₦airaland Forum

Yesterday's water regatta: All along the shore line there were lasambus ambulances and rrs policemen. Owners of events centres, tourist centres (particularly in Lekki, Ikoyi, Onikan and Victoria Island) would have made a lot of money. There were masquerades (I forget what they are called. They are masqurades on stilts, but not Igunnuku) along the shoreline too.

Today: There was heavy security presence, with men of the RRS, Air Force and Neighbourhood watch on hand to ensure that there was no problem. The good humour of the people added to the fun. For example, area boys erected a road block on one of the streets on Lagos Island, but, rather than extorting money from people, the road block was erected to ensure that the floats and participants stopped so that they could take pictures together.

There were burly security men dressed in black suits at the VIP gate, but they governor entered the arena through the "popular" gate. He was on foot.

Bumble-Bee

RRS

Road closed.

I think we should have a Nairaland button on that phone next year.

RRS.

Some of the pics are too large to upload. I'll resize them and upload.

So many pics that I don't know where to start. I was @ TBS, Giwa Barracks, Campos Square and everywhere in between.

Below is the Isale-Eko Woro Group.

I've got a ton of pics. Resting @ tbs @ the moment. Will upload soon.

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

Pictures coming soon.

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

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

Tourists(?)

Army cantonment secondary school.

St jude's secondary school

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.

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.

Lagos Water Regatta.

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

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.

Governor Fashola @ Lagos Carnival 2010.

Free BRT services.

Open top bus.

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.

Admin and mods need to do something about this monelover character. For almost a week now he has been posting obscene pictures on threads and anytime he is banned he resurrects with another username. May I suggest that his IP should be banned.


@ topic: May their souls rest in peace.

This entire thread is such a waste of space!

Good job.

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Blazay, I hope you know that you are a talented and entertaining writer. Keep it up.

I forgot to add. Something funny happened during the game Nigeria vs Burkina Faso (the game in which Yekini scored 4 goals and Finidi George made his debut). An NFA official forgot the team's shorts at the training camp in Otta. The lapse was only discovered minutes before the game kicked off at the National Stadium Lagos.

Yekini suggested to the NFA that they should cut the track suit trousers with razor blades and use them for the game, rather than forfeiting the tie. The Super Eagles played the first half of that match wearing extra long shorts.

Yeah & very humble.

I was just reading Segun Odegbami's opinion of Yekini (they played together during Segun's last season @ Shooting Stars & Segun was team manager of the Eagles when Yekini was playing). He just wanted to enjoy his football and serve his country. He wasn't in it for the money and wasn't involved in player politics (Gateway Football club is still waiting for him to come and claim his salary from his time with them in 2005!). He wasn't involved in player politics and was even a victim of the "mafia" in the Eagles.

Yekini