Carnival

Carnival is a festive season that occurs immediately before Lent (the last celebration before lent); the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life.


The Brazilian Carnival is one of the best-known celebrations today, but many cities and regions worldwide celebrate with large, popular, and days-long events. The Carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the largest carnival in the world, according to the Guinness World Records, with two million people per day on the streets. The first festivals of Rio date back to 1723.

During the 1850’s there was a large influx into Lagos of educated Africans who had earlier been sold as slaves, from Sierra Leone, Brazil and Cuba. The Sierra Leonians were known as Akus or Saros, the Brazilians and Cubans as Agudas.

In the 1880s there were four distinct groups in Lagos – the Europeans, the educated Africans (Saros), the Brazilians and the indigenes. The town was physically divided into four quarters corresponding to these groups. The Europeans lived on the Marina, the Saros mainly west of the Europeans in an area called Olowogbowo, the Brazilians behind the Europeans – their quarter was known as Portuguese Town or Popo Aguda or Popo Maro – and the indigenes on the rest of the island – behind all three. By 1888 there were 3,221 Brazilians in Lagos. A prominent member of the Brazilian group was Placido Adeyemo Assumpçao who later changed his name to Adeyemo Alakija.


Fanti Carnival (also known as Caretta) was brought to Lagos Island by these Brazilians who settled around Campos area in Lagos State and on Lagos Island to be specific. The carnival comes up three times in a year, Boxing Day, Easter Monday (the first celebration after Lent and Easter Sunday) and on New Years Day. As time went on, the people living in Lafiaji area, also on Lagos Island, started participating in the carnival. Later still, other areas of Lagos, like Obalende, Surulere, Yaba, etc caught the carnival bug.

The carnival was a time of fun, laughter and merriment. However, from the 1970s to the early 2000s, the great Lagos festivals of Carnival, Eyo and Egungun were marred by violence between youths from different sections of Lagos or groups of masquerades. These festivals became synonymous with injury, destruction and death.

The Lagos State Government, headed by Babatunde Fashola, decided to get involved in organising the Carnival and Eyo Festival in order to ensure that activities are conducted in a safe and secure environment and that it serves as a means to attract tourists to the state. Government involvement has returned the carnival and eyo festival to what they were known for; laughter, music, dancing and merriment.

Government agencies such as LASTMA, LASAMBUS, RRS, Operation Mesa, Neighbourhood Watch, etc are fully mobilised to ensure that the event is hitch free. Corporate bodies are involved in sponsoring segments of the carnival, with some providing free food, drinks and souvenirs for celebrants. There are also open top double-decker buses that give tourists a great view of the festivities. Famous musicians such as 9ice also perform at the carnival.

A new innovation was added to the celebration of carnival with the introduction of the junior carnival. Primary and Secondary schools on Lagos Island are invited to send students to represent their schools at the junior carnival.

The procession usually kicks off at the Tafawa Balewa Square. Some floats then proceed along Awolowo Road up to Falomo Roundabout and back to Tafawa Balewa Square. Another kick off point is Campos Square on Lagos Island. Celebrants parade down Igbosere Road, Broad Street, Catholic Mission Street, Marina Street and on to Tafawa Balewa Square. Some floats go through Ozumba Mbadiwe Road and Ahmadu Bello Way on Victoria Island on their way to the Tafawa Balewa Square.

The Lagos Carnival 2012 will take place on Easter Monday, 9th of April 2012 from 10am till 6pm. Admission into the Tafawa Balewa Square is free. Admission to the VIP stands is strictly by invitation. It is advisable to park your car at the Marina car park and other designated car parks on Lagos Island. Awolowo Road, Bourdillon Road, Igbosere Road, Catholic Mission Street, Bamgboshe Street, King George V Road and the approaches to Tafawa Balewa Square will be closed to traffic. However, BRT buses will be provided to convey members of the public to the TBS for free. Focal points for this year's carnival include Tafawa Balewa Square, Campos Square and Giwa Barracks (Kingsway Road) Ikoyi. Sponsors of the Lagos Carnival 2012 include MTN, Maltina Eko Hotel and Ecobank. Performing at the Tafawa Balewa Square this year are musicians such as 9ice, WhizKid and Eldee.


Please feel free to post pictures of your carnival experience and tell us what’s happening where you are.

Open top bus.

Free BRT services.

Governor Fashola @ Lagos Carnival 2010.

Lagos Carnival 2012 is part of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival 2012. A water regatta was held yesterday (Easter Sunday) as part of the festival activities.

Unfortunately, some of my pictures weren't so good.

Lagos Water Regatta.

Great pics.thanks... [img]http://www.demama.info/hjk[/img]

Nice pics

I believe these pics are from the previous ones?

The pics of the carnival are from 2010 & 2011. The pics of the boat regatta are from yesterday. Carnival 2012 is kicking off right now and I shall be posting pics of the event. Please post your pics of the event and tell us what's happening where you are.

its fun,people need it.

[size=50]Lagos d best place to be in d world[/size]

@2nd pic:
That's a lot of pink.

Approaches to TBS have been blocked by LASTMA. Lots of RRS policemen on bikes (the guys that look like robocop). The junior carnival is kicking off from national museum onikan. Lots of guys on super bikes.

Guys making brisk business selling masks and trumpets.

Pics coming soon.

kombats: [size=50]Lagos d best place to be in d world[/size]

Yeah right!

St jude's secondary school

Carnival festival, and also the traffic inconvenience festival.We rave![img]http://www.spgames.info/g.gif[/img]

Army cantonment secondary school.

But why are the Eko carnival revellers dressed like Brazilian or Caribbean carnival dancers? Why not celebrate Yoruba/Lagos culture? Why imitate foreign carnivals?

Information really know no bound,so d present Aguda is d former dominating area by the Brazillians. Adeyemo Alakija is a brazillian? Good info

Tourists(?)

interesting

Bikers (note the RRS policeman in the middle of the pic - robocop)

Music is thumping and the kids are having fun! Kids on roller skates, bumble bee bikes, everything!

Lagos state helicopter circling overhead. Kinda like the MTN float. Lasambus ambulances and lastma everywhere.

Pictures coming soon.

nice

I missed lagos, beautiful pix, Eko o ni ba je o, O ba je titititi

LASGIDI STATE OF MIND..MIND UR OWN BIS I MIND MINE..

I miss lag o,this ib dull like john bull..

EKO BAJE-LESS.

I missed Lagos.will soon be back.

i hope we get more pics from people who attend