Heart of Lagos -- Ben Light

The past two days in country have been spent working to experience as much of Lagos as we possibly can before camp starts. We have tried to avoid just bailing out of the hotel and wandering through the streets aimlessly. It’s a huge city, and the public transportation system is tricky to pick up if you’re not a native, so we’ve been pretty reliant on Dare and his friends and family to help us find our way around. Thankfully they’ve been gracious and helped us see so much more of the city than we’d be able to see on our own. Our hotel is near the airport, and doesn’t have a whole lot directly around it in the way of food and entertainment or sightseeing, but that doesn’t stop the wanderlust from kicking in, and on multiple occasions we’ve had to practically tie Caleb up to keep him in the hotel.

We took a drive with Dare and his sister Funmi down to Lagos and Victoria Islands which gave us a chance to see quite a bit more real estate by car. We stopped at Chinatown and scoped out the small market there, grabbed some dinner at Chicken Republic, stopped at the National Museum, but unfortunately by the time we’d gotten there, it had closed.

On the way back to the hotel there were a number of merchants working the traffic islands, where we had a chance to try a variety of different local snack foods sold through your car window as you pass in traffic.



It was interesting to watch -- once the sale starts and the negotiating begins -- that merchant does not give up. One of the men selling coconut chips began the sale while the traffic had stopped, but then things opened up and off we went. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but he ran and caught us on the next slowdown to finish. Looks like they have a plan after all. We tried coconut chips, boiled peanuts, roasted peanuts, plantain chips and enjoyed looking at all the other wares the merchants were selling. One was wandering through the crowd selling doormats, another sink strainers, which most were selling more appropriate things such as windshield wipers, gum, candy, and drinks.

We arrived back at the hotel and Dare, Caleb, and Funmi headed to the airport to pick up his lost bag. We spent the remainder of the evening talking and laughing and getting to know one another better before we head out to the island. The bed felt amazing and the restlessness of the previous night was nowhere to be found.

Despite all of the neat things we saw -- the heart of Lagos, the people itself, the pulse of the city, was somewhat elusive.

The next morning we headed out on a walkabout from our hotel. Caleb looked for a route we could follow that would take us through some quieter areas off the main road. We followed a smaller road that paralleled the main road through some smaller homes and markets. Everywhere we turned, we were greeted by the smiling greeting of Oyinbo (White Man) -- most individuals looked genuinely surprised to see us in this neighborhood. As we walked we waved at kids, talked to individuals and purchased some puff-puff pastries (basically a doughnut hole) which we ate while we walked and took it all in.



The dichotomy between the haves and the have nots is stunning. I’m sure it’s just as stark in the United States, but perhaps I needed to be jolted out of my complacency a bit to see it. At one point we were walking up a street that paralleled a bridge overpass and on our right is what would be in the States a multi-million dollar home. I don’t know what it cost in Nigeria, but it was just exorbitant. Directly across the street from that palace was a woman bound to a wheelchair, her husband and the most beautiful little girl (all of 16 months) living under the bridge overpass. The girl was chewing on a black plastic bag. I couldn’t help but wonder, what does her future look like? What are her options? Where will she be in 5, 10 or 15 years?

Money doesn’t fix the situation ultimately (though it didn’t stop us from trying). Realistically the return of Jesus Christ is the only real permanent fix. But that realization and understanding doesn’t make it any easier to stomach when you see that sweet little girl gnawing on a black plastic garbage bag.

We had found the heart of Lagos. The pulse of the people.

... and now that we had found it, we didn’t want to let it go.

Mary, Dare’s other sister Funmi, and Ralph from Benin City took us down to Ikotun Market. We had wanted to see the open markets of Lagos, and while we had seen smaller versions of this kind of thing all over... I had never seen anything quite like this in my life.

It was quite possibly the most people I’ve ever seen in any one place, ever. There were people selling anything and everything, and it was readily apparent as we got off the beaten path of the Ikotun Market that this was not a place that many white folks tread. The cries of “OYINBO” came more frequently and louder. I met a couple of children who had actually never seen a white person before... I made her cry. I was hoping for wide-eyed wonder and less shrieks of terror... but I do tend to have that effect on young children, even in the United States, but it was fun meeting people, talking with folks as we went. It was a bit overwhelming in some ways and it is probably the closest I will ever get to celebrity. Which to be honest, I think I’m perfectly ok with.

One woman was VERY excited to see me, and I went over to shake her hand and say hello and she came bolting out of her chair and wrapped me in a big bear hug. We got some pictures together and then said goodbye in order to continue looking around. We continued deeper into the depths of the market, down side alleys and up the stairs looking for some authentic items as souvenirs. Without a guide, it would have been an incredibly disorienting experience, and would have been very easy to get so turned around you couldn’t find your way out.

We took public transportation everywhere that day which turned into a fun game of “How many people can fit in a mid-80’s Volkswagen van?” The answer is 16.



It was fun to think... “Ok, it’s full” and then three or four more got on. Ok, now you couldn’t possibly get another in here. Just kidding, here comes two more. I was impressed at the stacking skills. Let alone the insanity of the coming and going and bartering and negotiating the price. I would have ended up in Cameroon or something if I tried to do it myself. I was very thankful for Mary, Funmi and Ralph’s guidance.

All in all we had found the heart of Lagos. It was a wonderful day, and the trip will remain a highlight of my time in Nigeria.