I have not seen the second in the series so I can’t really say much about that. The first, though, in my opinion, does not leave any gap that needs to be filled by any fair and balanced reporting.
It is a story about a dump and its dwellers, and how they manage to eke out a living, create a semblance of a government, and work towards achieving much more than they already have.
I would actually find it distasteful if the documentary had brought in a bit of the Lekki side of life in order to show that there is more to Lagos than dumps. That would indeed smack of tokenism, and most likely remove from the main thrust of the documentary by drawing attention to the things that the dump dwellers do not have. It might also end up portraying them as victims, something that the documentary was very careful not to do.
The other question here would be whether the story would in any way be advanced by showing those other sides. I doubt it.
The documentary depicts an important part of Lagos that is almost never talked about. For that, we should be grateful.
Britain
I would assume that it is an insult to the British audience – for whom the documentary is primarily intended – for us to believe that they do not know that there is more to Lagos than dumps. Really.
There are complaints that there are Brits who live on garbage. Oh yes there are, and I could almost bet that there are documentaries on them. Probably prepared by or for the BBC. But that is not the issue here.
The issue here is that this is the story of Olusosun and not a documentary comparing it with dumps in other parts of the world. I am sure that anyone who is interested in doing a documentary on that topic – a comparison – would be able to get some funding for that.
This documentary is one that I am the better for having watched.
Libertarianism
One take on this that I find really interesting is the description of life on the dump as libertarianism in action:
Not only did the scavengers sell on any rubbish of any value, but a market arose to satisfy their own needs; the tip had a café and even a manicurist. And at the nearby cattle market, every part of the cow except the hair was used for profit; even the blood that would otherwise drain away was scooped up and turned to chickenfeed.
In this sense, we saw the free market in its perfect form: sole traders exploiting every tiny profit opportunity; the minute division of labour; hard work, energy and entrepreneurship; the lack of any waste.
We also saw that the market policed itself. The scavengers claimed that they trusted each other – though whether this was because market transactions bred bourgeois virtues, or because they threatened to burn to death suspected thieves, was unclear. What was clear, though, was that they didn’t need the state to solve their disputes.
Interesting.
Cross-posted here.
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I wish Nigerians would stop being so paranoid about the reality of the country. For Gods sake by far the majority of people live in poverty and hustle whatever they can to make ends meet. Frankly I found the people on the documentary inspiring, hard working and I loved their sense of community and work ethic. Who do they think buys the recycled rubbish anyway if not some business man who again resells it further up the line – at the top of this pyramid is probably someone who lives in Lekki anyway so lets see where the chain begins and know that Lagos is oiled by the sweat of these women, men and children. My only beef is that so far the show has focused on men so I look forward to Part 3 and hope that we see more of what women are doing.
This is how the BBC described the programme from the onset 'Three part observational documentary series which explores life at the sharp end of one of the most extreme urban environments in the world: Lagos, Nigeria'
The aim was always to tell the story of neglected people of Lagos, there is no this issue of trying to pain Nigeria in a bad light.
At the slightest problem, Nigerians will call for the North to be separated from the South but when Gadaffi says it Nigerians call him a mad man.
Nollywood produces a mass of stereotypical nonsense which is celebrated in Nigeria yet when foreigners produce District 9 or Welcome to Lagos everyone makes a fuss.
Nigerians wish to hold foreigners to standards they don’t uphold themselves.
Is the London based Nigerian-owned BEN Television not afforded the same international platform as the BBC or CNN, yet they waste it promoting government propaganda and charging guests to appear on substandard shows? I almost vomited when Henry Bonsu (formerly of the BBC) asked Alistair Soyode (owner of BEN Television and member of the rebranding Nigeria committee)during a TV interview to mention some of the places to visit in Nigeria, his response was that Nigeria has the best to offer in Africa but that he couldn’t mention any right now.
Are the BBC or CNN meant to serve as media tools for Nigeria? NO
Has Welcome to Lagos fabricated the slums? NO.
The documentary is a story of poor and neglected Nigerians who have chosen hardwork and innovation over 419. This should be an opportunity for Nigerians to reach out and work towards addressing some of the problems these men and women face, their efforts should be celebrated and I applaud the BBC for amplifying the voices of those who’ll never be able to afford to pay to feature on BEN TV or NTA or the other Nigerian TV platforms who won't invest the money and skill in making Nigerian documentaries.
Hey Olumide
Hope things are well with you. Just wanted to know if you were the one who
signed up for Disqus. So does that mean that whenever we receive comments
we just apply with the words “Approve” in the body of the email?
Nne
It is such a relief to read this. Most (though not all) people I speak say this is simply another documentary shown in Britain to portray “poor Africa”. Such views makes me cringe at best, and at worst, make me extremely angry. Groups on Facebook like “The Africa They Never Show You!” which depict a the affluent areas of various countries in the continent are laughable, and only really show me that those who support such groups feel that they have something to prove to the West.
And to me, that’s what it is. It seems as if those who did not like the Welcome to Lagos documentary feel a need to prove something to the West. And what, may I ask? These are the very people who say they are proud of where they are from. But it seems to me that they are only proud when affluent areas are being shown. Anything that depicts poverty, or depicts a village, or anything of the sort, is to these people, an insult.
But on the contrary. Welcome to Lagos is an admirable show looking at the lives of people which, in my opinion, many in the West have to learn from. I’ve only watched the first episode with Vocal Slender so far, but I was so impressed. I saw people that are resourceful, use their initiative, do not let constraints hold them back, keep a community spirit, and carry a smile.
I am a Ghanaian, and I live in London, and I must say, Londoners have a lot to learn from this documentary. In London there a lot of miserable people who complain about their circumstances (I’m not perfect and so I can be included in this at times), are individualistic, and are not half as resourceful, but twice as wasteful, as those I saw in the Welcome to Lagos documentary.
It reminds me of Ghana, whereby there those with a lot, and those who don’t have much, but regardless, they are happy. Every day is an opportunity which is seized, and the community spirit is more than there.
Fair enough, you can be individualistic, wasteful, and miserable wherever you are, but my point is to those who believe that the Welcome to Lagos documentary depicts a life less admirable than that in London (my example), need to take a second look at what is valuable in life, wealth being one of the least.
So, thank you for making such a post, as there any many who need to be shown just how valuable and heartwarming the Welcome to Lagos documentary was, and just how rich those in the documentary are.