This week in The Fix, the prolific, chaotic Nigerian capital through the eyes of poet, writer, and filmmaker Wana Udobang.
Since we launched this series at the start of the year, we’ve covered some of the world’s most culturally vital cities, from Bangkok to Los Angeles, Paris to Istanbul to Mexico City. But when it comes to raw, pulsing, big-city creative energy, there’s a strong argument to be made that Lagos leaves them all in the dust.
Africa’s largest city and its cultural and economic nerve center, Lagos is chaotic, prolific, intensely dynamic. Think Afrobeat, streetfood, beach clubs, warehouse raves, and one of the world’s youngest urban populations. In a city of 20 million people, half are under 30.
“What I always say is Lagos is a vibe city,” says Wana Udobang, the Lagosian writer, poet, and curator we reached out to for this week’s installment of The Fix. “It’s a hustler’s city. A kaleidoscope. It is loud, it’s vivacious. Compared to somewhere like Vienna, where you check off landmarks, Lagos is not like that,” she continues. “You’ll meet someone who says, ‘Oh, there’s this thing happening—come.’ And suddenly you’re somewhere else at 3 a.m. If you like connection, you will connect.”
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