Lagos: Nigeria’s cultural hub
Festival director Vanessa Jev joins Daniel Edward for an insider’s guide to Nigeria’s largest city – and the creative energy that persuaded her to make Lagos home. For Vanessa, the word that best describes Lagos is simple: energy.
The city is noisy, crowded and constantly in motion. Horns compete with conversations, new restaurants seem to appear every week and a journey that looks short on the map can become a far more ambitious undertaking once Lagos traffic gets involved. Yet Vanessa says visitors quickly find themselves adapting to its rhythm.
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In this episode of Destination Unlocked, Vanessa gives Daniel a practical introduction to the city. She explains the difference between the mainland and the districts commonly grouped together as “the island”, why many first-time visitors choose Victoria Island or Lekki, and how to plan around the heat and traffic. November and December are particularly exciting months to visit, when theatre, fashion, film and live music crowd the cultural calendar.
Vanessa’s essential stops include Nike Art Gallery, the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market and Terra Kulture. The last of these changed the direction of her own life. While completing postgraduate study in African Studies, Vanessa travelled to Lagos for a three-month research placement at the arts centre. She became so absorbed in the scale and ambition of Nigerian theatre that she returned to Europe, packed her belongings and moved to Lagos.
Today, she is festival director of the Lagos International Theatre Festival. The festival brings Nigerian and international production companies together for performances, workshops, industry conversations and events spread across an entire week. Vanessa describes the administrative work behind the scenes – but also the satisfaction of seeing venues sell out and artists gain access to professional stages, lighting and sound.
The conversation also explores what makes a Lagos theatre audience different. Spectators do not necessarily watch in silence: they react, answer characters and sometimes contribute their own one-liners. Performers must be ready to acknowledge the room, improvise and return to the script without losing control of the production.
Then there is the food. Vanessa makes the case for smoky evening suya, puff-puff and small chops, fresh palm wine, filling plates of àmàlà and the Lagos restaurant staple known as Chapman. Her recommended pairing is emphatic: suya and Chapman together.
The episode finishes with practical advice on shopping, tipping, beaches and avoiding inflated tourist prices – plus recommendations for a Lagos film, a very funny book and a souvenir based on the city’s yellow danfo buses.
