This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s Guide to Lagos
The arteries in Lagos are packed Monday through Friday. Workers who enter and leave the workplace, primarily from the mainland to the island, must set at dawn and return home, sometimes not until midnight. This is why, on Saturdays and Sundays, Lagos is often packed with social activities that will become one of the world’s most bubble blue cities.
As I am a publisher of the Literary Magazine (thelagosreview.ng), and a PR executive and biographer at Rich, I provide the opportunity to rewind, connect and meet clients outside of a passionate office environment, visit art galleries and studios, and participate in literary and cultural events.
My Saturday starts early and very late. Because I have to fit everything before the city starts wheezing again from the emphysema that I’ve been suffering from since Monday.
I don’t have much breakfast so Saturday mornings usually start at home with black coffee and honey. This routine will be changed if you have an early morning business appointment on Victoria Island. In this case, breakfast will be held at Ikoi’s Orchid Bistro. The cafe, which advertises “serving breakfast all day,” is famous for its full English language. It is located in the heart of Ikoy, but just off the infamous busy Aurowo Road. Because in Lagos, it’s always summer except when it rains.
Breakfast and meetings take place, and it’s time for socializing and working. This usually means I’m creating a round of art gallery where I can shoot at an ongoing or new exhibition. I’m firmly stuck my fingers into the pulsation of the Lagos Arts Ecosystem by discovering new artists and taking part in book readings and film premieres. Depending on what is shown, you can visit Lele, Oda, Tiwani and Nike Art Gallery. Located outside the Ikoi/Victoria Island hub, Nike is a social bond for the opportunity for domestic artists and art lovers to grab a selfie with owner Nike Okunday, aka Mama Nike.
Lele Gallery, who began his life on military streets in Onikan, moved to Tony’s location on Tony Avenue on Thompson Avenue, Ikoy. Something is happening all the time. This Young Contemporary Program, which celebrates this year’s 10th anniversary, has made it one of Nigeria’s most famous galleries. This introduced new artists and created a new set of new young mobile collectors.
For lunch, you often choose between Victoria Island terraculti and yellow chili peppers. If you have a client who wants to discuss business, it’s yellow chili, but if I’m alone, my default is Terra Kulture. Founded by Boranle Austinpeter, a lawyer who transformed into a multiheifen creative powerhouse, Terra Kulture is a one-stop shop. You can eat, drink, browse bookstores, see art exhibitions and watch plays here.
At Terra Kulture, lunch for me is always Jollof Rice, Dodo (Fried Opentain), grilled fish fish are washed away with star lager and special cocktails of Fanta. For those with a spicy food taste, the meat of the goat with the Ofada rice or pepper will hit the spot. Lunch in Lagos and throughout Nigeria is not a rush. Usually, the main meal of the day is when you eat, drink, or chat. Because it’s a terraculture, you don’t know who can get in, whether it’s an artist, a movie star, a bank CEO, or someone like that, and what conversations you can have.
Lunch is complete, but you may visit more galleries, especially if you are interested in writing a review. But as I leave Victoria, I stop by Angels and Muse, an arts space founded by my best friend and world-acclaimed artist Victor Ehikamenor, and Jats Hall, Etän Hip and Bohemian book and music store at Awowoword. This is where Afrobeats Star Tiwa Savage filmed the NPR Tiny Desk Concert.
When the internet wasn’t a thing in the 1990s, the jazz hole was just where you went to order the latest novels of Toni Morrison or Salman Rushdi or Ben Okli. I am forever confused by the fact that I continue to thrive in the Amazon era.
In any case, my recent visit isn’t for books, but for buying vintage vinyl. Isolated during the pandemic and on my own, I bought a turntable. This is because it helped mobility because it had to stand up to change the record. Jats Hall is where we go to get a correction to the musical nostalgia of the 1970s. From Feracti to Spyrogira, Bettylight, Donna Summer, Prince William Oniaball to Prince Nicom Balga. Just stay still and pray to the gods of Serendipity to begin your treasure hunt!
Good Saturdays always end with a drink. The business meeting will be repaired at Ikoyi Club 1938, where I have been a member since 2009. You can chat with drinks and Suya (fresh Savoury-Beef Jerky). It is a member-only club since 1938, offering exclusiveness in a momentary snobbery. I love holding business meetings there as my clients are also normally members. Another option is the Nordic Hotel on Victoria Island. This has a lovely poolside terrace perfect for dining and winning. There are also books to view or read while waiting for guests. And if my company has sweet teeth, there is a kakutos restaurant in Ozumba Mbadiwe. You can taste their desserts in the sea breeze on your face.
If I were alone, I would drive to Jiyu Park. Because you always meet friends or two friends who invite you to their table or join your table. In Lagos, drinking alone is almost taboo. A former colonial prison and converted to a cultural hub by architect Theo Lawson.
Good evening, you can wander around the vast lot, work in the lounge, play on stage, enjoy art exhibitions, rock concerts, listen to poetry and book readings, sit in the food court and absorption. And for young and adventurous people, the WAF skatepark with London’s Southbank echoes is a good place to spend Saturday skateboarding and rush through the adrenaline.
When I host foreign writers and journalists I visit, I am mostly required to go to the new African Shrine Performance Space on the mainland. It was built by the family of Ferra Kuti in honor of his former African Shrine venue. If they’re lucky they’ll catch Blowra’s son – whether it’s the last Saturday of the month, or if he doesn’t go on tour, Thursday and Sunday femi.
At the shrine, you can immerse yourself in real Afrobeat music without that nasty “S.”
Toni Kang is an author, journalist, PR executive and biographer, and has been praised as “Mayor of Lagos.”
In the comments below, let us know about the perfect Saturday in Lagos. Follow FT Globetrotter on Instagram at @ftglobetrotter
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