Comments on naijablog: Lagos street scene

very scary. as a watcher of wildlife on National g...

2008-03-05T01:41:00.000+01:00

very scary. as a watcher of wildlife on National geo i know what hyenas are capable of. to see them on the streets of lagos is mind numbing.

Hugo's book is wonderful. Pity though that the ima...

2008-02-21T23:30:00.000+01:00

Hugo's book is wonderful. Pity though that the image chosen here suggests brutality. The most interesting shots in his book deal with the relationship between violence and tenderness. "Street scene" slightly bends Hugo's interest...not the quirkiness of Lagos, rather the paradox of relationship and humanity.

thats nothing. go to mayo-belwa, adamawa state and...

2008-02-21T16:11:00.000+01:00

thats nothing. go to mayo-belwa, adamawa state and they actually play hausa flutes that the hyenas dance to! fridays after jumma'a (prayers - mosque).

In fact I was prompted to post the picture for two...

2008-02-16T10:14:00.000+01:00

In fact I was prompted to post the picture for two reasons:

1. In conversation with a friend about the madness of Lagos, he mentioned a time when he saw hyenas on 3rd Mainland Bridge. It reminded me of the image

2. Somebody had this pic on their desktop at a bank in Lagos - I borrowed it from them.

I recently bought Peter Hugo's book of hyena handlers (most of the shots taken in Abuja and the North). These kind of street scenes are more common across Nigeria than one might think. Hyenas on thick chains are also a common feature at durbars in the North. I don't see how they can be taken as offensive even if relatively decontextualised. How could a picture titled London Street Scene with circus animals in a London st be deemed offensive? At most, it would incite curiousity, as with my picture of horses on a London street recently (see a recent post).

Even though it is a site of everyday laughter and love, Lagos is also a pretty wild and barbaric place sometimes. The second week after I arrived a headless corpse lay on the Marina flyover. Bits of the corpse were removed (for ritual purposes no doubt) over the next week or so, with ever less of the body each morning I passed it on the way to work. At the end, all there was was a blackened hand, semi-squashed into the road. And I've seen far too many fatal accidents on Third Mainland to not associate the bridge with finality and tragedy..

Good job Jeremy, top praises to you! @anon 11:06 y...

2008-02-16T09:04:00.000+01:00

Good job Jeremy, top praises to you!
@anon 11:06 you are correct, it draws into focus the barbarity we have to live with on daily basis. Pray tell which part of Lagos do you live in that has hyenas et al on the streets? I live in North America and it is fantastic for animals here, jaguars are most certainly NOT kept in the closet of an apartment in manhattan, dogs are not kept in a filthy cage until their hair is so matted that they go crazy. Need any more non babaric pictures? Let me know.

@TTE.Jeremy has crossed a line,by being irresponsible or not thinking things through, and portraying Lagos in a less than accurate way.I do not quarrel with the picture, I quarrel with the caption without any backgroud info.There is freedom of expression in Nigeria kwo? With great freedom comes great responsibility.I will ogger off now.

This particular pic has been doing the rounds sinc...

2008-02-16T09:03:00.000+01:00

This particular pic has been doing the rounds since 1999(I mean that literally). It often shows up in western newspapers, the bbc focus on Africa mag and of course the beeb's website.

I wonder if the message is to portray Nigerians as uncivillised ?

I see the Jeremy stans do not get it. The caption...

2008-02-16T08:47:00.000+01:00

I see the Jeremy stans do not get it. The caption without any explanation gives the impression that this is a "normal" Lagos scene. This is just as bad as the "starving children" portrayal of Africa. There is no credit to the photographer here, who befriended and travelled with these animal "wranglers". I do not of any other group of such people.

If you do not tell people your name, a passerby will give you any name he feels like.

Don't worry, the next time an ignorant coleague asks "so do you guys have hyenas walking in your streets?" you can proudly show him this picture and tell him " no, now we have them on leashes".

I feel sorry for the poor animals that should be r...

2008-02-15T20:19:00.000+01:00

I feel sorry for the poor animals that should be running around in the wild instead of being forced to roam the streets of Lagos! Where is PETA when you need them?????

Wow! Easy guys... What type of animal is the yel...

2008-02-15T18:41:00.000+01:00

Wow! Easy guys... What type of animal is the yellow spotted one BTW?

Easy on jeremy though. This is his blog and he can say whetever he wants on his blog. If you don't like it, then ogger off.

Yes o. If you have a website that provides a more ...

2008-02-15T14:51:00.000+01:00

Yes o. If you have a website that provides a more wide-ranging and interesting view of Nigeria than Jeremy's, please kindly supply the link and we'll all flock over there.

Otherwise, shut it.

but jeremy is always providing different pictures ...

2008-02-15T11:06:00.000+01:00

but jeremy is always providing different pictures of Lagos/Nigerian everyday life scenes. Why are we upset by this one? Is it because it draws into focus the barbarity we have to live with on daily basis?

How many times is this tired picture going to be d...

2008-02-15T08:36:00.000+01:00

How many times is this tired picture going to be dragged out as an example of Lagos.....

I've driven the streets of Lagos every day for the last 4 years and have only seen one of these animals once!

Please try and find something original...........

This caption is offensive.Hows about a picture of ...

2008-02-15T05:15:00.000+01:00

This caption is offensive.Hows about a picture of a travelling circus and the caption "london street scene". This picture is not a normal lagos street scene.It is either you posted this to get reactions or you really do not 'get it' about your use of words. Shame.

I've heard about these guys that keep wild animals...

2008-02-14T21:06:00.000+01:00

I've heard about these guys that keep wild animals as pets. It's completely and utterly ridiculous. What if the animals get loose?

i think this is real old .

2008-02-14T19:55:00.000+01:00

i think this is real old .