all about reclaiming the african gaze and public spaces. i bought a lot of handcrafted jewelry, my all time weakness after sweets (there was a cupcake stand too, baked by cupyd patisserie, that i somehow managed to stay away from).

in many ways, lagos is like new york--or london, i suppose, except for those damned power outages--teeming with talented entrepreneurs, illustrators, fashion designers, photographers, and everything under the sun. it seemed like most folks were trained abroad in the u.s. or the u.k., and brought a worldly, cosmopolitan edge to their work. i almost felt bashful buying a pair of beaded, moroccan bracelets wearing my "ethnic" and "natural" dreadlocks. at least there were a few other patrons with locs, too, so i didn't feel quite as conspicuous as i usually do.

if i were you, i would keep my eye out for the lagos photo exhibit, also sponsored by the aaf. it's been commemmorated in a magazine with a feature story by, you guessed it, chimamanda ngozi adichie (maybe i should just start calling her "chichi" on here, since she's so ubiquitous?). i wish i bought the (very pricey) mag to quote her here, but she wrote beautifully about how photos reveal the truth, as in writing and film.

i really should take more pictures. i can be so shy about intruding on private spaces with a lens. c'est la vie. --AL.