Whether Nigerian Federal Government likes it or not, this BBC serie about Lagos I first found on Ghetto Radio website enables to understand what makes Lagos city so fascinating! How making a living confronted to overpopulation and poor economic conditions. Of course Lagos has its middle class and rich people but indeed life of the have-nots is more interesting to report.
Of course Lagos is not only a ghetto but ghettos are part of it. And despite problems and poor conditions, there’s to my mind a really strong optimism emerging from this documentary. While looking at it, knowing all the fuss it made, with the Federal Government lodging a complaint againt BBC about depicting Lagos as a slum, I was amazed. This film is on the contrary all about life and energy in Lagos from Ojota to Makoko, from Ajegunle to Ebutte-Metta with people filled with dreams in places where neither the western world nor the Nigerian elites could imagine somebody’s would be able to make a living. And not a single so-called expert in population and/or urbanism, or government official, to talk at their place! What really brings something fresh in it.
Actually it’s a strong and accurate picture of Lagos city which can drives you crazy as well as it can makes you stronger than ever. And to be honest I understand it annoyed FG, because there is at the same time dreams, revolt and despair in this documentary. What almost everyone who someday migrated to Lagos certainly experienced.
Welcome to Lagos from Oo Nwoye on Vimeo.
Find the episode 2 (and soon 3 ?) on YouTube.
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Tags: ajegunle, BBC, dump, Ebutte Metta, Lagos, makoko, nigeria, Ojota, report, scavengers, slum, wecome to Lagos
April 29th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Hmmm, do you think the Federal Government should not have reacted at all?
April 29th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
Yes I think so! Especially the Federal Government…
Don’t you think they should be proud of ruling a nation that is creating such people? (I won’t dare to say “represent” them…but at least “rule”…)
April 30th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Well, I have no problem with the Federal Government expressing their reaction to the program. In fact, I think they had to. While I might not have worded a reaction so forcefully, it was important, I feel, to point out that the documentary was not a complete reflection of Lagos State and also give a nod to the Lagos State governor who has been working to transform the state. That mere act of a federal government supporting the work of a state governor, no matter how small, is significant. It will hopefully send a sign that the Nigerian government is actually out to defend Nigerians and highlight those who have done good work. That is something that has been lacking for far too long.
It is the job of the government and other private agents to ‘defend’ the nation’s image. Now, that said, I wish that the Nigerian government didn’t have to issue any responses in the first place. That could have been the case if it did not have a history of unfortunately, creating more problems than solutions for citizens. Even taking the time to begin to talk about that fact would require a couple epistles, God knows.
Nevertheless, I don’t see anything wrong with a government reacting to a program it felt was detrimental after all, one cannot deny that some will watch that program and assume that all of Lagos is like that), and that a good amount of folks who watched the program complained about, even though just as many, if not more, enjoyed the program. So, yup, kudos to the government for saying something. I just want them to start doing something so that a couple years from now, if the BBC or anyone else goes looking for the individuals from the documentary, there will be evidence of progress, not just in Lagos, but across the country.
Hope all is well.