Title: Venice of Africa
Charcoal pencils and graphite pencils on fine linen ( 2 * 2 ft)
A story of Makoko, the pain of Lagos, Nigeria.
Firstly lets not get carried away with the title “Venice of Africa”, and if you are like me then the thought of Venice should conjures up images of beauty, art, and architecture, and definitely not a slum. The only attributes they both have in common is that they were both built and float on water, and are home to a population well into the 200,000 mark.
Makoko in Lagos is a slum neighborhood above the Lagos Lagoon. It has been around for along time dating back to the 18th century, and at that time it was a fishing village.
Makoko is really one of the many sad stories of Lagos, it is seen and not seen all in one glance, an invisible community that many are actually unaware of. It is an extremely poor area, and as can be expected with poverty comes a whole range of social issues, making Makoko a no go area in the mind of the average Lagosians. This hasn’t stopped or deterred the adventurous types mainly photographers from the international communities, looking to capture a side of Lagos we all know exists.
The Lagos state government at different times have wanted to redevelop the area and bring in line with other neighborhood, but local politics and other social issues have ensured that Makoko still remains intact.
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