As our stay in Lagos draws to a close

 Tomorrow we fly on from Lagos to Accra (Ghana) so that I can deliver 360Life training to the prison chaplains ministry over there.

It's been a fascinating stay here in Nigeria, our first ever visit to the country, and as we prepare to depart I thought you might like to read a list of random reflections on our time here. They are in no particular order, and only represent my views, or views gained through chatting with local folks here. 

• The traffic is insane - and I'm glad I don't have to drive in it
• Predicting what time you will get anywhere is almost impossible, due to the massive traffic jams, especially on weekdays.
  
• The food has been delicious although the concept of being vegetarian is definitely not mainstream.
• I'm a convert to jollof rice, and definitely want to find out how to cook it once home.
  
• Many of the churches are huge (based predominantly on my experience of going to one that had several services of 5000 people each, driving past other churches as streams and streams of people were coming out from them as well, and just seeing some church buildings that were simply ginormous) 
• Some churches have so many people coming, that they lay on buses to take them to and from the bus station, as no space for all the cars. Therefore at the end of church there is a very long line for the buses!
  
• There is a fishing community on the edge of the water where all the homes are built on stilts. It looks like an incredible place - covering a big expanse of water, with all the navigation being done by boats. It also looks pretty poor, and it's caught my eye everytime we've driven past on the freeway. I’d love to explore it but given that there are no roads, and we've only been in a car, sadly that wasn't an option. Very intrigued by it however. 
• The Ring road that circumnavigates Lagos CBD is essentially one very long bridge over the edge of the sea, as there was no land to build it on. Apparently it is 12km long, so therefore it is 12km of bridge, a major feat of civil engineering
• Such colourful and stylish dressing by most people especially when they put on their Sunday best - a veritable feast of colour!
• Everywhere you can see evidence of the very rich living alongside very poor - huge skyscrapers and mega-churches right up next to  informal and inpoverished settlements and cardboard box homes.
• The ability of Lagos minibus drivers to get more into the boot of their minibus than seems possible is quite incredible. Many of the minibus taxis can be seen with boots open at the back, with sacks and boxes and cases etc all piled up inside and held in by pieces of rubber rope. They just appear to defy gravity in staying in the vehicle and not all falling to the floor - and everyone looks very laid back about it all!
• If there’s not a lane for you in the road - just make an extra one!
• Driving in a straight line is not common, weaving is the way to go!
• Everyone is so very friendly
• Lagosians seem to like to shout when frustrated but just as quickly calm down and move on.
• Horns are a prerequisite on the roads, and are used very frequently
• One of the common dishes for breakfast is bean porridge and custard (and it's actually rather nice, even though it sounds very bizarre!)
• Peanuts are sold on street corners in old water bottles - very sensible as you can just take the lid off to get a handful of peanuts, and not lose the rest of them when the bag splits!!!!
• You know when you have to put your pin number into a pin pad to pay for something? Well over here, the card machines change the order of the numbers each time, so that they are totally random. As a result, no-one can watch the pattern of the numbers you type and then work out your pin, as each button could be any number. Result - less stealing of pin numbers, but you do also have to concentrate and make sure you've actually remembered the pin!!!
• Everyone is so very friendly, helpful, and generous with their time and advice. 

All in all, it's been a great trip, and I'm forever grateful to all the Nigerians who have helped make it happen. Now on to Ghana!!!

Nike – the Nigerian

 

Nike Okundaye is an incredible Nigerian woman who I had the absolute fortune to meet today whilst at the art gallery in Lagos that carries her name. She graciously shared some of her story with us, and this is what follows.

When she first married, Nike (pronounced Nickay) was one of 15 wives, all oppressed and all dependent on the single husband who came and went as he wished. Eventually, she decided that she was not going to live an oppressed and subjugated life anymore, and nor should the other wives. Having made the decision to get away, she engineered the escape for herself and the other 14 wives, and together they all fled, to start a new life living together and supporting each other.

Nike was previously trained in traditional Nigerian textiles and art, and over time she taught the other women to also be able to do arts and crafts. In this way they created items to sell and so develop their own cooperative streams of income. In so doing they become financially independent as well as gaining a sense of empowerment and self-worth that had been previously missing from their lives.

From these beginnings came the internationally-renowned art gallery that we visited today, and from that have come 2 other galleries. All showcase Nigerian art and artists in its various forms and media, and the galleries ship their art to buyers and collectors all over the world. Nike also lectures around the world, taking the Nigerian traditional art techniques to new audiences, as well as practising her own art and this is providing a further source of income for developing various programmes of empowerment, training and support for women.

Nike cites herself as a feminist activist seeking to use art to overcome the oppression experienced by so many women in her country and beyond.

The art gallery was already incredible before we met Nike, but then we were fortunate to meet her and hear her tell a very shortened version of her incredible story, and suddenly the gallery moved to a new level. Definitely a must for any Lagos visitors! 

NB images below:

Nike with Rozzie and myself

Two paintings that show Nike teaching and empowering the other wives 

A general shot of the Nike art gallery (more on my socials!)

 

 

Training the Nigerian prison chaplains

Having delivered an overview training to a larger audience of folks on Monday, I have since had the joy of delivering a more focussed training to a select few, who will then go on to be the key ambassadors of 360Life here in Nigeria. As well as all being involved in Good News Global prison ministry, there are several who have other roles, including church leadership, community groups, and there was one who is a social worker and local TV broadcaster.

The training included a review of the materials, plus going into extra depth on some areas so that the team are better equipped to reinforce the training to others. They all had the chance to deliver some of the presentation themselves, and also various other practical activities to embed the knowledge, as well as conversations about how to contextualise, or ‘Nigerian-ise’ it – both relating to translation of ‘troublesome words’, and developing some examples that the local people can relate to.

One of the conversations was around what are the most important messages for the prison inmates to hear if the chaplain only has one 30-minute sermon slot in which to get the message out. That led to a fascinating reflection on the challenges that the prisoners face, both inside and on release, and the results of that conversation were a range of messages, depending on all sorts of factors. It was a good conversation to have, and wonderful to see how deeply the participants were thinking about the materials and the information, and how best to put them into practice.

There were also some interesting conversations regarding the challenge of delivering training on mental health in a land where there is still such a strong element spiritualisation to many aspects of life, and where demonic manifestations are still very much believed in by many in the churches, particularly in rural areas. Also their lack of talk about emotions, and the issues relating to perceptions around counselling, particularly for men in a culture where it’s better to drown the problem in alcohol than admit being anything but strong.

One of the other meetings that happened yesterday was a courtesy visit to the Director of Correctional Facilities for the Akwo Ibom state. It was an honour to meet him, and by the time I had briefly answered his question about what I was teaching, I had an invitation to go to deliver a training session to the prison staff who are based in the administration and oversight department for all the prisons in the state. So, that was the plan for tomorrow morning – a fabulous chance to get the training directly to prison officers and share with them about how to move towards delivering a more trauma-informed service.

Sadly however, the flight from Uyo to Lagos has been rescheduled for the second time (first time from Friday to tomorrow afternoon, and now from tomorrow afternoon to tomorrow morning). So the training with the prison officers can’t happen. Feeling a bit unhappy about it all, as it was an excellent opportunity, but trusting it all into God’s hand for His perfect timing.

Overall, however, as we prepare to leave Uyo tomorrow morning, I thank God for all the opportunities we have had, for the people we’ve met, for the conversations had, for the experiences shared, for the memories made. And I pray that the seeds that have been sown will reap good harvests in many ways.