Cameraman sitting atop a bus stop shelter (anything to get a good pic).

That's me @d Lagos Carnival

Stilts.

davades: That's me @d Lagos Carnival

Cool!

@Naptu2 please kindly permit me to use some of the pics you posted on here for a compilation of yesterday's carnival on my blog. I wasn't at the carnival but I really wish I was in lag, I already got some pictures but I also need some of the ones you posted here so that more people can see the beauty of this stuff. I'd also post the link here. Thanks.

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Fake azz carnival. Everything looks foreign. What happened to Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa culture. Why must we continue to be look inferior to foreigners. Why must all carnivals look like the brazillian and carribean carnivals. SMH.

pretty_boi: @Naptu2 please kindly permit me to use some of the pics you posted on here for a compilation of yesterday's carnival on my blog. I wasn't at the carnival but I really wish I was in lag, I already got some pictures but I also need some of the ones you posted here so that more people can see the beauty of this stuff. I'd also post the link here. Thanks.

With all pleasure. You can use them.

afam4eva: Fake azz carnival. Everything looks foreign. What happened to Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa culture. Why must we continue to be look inferior to foreigners. Why must all carnivals look like the brazillian and carribean carnivals. SMH.

It was a mixture of everything. I've already posted the Gelede (Yoruba) and Fulani groups. I couldn't get a pic of the Igbo group (I wasn't fast enough) sponsored by MTN. There were more masquerades both at the carnival and the boat regatta on sunday. But remember, carnival was brought to Lagos about a hundred and fifty years ago by the Brazilian returnees who had assimilated Brazilian culture. You've got to have some of that culture to make it complete.

naptu2:

It was a mixture of everything. I've already posted the Gelede (Yoruba) and Fulani groups. I couldn't get a pic of the Igbo group (I wasn't fast enough) sponsored by MTN. There were more masquerades both at the carnival and the boat regatta on sunday. But remember, carnival was brought to Lagos about a hundred and fifty years ago by the Brazilian returnees who had assimilated Brazilian culture. You've got to have some of that culture to make it complete.

The foreign influence was overwhelming. This is a lagos carnival for lagosians, so it should reflect lagos culture 80%, then every other thing can share the remaining 20%. There's still no real carnival(festival) in Nigeria.

naptu2:

With all pleasure. You can use them.

Thanks man, I do appreciate.

Here's a link to a blog compilation of a GALLERY OF SEVERAL PICTURES FROM YESTERDAY'S LAGOS CARNIVAL. Also, thanks to @naptu2 for giving me the permission to use some of his pictures. Much love my man____________________ http://malcolmadoks./2012/04/10/lagos-carnival-2012-showcasing-lagos-state-of-nigeria/

Culture is not static, it's dynamic. Every culture borrows influences from those it comes across. The people who started carnival in Lagos had lived in Brazil for many years. They brought the culture with them.

It's similar to the other great Lagos festival, Eyo. It was brought down from Abeokuta.

Igunnuku was brought from Nupe.

Therefore, this is the culture of Lagos Island.

The costumes were made by people from the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Centre.

Area boys and girls (now called good boys and girls) are rehabilitated and tested for drugs. They are detoxified if they've got drugs in their system. They are then sent to the skills acquisition centre to learn a trade.

Destitutes and the jobless also attend the centre.

The costumes are given to the participants for free (sponsors take care of the costs).

afam4eva:

The foreign influence was overwhelming. This is a lagos carnival for lagosians, so it should reflect lagos culture 80%, then every other thing can share the remaining 20%. There's still no real carnival(festival) in Nigeria.

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.my man, I wasn't there in person, but from the pictures I got, there was a great deal of Nigerian culture & tradition being showcased at the carnival,to me the only things that made it look Caribbean were the masks a lot of people wore. Other than that, I think it was majorly more Nigerian culture than anything else. Although sha that's judging from the pictures I have so I'm still very open to corrections.

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Awolowo Road

I missed it,sadly.I was sleeping off AY's sunday nite gig.

Lovely pictures Naptu.

Thanks very much Ify.

naptu2: Tourists(?)

Not tourists but expat residents in Lagos

Masks and trumpets for sale.

Spider-mobile

MTN float

Gelede is an annual festival honouring “our mothers” (awon iya wa), not so much for their motherhood, but as female elders. It takes place when the dry season ends (March–May) among the Yoruba people of south-west Nigeria and neighbouring southeast Benin.

The celebration is recognizing the power and spiritual capacity women have in society. The performances are given by men, wearing masks that feature sculpted images on it, These scenes can be of animals and people or sewing machines and drums. The mask is one of a pair worn together by men masquerading as women to amuse, please and placate the mothers who are considered very powerful, and whom may use their powers for good or destructive purposes. These powers are especially linked to childbirth. The abilities they possess may be activated either consciously or unconsciously. Because of the Gelede performance, the community as a whole can acknowledge the power held by women.[1]

The Gelede ceremony involves carefully choreographed dance, singing and music, and especially drumming. Dozens of masquerading pairs may take part. The daytime festival is held in the marketplace, and is preceded the night before by an Efe ceremony at which male masks are used by ‘jesters’ who make satirical performances including social comment.

Gelede probably originated in the late 18th or early 19th century. It may be associated with the change from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society, but then one might expect it to have older beginnings.

The Gelede ceremony may also take place at the funerals of cult members or in times of drought or other serious situations which are thought to have been brought about by malevolent witchcraft.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelede

Gelede

Defence Headquarters (Giwa) Signals Barracks, Kingsway Rd Ikoyi, one of the take-off points.

Pics

Double decker bus

Food and drinks stop in front of City Hall.

The Governor walking into the arena (he is wearing a blue shirt and blue face-cap and waving at the crowd). He walked in through the regular gate. The crowd surged towards him and it was quite difficult for security to keep them back.

Security escorting the governor.

Roller skates. I was wondering why, over the past few weeks, I kept seeing a lot of secondary school aged people on roller skates. I guess they were practising for the carnival.