Abuja Carnival

I spent a couple of hours wandering up and down the procession of floats at Abuja Carnival late this afternoon and early evening. The event was based around Eagle Square, what passes for public space in the city. As usual, the show had been poorly publicised, with only a few thousand people turning up. This is a pity, because the array of costumes and music is quite amazing. I wonder how many other events on the planet could rival the sartorial plenitude of this event.. The incredible cultural variety of Nigeria is condensed into one place, and one cannot but feel awed by the country's seemingly endless diversity.

As dusk wore on, the interlaced polyrhythms grew denser and the dance of the masquerades more frenetic. Durbar horse riders galloped about, the smell of horse manure the fragrance of the dusk air. I returned to my car by the time it was dark, to find someone had lifted both my wing mirrors. It was a small price to pay. More pics here.