Lagos back in the day..
This pic comes from the diary of A. Margaret Jefferies - thanks to Aderemi's notebook for the link. Its not just the images from the early 1950's that are quaint - its also an intriguing historical document on the English colonial mindset towards Nigeria. Its also funny - containing jems such as this: "Coming back to Ibadan we stopped en route to look at the reservoir at Ogbomosho. Two fishermen told us they had just seen a crocodile there, but though we spent some time looking for him he was as elusive as the Loch Ness Monster and wouldn't appear to us. The fishermen, plus one wife, travelled back to Ibadan in our car. On the way we passed a man driving 4 ostriches along the road."
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13 comments:
Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. I see nothing much's changed.
Do you know that black statue of Sango at the Marina?
...it was once white.
Classic pic Jeremy...you're obviously having a lot of fun
am so envious
Wow a 1950's blog, bloody AMAZING!! who is the publisher? Reminds me of how my Mum describes Nigeria was when she first arrived in the fifties, so much more genteel!
Love the bit about how she discovers that Black men have pink palms! What a classic, I have to say this is by far the BEST link you have given us on this blog, well done!!
amazing stuff... who knew ibadan had the largest black folk population of any town in the world, at some point. And the seemingly endless rusty ibadan rooftops (even though you can't see the colors in the pic) always fascinate me.
Something has changed Shango or has it? essentially it's the colonial mindset that Jez referred to in his blog. Compare jefferies' document with some of Jez's blogs for example.
But again has the mindset really changed? I'm reminded of (1)rude staff at the British High Commission and (2)activities around last year's Live 8 - a 'save africa' kind of thing...
Hmm you know what? I'll just stop at this point.....
This is super classic. WOW! I'm tripped look how clean the streets are!
Makes you almost want to be colonized again.
Just kidding:)
But on a serious note, why has Nigerian deteriorated so much under African rule, are we incapable of running a successful, efficient, safe country?
Imagine a country with no crass materialism, bribery and corruption, 419, armed robbery, horrendous go slow, overcrowded cities.
Maybe we LIKE living in utter chaos?....
@chxta: by your inane statement, are you asking us to assume that corrosion and deterioration is a good thing? Because you do know that's how a white statue turns black?
@Bisi: That is such a good question!
Bisi, this is something I have always wondered about our people. I truely think we love chaos, disorder, it adds to the vibrancy of life in the tropics.
Just think wherever there are Nigerians, there is noise, commotion and drama, more so than our African neighbours.
My Senegalese and Ghanaian friends can never comprehend this: to them life is so much simpler to chill and go with the flow, an anathema to Nigerians I'm afraid.
"Classic pic Jeremy...you're obviously having a lot of fun"
WTF?
Oh wtf! My mistake, I imagined it were Jeremy travelling around those places. Am so used to his style of writing and his stories of travels around Nigeria...
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