One of the things I love about Lagosians is their ability to make
the most out of whatever situation. In a society where majority of the
population is earns below the minimum wage and the government fails to
assist people’s dire situations, Lagosians still manage to thrive. I
always wonder what would happen if the poorer people in the better parts
of the western world who depend on government aid and benefits, if were
to switch with their Lagos counterparts. My guess is as good as yours,
they would be dead within weeks. I cannot vouch for any other Nigerian,
but I know that the Lagosians are a very special breed of survivors that
will do anything and everything to make it through the day. They don’t
give up because they cannot afford to lose hope. Resilience is their
mantra.
I saw the true manifestation of this when I visited the Cane
Weavers of Mende. They set up camp under a bridge in Maryland where they
grow their cane on one end and manufacture their goods on the other
end. It took a while to convince them to allow me shoot. I had an hour
long meeting with the “Chairman” to discuss my intentions and promise
that I wasn’t a government spy or politicians assistant. Once I was
allowed to roam the grounds freely I decided to focus on their hands and
on their production processes and finished products. They certainly
weren’t happy to see me and a lot of the workers shoo’d and cursed at
me. They had recently been raided by some political hooligans who beat
up a handful of them, chairman included, and set some of their products
ablaze. But it didn’t stop their industry, within weeks they had
re-produced all that was lost and even exceeded their stock before the
raid.
I’m grateful for these little excursions because they are
opening me up to the things I’ve been sheltered from my entire life.
I’m getting to know the people, my people. I am taking time to study and
understanding our innate behaviours and I’m seeing the similarities in
myself and it is giving me a wider sense of identity.
By Feyi Adesanya
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