Description

A Moment’s Pause

#4 Kalajayie Street at Igbobi, Lagos, was my permanent residence in Nigeria for several years. Our compound hailed Nigerians from all parts of the country: The North and Eastern Regions merged in Southern Lagos, the economic hub of Nigeria. It was Nigerian culture times ten and I was loving every moment.

The nightlife was festive with clubs like Bobby Benson’s Hotel Bobby Night Club. the opening of Sunny Ade’s “Ayria Club” and many more places to turn up a beer, glass of hard liquor or Plam wine. Food vendors cooked yams, plantains, rice, fish, goat and beef all night long. Areas around major hotels had all-night Suya spots to satisfy your hunger after a long night of drinking and partying.

This is the early 1980s, where birthdays, weddings and baby naming ceremonies held celebratory presence throughout the night till the early morning light informed me, a festive occasion was about to take place at Igbobi on the weekend when I looked across the courtyard to see a goat tied to a fence on a weekday.

The children of Igbobi were dear, darling, special and cooperative. Passing between the houses amid the noise surrounding the compound, this beautiful young girl collects herself in this narrow passageway before joining her friends to play.